At 15:17 24/5/00 -0400, Elisheva wrote: >whose babies >are NPO need to "pump 10 times a day" or whatever, in the first days, before >lactogenesis II, do we actually mean *pump*, like, with a device, because the >suction is important here? Or is, say, Marmet technique of hand expression >an OK substitute for this kind of nipple stim ? What are folks doing in >countries where sick babies' mothers don't have pumps available, and does it >work OK? Elisheva, though I come from a country which definitely DOES have pumps (Australia), in my experience they are not a tool we use until AFTER lactogenesis II. Up until then it is all hand expressing. Our experience is that we obtain milk at every expression (unlike with a pump where previous posts suggest it can take up to 6 or so sessions to obtain anything) and give that milk to the baby (who would otherwise have had to have 'the other'). It's gentle and introduces pumping to a new mother who may have to do it for many weeks in a non-threatening way. I can't remember the name of the video, I think it may have been the kangaroo care one (one of the originals). It shows a 'line-up' of mothers, all of whose babies are in NICU, sitting hand expressing into basins. They very quickly and very efficiently fill those basins without any problems. Everyone expressing together was suggested as a very positive psychological factor too. So, no Elisheva, you definitely don't NEED a pump. It may make it easier and faster for some women, but 'those tools on the end of our arms' are just as good. Denise **************************************************** Denise Fisher, BN, RM, IBCLC BreastEd Online Lactation Studies Course http://www.breasted.com.au mailto:[log in to unmask] **************************************************** *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html