Dear friends,

I have experience of group hand-expressing. When my oldest DD was born in
1998 they transferred her into children's hospital (Kiev, Ukraine). There
was a "expressing room" where all mothers began hand-expression of
breastmilk 30 min before the baby's feeding time (8 times a day around the
clock, nice schedule for keeping supply  -you just go and express you
breasts those 8 times for 30 min). We had rooming-in and lived together with
our babies, but were not allowed to express milk in our rooms.
I vividly remember sitting near the window and trying to catch drops (my
breast had very high preference for real baby suckling vs expresing or
pumping), when everywhere had that lovely squirts of milk! I was stressed
and felt myself isolated (and after day  of expressing in hospital tried
direct breastfeeding and we never looked back)  but anyway there was a
feeling that you are not alone, the possibility to met other people and to
observe the technique. 

Sincerely yours, 
Victoria Nesterova,
bf supporter, Kiev, Ukraine 
http://breastfeeding.narod.ru  

In a message dated 10/1/2006 4:16:22 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
I was appalled to see a "group pumping" scenario. Does this really happen
anywhere?
In many parts of the world, Cuba and Kenya come to my mind first, when a
baby is born prematurely, the mothers move into some house or ward on the
hospital campus. They all live together, and hand express together on a
schedule.

This demonstrates the 'tend and befriend' aspect of oxytocin release in
women.

New mothers in the US are too isolated in the hospital. I remember, 20 years
ago, putting a new mother in the same room as an experienced mother. It
generally worked out very well; unlike today, where women are cut off from
each other.

warmly,

Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE Adjunct Faculty, Union Institute
and University, Lactation Program Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human
Lactation www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com

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