Breast milk is the best food for a nursing baby. Lactation begins in all women in different ways. This is due to the individual characteristics of the body. However, for most mothers, milk “comes” 3-4 days after birth. Many mothers and women who are just preparing to become mothers are interested in the question of when to express breast milk.
Milk comes quickly, the child does not have time to eat everything. That is why women have pain in the chest, there is a risk of developing lactostasis. To avoid this, it is necessary to regularly express breast milk and prevent its stagnation in the mammary glands of a young mother. But at the same time, women need to know how to express breast milk with their hands during stagnation and with the help of a breast pump.
To ensure that this process does not cause unpleasant emotions and takes a minimum of time, and the resulting nutrition can be used to feed a newborn baby, you need to know how to express and how to store expressed breast milk.
What is pumping. When to pump
PumpingThe process of extracting breast milk is called. It must be carried out if:
- mom needs to go away and she is not going to interrupt breastfeeding and transfer the baby to formula;
- mom can't feed her baby and the only way to feed her baby is to use a bottle;
- mother is ill and cannot feed her baby personally;
- mom goes to work;
- injured nipples, resulting in the process of feeding discomfort to both the baby and his mother;
- there is "stagnation" of milk, lactostasis or there is a risk of its occurrence;
- milk is not produced enough.
If insufficient breast milk is produced, regular pumping is recommended to improve lactation and milk supply. In addition, pumping milk is a forced necessity if the baby was born prematurely and has no sucking reflex or muscles are not so developed, he cannot get the necessary amount of breast milk.
In addition, expressing milk is necessary if a woman has a flat nipple and the baby cannot latch on properly.
Ways to Express Breastmilk
There are two main ways to extract breast milk: with a breast pump and manually.
Every woman chooses the way she likes best. However, it is worth noting that most young mothers give their preference to the first method. In their opinion,using a breast pump greatly simplifies the process of expressing breast milk and eliminates injury to the nipple, as well as the appearance of pain.
By the way, an important condition is the correct choice of such a device, since currently there are many varieties of breast pumps. And not everyone proves high efficiency.
Pumping Prohibitions
It is important to carefully study the necessary information on how to properly express breast milk into a bottle so as not to harm your own body. It is important to remember what is strongly discouraged from doing.
- The so-called pumping "to the last drop" can lead to excess milk production, and, as a result, to the occurrence of "stagnation" of it in the mammary glands of a woman. This makes the woman uncomfortable and can cause he alth problems.
- Many women wonder how often to express breast milk. The number of pumpings should not exceed three. Otherwise, an excessive amount of breast milk will be produced, as a result of which there is a risk of developing lactostasis, which is fraught with serious consequences.
- Hyperlactation can be caused by pumping immediately after the baby is finished feeding.
- For the same reason, pumping at night is strongly discouraged.
- Experts strongly recommend that young mothers do not resort to pumping on the first day after the "arrival" of milk, because at this time the formation of lactation occurs. In this periodit is necessary to express only a small amount of milk so that the breast becomes softer and the newborn baby can easily extract milk from it.
Under the above conditions, pumping will not harm the female body.
Which breast pump to choose
Currently, there are several types of breast pumps.
- Pump - the simplest and cheapest manual breast pumps. Represented by a nozzle on the chest and a pear or a rubber pump. Expression occurs by compressing the pump. Products of this type are produced with a bylochka in the kit and without it. It is worth noting that this is far from the most popular type of breast pump, since many women experience soreness and cracked nipples when using it.
- Syringe-shaped - the most common type of breast pumps. They are two cylinders. Caring for such a device is quite simple, and it is quite compact and takes up little space.
- Piston. The design of such breast pumps is somewhat more complicated than the above two. The components are a lever and a silicone nozzle on the female nipple. The kit necessarily includes a bottle - also a component and one of the main elements of a piston breast pump. When the lever is pressed, the silicone breast pad is firmly in contact with the breast and the process of expressing milk is activated.
- Electrical. The most effective models, the use of which helps young mothers save time on expressing breast milk fornewborn. The most important thing is to place the pad correctly so that the nipple is in the center.
It is worth noting that the most expensive are electric breast pumps. Their cost, as a rule, exceeds 3000 rubles. A manual breast pump can be purchased for less.
Before choosing a device, you need to understand how to properly express breast milk with a breast pump. Despite significant differences, the principle of operation of all breast pumps is the same and is to create a vacuum around the female nipple.
When using mechanical breast pumps, women's hands are involved to varying degrees in the process of pumping milk. That is why the pumping process takes a lot of time, and when it is completed, the woman's hands get tired.
Electric models are much more expensive than their mechanical counterparts, but their use does not require any effort from a woman. Just press the button and follow the process.
Hand pumping
This method of obtaining breast milk requires some skill, and besides, it is very painful. Many women report that with frequent hand pumping, cracks form on the nipples, and irritation and redness occur around the halo.
