Expressing milk and warming breast milk

Exclusive breastfeeding is often difficult to combine with an active daily routine involving work, appointments, and more. Pumping gives you the opportunity to ensure your baby is well cared for with your breast milk even when you're apart and to actively maintain your milk production. While you're out and about, another caregiver can take over feeding and enjoy this moment of closeness with the baby. Once you're reunited, you can share beautiful moments together while breastfeeding. Tips on how to pump and how to properly store and warm your milk are shared with you in this article.

Why should you pump?

When or why you start pumping is an individual decision. Most of the time, pumping is used to to create a Milk supply to be stored. This way, your baby is nourished with breast milk even when you are separated from him. Many mothers describe that through pumping, they are able to provide more Freedom win because they Be able to better reconcile breastfeeding and everyday life. However, before you additionally to breastfeeding Little bottle when giving with breast milk, a well-functioning breastfeeding relationship is important. Our LILLYDOO midwife Sissi recommends most mothers to approximately six to eight weeks after birth to offer the bottle with expressed milk for the first time, as getting used to the bottle is often more difficult if you start only after a few months. The bottle should only be given by the primary caregiver responsible for feeding if you are not breastfeeding. Your baby should learn: you provide the breast, and your partner provides the bottle. Try together to see if your baby accepts the bottle before you go out for the first time. If problems arise and your little explorer refuses the bottle, ask your Midwife or breastfeeding consultant according to advice. Some babies just need a little time before they accept the bottle.

Some women start pumping immediately after birth because their Baby unable to drink independently from the breast . This is often the case with Preemie the fall or falls due to other health reasons, the strength and coordination are lacking. For example, newborns with a Lip and palate cleft often problems with drinking at the breast. By pumping, your little explorer still receives the valuable breast milk and your milk production remains active. Once your baby has regained strength, you can switch to breastfeeding if you wish.

Additionally, pumping helps some. Persistent problems : If your milk production is too weak, it can be a factor that increases the production. Before you consider pumping as an option, you should always check whether your baby is well latched onto the breast and is sucking effectively. Likewise, pumping temporarily relieves pressure in cases of excessive milk production and supports in a Milk retention emptying. However, you should keep in mind that frequent pumping stimulates milk production and may potentially worsen the problem.

You have a milk surplus? Then you have the opportunity to your donate expressed breast milk . This primarily helps premature and sick newborns whose mothers do not produce enough milk themselves. You can register online at the Women’s Milk Bank Initiative inform or ask your midwife or breastfeeding counselor about suitable contact points.

How does the pumping work?

There are two ways you can obtain breast milk: with the Hand or one Pump . The right method for you depends entirely on how much milk you need and how often you need to pump. Your midwife or breastfeeding consultant will help you with all your questions and will find the right approach together with you.

The Breast stroking succeeds with the so-called C-Grip. Place your thumb above your nipple and your index and middle fingers below (each about three centimeters away from the nipple). Then gently lift your breast. Press your thumb and fingers together softly so that your areola bunches up. To empty all milk ducts, press around your breast in a clockwise direction every one to two centimeters. Be sure to have your midwife or breastfeeding consultant show you how manual emptying works and how to catch your breast milk in a container. Manual pumping is not particularly suitable if you want to extract a large amount of milk over a longer period. However, it is quite useful to learn the technique to relieve milk stasis or other breastfeeding problems. Additionally, some women can better trigger their let-down reflex by hand and then use the breast pump.

That brings us to the second option: breast pumps. In the majority of drugstores and pharmacies, you will find Hand pumps . These are suitable for occasional pumping. They are handy, portable, and often quite inexpensive. If manual labor is too tedious for you, there are electric models for single-sided pumping However, if you need more than just a small milk supply, a is recommended. electric milk pump, with the you both breasts at the same time you can pump. Depending on the model, you will have a complete feeding session after 10 to 15 minutes. Electronic breast pumps are also usually portable and can be used on the go.

Both in the electric models and in modern hand milk pumps, the Suction or pump frequency and that Vacuum Adjust. Test which setting works best for you and feels comfortable. Every woman experiences the feeling of the breast pump differently. It’s best to regularly check the settings. Many women, for example, adjust the vacuum after the Postpartum since the nipples are less sensitive then. Likewise, the Breastplate fit against your chest so that the milk ducts are not compressed.

