On 20/09/2005, at 13:23, Jeanette Panchula wrote:

>  A concept that has been brought up today by Carolyn Melcher at her  
> "Birth
> and Beyond" training is the idea of "cluster pumping".  If babies  
> tend to
> "cluster feed" why not have moms "cluster pump"?
>
> Is it not possible - and probable - that mothers could maintain a milk
> supply, despite erratic scheduling, if WHEN they COULD pump - they  
> pumped q
> 30 to 45 minutes?

"Power pumping" techniques are commonly recommended in the pumpmoms  
and EPers mothers' groups - some mums will pump for a long time at  
each session, other mums "power pump" once or twice a day between  
regular sessions - ten minutes on, ten minutes off for 60-90 minutes  
or more - which seems to work very well in stimulating supply. Many  
mums will do this in the evening (when their partner can do the  
parenting), which would appear to me to be simulating a young baby's  
typical evening cluster or marathon feeding. A handsfree bra helps a  
huge amount - time to catch up on emails and not watch the horns!

Aside: Many mums seem to be being told "by LCs" (I'm not sure whether  
they're IBCLCs a lot of the time) that "you should never pump for  
more than 15 (or 20) minutes at a time" - I'm not sure where this  
meme has come from, as it doesn't seem to hold true for many, and  
seems an unnecessary restriction so long as the mother is comfortable  
and has a fitted well breastshield.

Lara Hopkins
GP in Western Australia, EPed for Luke for 14.5 months

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