15 minutes before the start of the pumping process, you should drink a glass of warm water or warm tea. After that, you need to massage the chest. A warm shower is also a good way to stimulate lactation.
Wash thoroughly before pumpinghands with soap.
How to express milk by hand
The thumb is placed on top of the areola, about 3-4 cm before the base of the nipple. The index and ring fingers at this time should be placed below, retreating a few centimeters from the nipple. Pumping should be done by squeezing the chest with your fingers in the direction of the ribs. You need to do the above movements confidently, but carefully.
To improve the process of pumping breast milk, before starting the main process, you can put a photo of the baby in front of you or do the pumping while sitting in front of the baby.
You need to understand that the process, carried out for the first time, may be accompanied by painful sensations. Fingers need to move in a circle. This is necessary in order to withdraw milk from all the lobules of the breast.
If milk gets on the breast and it becomes wet, it is necessary to suspend the pumping process and thoroughly dry the surface of the breast with a clean napkin or towel. Then you can continue.
Many new mothers are concerned about how much breast milk can be expressed at a time. Pumping should not take place until the last drop, but before a feeling of emptying of the mammary glands appears.
A woman should make sure that her fingers do not slip on the surface of the nipple in order to avoid injury.
Breast milk storage guidelines
It is necessary to observe certain rules for storing breast milk so that this baby food does not lose its beneficial properties.
It is not recommended to store expressed milk on the refrigerator door. For these purposes, it is better to choose places where the least temperature fluctuations are observed.
Capacities for storing breast milk must be sterilized. In addition, they must indicate the exact date and time (preferably) pumping.
Where to express breast milk. Storage containers
A necessary condition for storing breast milk is the right choice of container. Currently, there are several types of them.
- Special disposable bags. The main advantages of such containers are their sterility and the presence of a hermetic fastener. In addition, such containers have a measuring scale, which allows you to determine the volume of expressed milk. In addition, plastic bags have special fields on which you need to write how much milk was received and at what time. You can buy disposable bags for storing breast milk at any pharmacy at an affordable price. The average price of one package is 20 rubles. Most often they are sold in packs (15-20 pieces each), and not individually. It is worth noting that some mothers purchase kits in order to save money, which include a breast pump with all its components, several removable nipple attachments and several disposable bags for storing breast milk.
- Special plastic containers for storing breast milk. The volume of such containers ranges from 150 to 220 ml. Before using the container,sterilize thoroughly. They have a measuring scale. The main advantage of plastic containers is their reusability. However, the cost of such containers is quite high. The average cost of such containers reaches 120-150 rubles.
- Glass container. Also needs pre-sterilization.
Scientists have proven that it is possible to store expressed milk without compromising the quality of the product in both glass and plastic containers. You can use not only specialized containers, but also glass jars from baby purees, as well as containers designed for storing food, which do not contain biphenol-A.
Shelf life
The shelf life of expressed breast milk directly depends on the conditions under which it will be stored.
- Milk can be stored in the back of the refrigerator for a maximum of 8 days. In this case, all the beneficial properties of the drink will be preserved. It is strictly not recommended to store breast milk on the refrigerator door. It is better to choose areas closer to the wall, where temperature fluctuations are the least.
- In the freezer with a common door, expressed milk will keep its properties for 14 days.
- Breast milk can be stored in a freezer with a separate door for up to six months.
- At room temperature up to 15 degrees, expressed milk can retain its beneficial properties for a day. After that, it becomes unfit for human consumption.baby.
- At room temperature above 15 degrees, breast milk can be stored for up to 6 hours. The duration of the shelf life is due to the presence of substances in it that prevent the reproduction of microbes.
Before freezing, milk must be cooled to room temperature.
It is worth noting that the defrosting of breast milk should also occur under certain conditions. It is advisable not to resort to using a microwave, but to use a water bath for this.
Instead of a conclusion
Pumping helps young mothers improve lactation, as well as prevent milk stasis and the development of lactostasis. But in order not to harm the body, you need to know how to properly express breast milk with a breast pump and manually into a bottle.
Before starting the process, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water to prevent pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms from entering directly into breast milk. It is important to express milk gently to prevent nipple injury and irritation.
In order for expressed milk to retain its beneficial properties for a long time, you need to correctly choose a container for its storage and take into account several important nuances.
Containers in which expressed breast milk is supposed to be stored must be sterilized before use. It is strictly forbidden to use for these purposes containers that contain bisphenol-A. It is strongly recommended to give preference to special containers for storing breast milk, whichcan be purchased at any pharmacy at an affordable price.
It is strongly discouraged to place expressed breast milk on the refrigerator door. For storage, it is better to choose places as far as possible from the door. It is there that temperature fluctuations are the smallest, which means that the risk of milk losing its beneficial properties is minimized.