Whether by hand or with a pump – it takes time and practice for everything to work smoothly and for the milk to flow optimally. :)

How often should you pump?

In case your little explorer only receives expressed milk or is not yet able to suck independently at your breast, the same rules apply as with Breastfeeding : At first, you should eight to twelve times daily Pump out, so every two to three hours and once during the night. Once the milk production has stabilized after the first few weeks, for some women, it is enough to use the breast pump only five to six times a day. If your milk production decreases, it means you need to pump more frequently again.

Would you like to Combine breastfeeding and pumping , our midwife Sissi advises you during the first months of life to normal resting rhythm to be retained.

To establish a sufficient milk supply, you should additionally during or after breastfeeding pump out. Simply place the breast pump on the breast that your little explorer is not currently nursing from. If you prefer to enjoy the moment in peace, you can also pump about an hour after the breastfeeding session. Try out different methods here and see what feels good for you and when the milk flows best.

As soon as your baby Solid foods receives, regulates your milk production accordingly. However, formula feeding is often still the main source of nutrition, so breastfeeding remains important and you should continue to pump as usual when you're out for several hours. Do you only sleep at night now? or at night, it is enough to provide a milk supply in case you are away overnight. Tips for pumping No master was ever born overnight. Pumping requires practice, and therefore it is usually no reason to worry if little or no milk initially comes out. Often, it is because the Milk dispenser reflex not triggered becomes. That is the stimulus your baby triggers when it suckles on your nipple. With the tips from our midwife Sissi, hopefully, expressing milk will go more smoothly soon:

• Choose the appropriate attachment : To ensure successful pumping, it is important that the pump flange fits your breast and sits correctly. It's best to try different sizes. It may also be that you need a different flange for each breast.

• Seek proximity to your baby : When you're out and about, it can help to look at a photo of your baby or to smell their clothing. This releases the hormone oxytocin, which stimulates milk flow. Additionally, it can help to combine breastfeeding and pumping. That means you pump one breast while your baby is nursing on the other.

• Chest massage: Gentle massages and warm breast compresses stimulate milk flow and make pumping easier.

• Try different times of the day: Every woman has her own unique rhythm. For some, milk production is highest immediately after waking up, while for others it is only after the second breastfeeding session. Experiment to see how best to incorporate pumping into your daily routine. The only important thing is to pump regularly and stick to the times you have found. This way, your body will get used to it.

• Ensure relaxation : Under stress, milk often flows only with difficulty. Find a quiet place to pump and try to relax, for example, with your favorite playlist. By the way: Your employer is required to provide you with a room for pumping.

Store breast milk

Did you pump diligently? Then the next step is to store the breast milk properly. In Room temperature (16-20°C) is your expressed milk about six hours durable. So, for example, if you are only away briefly for a trip to the cinema, you can easily pump beforehand and your little explorer will have a meal for later. If you need to transport your milk and do not plan to feed it directly, store it in an insulated bag with cooling packs.

Store your breast milk in the refrigerator for a milk supply. Place the storage containers/bottles or breast milk bags towards the back of your refrigerator and not in the door. Because the temperatures are lowest here. At approximately 4°C can you thus keep the milk for up to six days store. Pay special attention to keeping your refrigerator clean so that the breast milk does not come into contact with germs. Breast milk can also be frozen. Under clean conditions and approximately -18°C Is she like that for about three to four months shelf life, with strong, consistent cooling up to six months.

Warm up breast milk

If your little explorer feels hungry, warm the bottle under running, warm water, in a bottle warmer with hot air, or in a water bath until the milk is approximately Body temperature has reached (maximum 37°C). Sissi's tip : Do not heat too much milk at once. Instead, offer small milk portions because the warmed milk must be fed immediately and cannot be reused. Especially fully breastfed children aged two to three months sometimes only take a few sips, and then it's a pity to have to throw the milk away.

We hope we could provide you with some helpful information about pumping and wish you a wonderful time with your little explorer!