I encourage moms to use as many of their senses as possible to stimulate
their body into thinking the pump is a baby. I suggest they develop a routine
of closing their eyes and doing 3-5 deep chest breathes, do some massage,
bend forward and let gravity pull the milk down into the milk reservoirs,
think about the baby, use an cassette tape of soft music with your baby
sounds taped over it ( not crying but the fretting a baby does when he is
saying Mom, I need you) to block out "office sounds", and open a bottle of
baby shampoo or baby detergent to use as aromatherapy. That is a tip I
learned years ago from a grandmother who said she hadn't produced milk in 20
yrs but when she picked up her grandbaby in the hospital and smelled Ivory
soap, she felt a letdown so strong, she looked at her shirt for leaking. I
still feel what I think is a letdown-tingling when I smell baby shampoo!
I suggest that businesses keep a tape player in the pumping areas for moms to
use to block out office background noises. Also if ther is a plastic
container of baby detergent in the room, just open it, shake a little to
stimulate the smell and re-use that over and over until the smell is gone. Or
put a little baby powder on their hands to smell while thinking about the
softness f their baby's skin. I tell moms they can't immediately pump if they
are still frantic about what they need to be doing at work  "instead"  of
pumping. I tell them to imagine pumping as a part of their "work" assignment.
Get in the routine and not resent having to do it.

Barbara Whitehead, IBCLC
eastern NC

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