When it is necessary to express breast milk

More recently, health workers have been advocating the regular expression of breast milk after each feeding, arguing that if the milk remains in the chest, its amount will begin to decrease and not be able to meet the growing needs of the baby. However, today it is known that such tactics are not entirely correct. The fact that the woman has programmed for feeding nature itself, so if the baby will regularly suck his breast, the milk will come in the amount that is necessary for a crumb in this period of time.

Therefore, before thinking about how to organize the expressing of breast milk, it is necessary to ensure regular attachment of the baby to the breast, and most likely, there will not be a need for additional straining. More, that purposefully "disperse" lactation, in an effort to increase the amount of milk by constant pumping of the breast should not be because it can lead to problems: stagnation, lactostasis and mastitis. And as a result, there is a vicious circle - if not to settle, the chest begins to ache much, and if you strain, the next time milk comes even more. Therefore, if in the chest there are painful sensations and a feeling of bursting, then you can melt a little, but do not seek to achieve complete devastation. Better yet, in this case, offer the baby a breast.

When you can not do without expressing

However, there are a number of situations in which the expression of breast milk is desirable and even necessary. Firstly, it may be needed in the first days after delivery, when the milk comes so rapidly that the baby is simply unable to suck everything out. The most important thing is to remember that it is necessary to express in this case for relief, and not to complete devastation of the breast. Gradually, the breasts will adapt to the needs of the crumbs and everything will return to normal.

Also, the decantation of breast milk is necessary if the child for some reason can not be applied to the breast (usually it is due to a serious illness of the mother or baby). In this situation, regular expression supports the production of milk and helps later to return to breastfeeding. If the baby's condition does not allow breast sucking (for example, because of prematurity or after surgery), then Mom's milk is given from a bottle, using a special syringe or even through a probe. This gives crumbs the ability to quickly gain strength and restore health.

If nursing mothers often or periodically for long periods leave home, then expressing and storing breast milk will help ensure the baby's nutrition during her absence. Expressed milk, which is much more useful for crumbs than the best mixture, can be stored in the refrigerator (for two days) or in the freezer (for 3-4 months).

Sometimes expressing breast milk is the only way to organize natural feeding. If a child ate for a period of time from a bottle, he may subsequently refuse to take the breast. And my mother is facing a choice - go to the mixture or continue to express and feed the crumbs with her milk. Sometimes, in such a situation, the advice of a breastfeeding specialist can help, which will tell you which methods can be used to train the baby to the breast. But such recommendations do not always help, in addition, not in all cases they can be implemented.

If for some reason you can not do without expressing, it is important for mother to know how to do it correctly (and best of all, if she is not just told how to do it, but also shown in practice). Because the wrong technique of expressing breast milk can lead to the emergence of various problems: the emergence of strong pain, stasis and roughness. You can express both hands and with the help of a breast pump (mechanical or electric), to facilitate the outflow of milk before the procedure, it is good to drink a cup of warm tea or compote, and also take a warm shower.