Norma said:
"pumping is not the same as nursing a baby. We know
this in a touchy-feely way, even though we may try to rationalize it
intellectually." 

We know that prolactin surges in the early days (weeks) after birth are 
important to prime the milk production of women.  We know that prolactin is 
stimulated by the TOUCH of the baby, and to a lesser extent by the touch of 
hand expression. This is why (or, one reason why) the Baby Friendly 
Initiative includes step 4 -- keeping mothers and  babies together and step 
5 -- teaching all mothers to maintain lactation [through hand expressing] 
even if they are separated from their babies. 

I have recently been on the three-day UNICEF course here in the UK and have 
been struck by the elegant interrelatedness of the Ten Steps. Here in the UK 
there is a tendency to chop them up and implement them one by one (not a 
tendency encouraged by UNICEF BFI, I hasten to add, just this is what I hear 
about implementation in practice).  However, they are actually 'atavars' (as 
it were) of a whole essential being. 

Anyway, I don't know the pumping literature, is there anything decent on the 
effect of expressing mechanically on prolactin? 

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter, BfN, UK

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