Wait! Wait!! I'm old but struggling to hop up on that soapbox with you
there, Carla! I hollered for years that any woman who was lactating needed
to learn how to express milk with her hands, regardless of how many pumps
she had. Everyone laughed and thought I was old-fashioned and just on my
soapbox. No, Marie, they said. When would a woman not be able to use her
pump?
Then one day, we had a severe ice storm in Rochester NY (where my *real*
roots are!) Many parts of Rochester were without electricity for many
days--my sister who lives in the most affluent part of town was without
electricity for 11 days! (Exactly the place where women would be likely to
own electric pumps!) Some people, unable to drive the entire way home from
work, sought shelter at a relative's home along the way. Others were
staying in local school gymnasiums because their own house had no heat.
Unless you owned a 4-wheel vehicle, travel was nearly impossible so women
who relied on manual pumps might find themselves many miles from their pump
for several days. (Yes, I know, hopefully they would have their baby with
them, but not necessarily!)
Now, ah-hem, do you think anyone was calling me old-fashioned and
opinionated after that???? Me? Moi? Opinionated? Never..... :-)
Anyway, I then had no trouble convincing the hospital to buy Chele Marmet's
pamphlet (web site below, as Carla pointed out.) It is excellent. So is
Kittie Frantz's videotape, which is one of my favorites, and can be
purchased at http://www.geddespro.com for a reasonable price.
>http://www.lactationinstitute.org/MANUALEX.html
>
>I found the classic, unadulterated, and illustrated Marmet technique
>online at this
>web site - makes sense since this is the author's organization! This is
>so well
>written that many a mom can teach herself to effectively hand express
>with just
>these written instructions, especially if she has a good supply. Others, of
>course, do benefit from varying amounts of hands on teaching. Health care
>providers can teach themselves the technique in order to assist the moms
>who need
>help by using this page and a lactating "model" with a good sense of
>humor. Every
>mom should know how to hand express. Every HCP working with moms and
>babies should
>be able to teach the technique.
>
>Off the soap box,
>Carla D'Anna
>
--
Marie Biancuzzo
Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist
[log in to unmask]
Resources to simplify breastfeeding management are available at
http://www.wmc-worldwide.com
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