LACTNET Archives

Lactation Information and Discussion

LACTNET@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Wendy Blumfield <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 27 Sep 2013 13:57:15 +0300
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (51 lines)
Discussion on pumping always puts up my frustration levels because so many 
mothers are coming out of hospital believing that pumping will solve several 
issues. e.g. partner or other relative can give her milk in a bottle when 
she is tired; cure for painful or inverted nipples; baby takes  more quickly 
reducing times of feeding; she can see how much baby gets.
Apart from the problem of baby getting used to bottles the mothers do not 
get told that it is the baby`s sucking that stimulates flow and supply and 
that if the infant gets most of the milk from pumping, of course the supply 
will drop.  So many of my home visits which I do within the first days at 
home are dealing with this issue.
In my opinion, it`s not the problem of the worst or best pump because I find 
that opinions differ about all the manufacturers, positive and negative. 
The problem is the lack of stimulation because of the over-use of the pump 
and the under-use of the simplest mother-infant interaction.
One cannot stop the pumping and bottles instantly because by that time the 
baby is far more enthusiastic about the easier sucking from the bottles.  So 
after working with the mother on positioning and latching,compression etc, 
I can only suggest that she starts every feed on the breast and only 
continues with the expressed milk when the baby gets frustrated and refuses 
to continue on the breast.  We then hope that within a few days, the 
breast-feeding gets more established and easier for the infant and the 
pumping can gradually be reduced.
But that doesn`t happen in one day and after several days of phone calls I 
hope to hear the good news that the pump has been discarded until the mother 
goes back to work or needs to pump a supply if she needs to leave the baby 
for a few hours.
And of course to advise the mother to pump immediately after a breast-feed 
while the hormones are still humming!
But why oh why is the pump so widely used while the mothers are still in the 
hospital?  The mothers get so frustrated when they can only express a few 
drops with the pump and this reinforces the advice they are getting from 
their relatives, friends, neighbours and unfortunately sometimes the 
hospital staff:  "You see you don`t have enough milk".
Meanwhile a happy new year and season`s greetings to all those who have been 
celebrating the New Year, Yom Kippur, Festival of Tabernacles and Ramadan.

Wendy Blumfield
NCT Trained Tutor Prenatal Teacher/Breastfeeding Counsellor
Former President Israel Childbirth Education Centre 

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome

ATOM RSS1 RSS2