How much milk should be in nursing mothers
Certain rules on the amount of breast milk in lactating women no. Generally, the more a child eats, the more milk a mom-and-coming. If the baby is not appetite and breast gland fills, begins to produce a substance-inhibitor, suppressing milk production.
Thus, to avoid breast-feeding to have milk to pump. More frequent pumping, in the same way as the latch the baby to breast, you can increase the amount of breast milk.
The formula of "supply and demand" in relation to the amount of milk help the mother to decide whether to do it or not. If the baby is healthy and nursing well, then pumping is not necessary.
A dangerous myth about pumping till the last drop
There is a perception that to increase lactation need to Express milk until the last drop after each feeding. Doctors unanimously say that such procedures are dangerous because they lead to hyperlactation and increase the likelihood of lactostasis and mastitis.
Harm frequent pumping until the last drop and the child, because in this case he receives unsaturated nutrients and vitamins milk.
In some cases pumping is necessary
- If the child have problems sucking, you need to pump breast milk to feed baby from a bottle.
- If mom has a need to permanently keep the baby, expressed milk can feed the baby with someone else.
- If you temporarily mother can't breastfeed (illness, medication, etc.), arriving milk regularly need to pump and discard.
- If the mother cannot feed the baby because of problems with Breasts (cracked nipples, mastitis, lactose), milk need to pump and store in bottles.
How best to pump breast milk
The best result to increase lactation give frequent (at least six times a day) of pumping with breaks in between no more than six hours. Simultaneous breast-feeding and pumping. Sucking milk baby from one breast only leads to more inflow of fluid to the second.
The same effect can be observed when double pumping. In this case, will a breast pump. If you for one reason or another do not want to use this device, it is possible to Express by hand. To do it properly and without harm to health will teach you the midwives in the maternity ward.
Stress, lack of time and bad mood slow the flow of milk, so choose for expressing those moments when everything at home is calm and you're not in a hurry.
Before pumping take a warm comfortable shower and wipe your body with a towel. Heat and gentle massage increase breast milk.