Susan:  I agree completely with your remarks about appropriate and 
necessary pumping.  But if you go back and reread my post, I clearly state 
that I feel I am seeing an increase in early-onset mastitis as well as 
mastitis in general with INAPPROPRIATE AND UNNECCESSARY pumping. The 
examples you give are entirely APPROPRIATE AND NECESSARY situations in 
which one would encourage pumping.  A mother whose baby is exclusively 
nursing well, not employed outside the home, and not separated from her 
baby who is pumping because "my girlfriend told me to" (this was told to me 
by one of my moms, honest, and she was fighting a wicked mastitis at 3 
weeks) is not using a pump in an appropriate or necessary fashion. 
Viktoria's post (from the Ukraine) seems to bear out my hypothesis.  
Mothers are being encouraged to express or pump milk above and beyond their 
babies' needs.  I think we all know that consistent overproduction is going 
to lead to engorgement, plugged milk ducts, mastitis, and in some 
(fortunately still rare) instances, breast abcesses. Two things I tell 
parents:  "Your milk belongs in your baby, not the freezer" and "Too much 
milk is as bad for the mother as too little milk is for the baby".

Pam Hirsch, RN,BSN,IBCLC
Clinical Lead, Lactation Services
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Barrington, IL  USA

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