This sounds like an old discussion being re-introduced...but here goes!
Yes, when I was nursing my babies I hand expressed - I was very good at it!
I donated milk in Chicago to the daughter of one of La leche League's
founding mothers who was very ill after childbirth...
I also knew how to sew my own clothes and walked everywhere - or took a
bus.
I can't imagine my asking the moms I work with to prove their diligence by
sewing their own clothes instead of going to Wal Mart and picking up
clothes that, though nowhere near as good as they could make it, would take
a lot less time from their very busy (most of the moms I work with are
low-income working moms) lives.
Yes, I truly believe every mother should be taught how to hand express -
and most can learn, though, just like sewing, it is a manual art and some
are better than others at doing it.
It reminds me of the father of one of our babies in NICU in Puerto Rico -
he was a goat-herder. When I suggested they may want to get a breast pump,
he said no, HE could learn, after all, he milked his goats! He could milk
his wife! Well, I agreed, that he COULD learn, and so we all giggled and
had a good time teaching and learning. She was very willing to do this,
and left the hospital feeling very supported - but the both returned the
next day for a pump! He was tired, she was tired, and the thought of just
being able to plug in a pump and get it going was too tempting! A few
weeks later they went home - their pump was returned - and baby was
exclusively breastfeeding. Was it wrong to offer them an alternative? I
don't think so! Two tired exhausted parents trying to hand express may
cause more stress than they could handle.
Let's keep in mind we provide information/education/alternatives - moms
decide what they can handle!
Jeanette Panchula
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