Susan writes:
>As with any intervention....benefits of early pumping must be weighed against
risks. If a mom is focusing on pumping is she relaxing, skin to skin with her
baby? Is she learning to respect her baby's cues? Is she developing trust
in her
innate ability to care for an infant, and produce milk for him? If you are
concerned about the baby getting something.....why not have her manually
express
some colostrum into her baby's mouth every few hours until he catches on? ( I
am talking about the first 24 hours here.)>
Absolutely. I guess this is an international terminology issue - I usually
use the term 'express' to mean either hand expression or using any kind of
mechanical pump. Which I then extrapolated back again to presume when you
(as in all other posters) were saying 'no removal by any means' (other than
baby) of milk from the breasts for 12 to 24 hours. My apologies - gosh and
English is my first (and only) language :-)
- I feel sorry for our ESL (English as a second language) lactnuts.
As far as I know, and everywhere I have worked in Australia (3 of our 8
States and territories), mechanical pumping, either with a hand pump or an
electric pump NEVER starts before lactogenesis II. Would other Aussies like
to confirm or deny this?
Marilyn writes:
>I tend to find that with
primigravidas, or first time breastfeeders tend to really massage, squeeze
etc.quite strongly in order to get milk, thus perhaps causing themselves
some temporary soreness from hand expressing.>
Ooo Marilyn I can feel myself cringeing as I read your words. This is only
an education issue. All women need to be taught, by well educated staff
(or someone), how to hand express properly. It shouldn't be presumed that
they will know what to do - it's a learned skill.
Chele Marmet has an excellent handout that teaches both mothers and staff
the correct technique.
http://www.parentsplace.com/readroom/medela/manual.html
And, at the expense of promoting *another* NMAA video, those of you who can
obtain it the video "Hand Expressing and Cup Feeding" is EXCELLENT -
brilliant even! This was produced by Wendy Nicholson, IBCLC author of
Midwives, Mothers and Breastfeeding. (not Sue Cox, author of Breastfeeding:
I Can Do That, and the fabulous Latching video this time :-) ) - no, no
commissions to me.
http://www.nmaa.net.au
(BTW - there are some NMAA videos I won't promote ;-) )
Marilyn goes on to say:
>A pump has a more regular
action and it does help to tell the mom not to expect very much initially,
but when baby 'wakes' or finally does go to the breast, her supply will meet
his needs.>
When *nothing* is coming out in the pump for 6 - 7 sessions and her baby
must therefore be receiving ABM I think it must be very difficult to
reassure her - and put big doubts into her mind even when he does go to the
breast, after say 3 or 4 pumping sessions, when she has *never* seen
anything produced by something as *strong* as an electric breast pump.
Please consider hand expressing. It really is a minimal and gentle
intervention which does produce the mother's own breastmilk which can then
be given to her baby.
Denise
fair dinkum Aussie
****************************************************
Denise Fisher, BN, RM, IBCLC
BreastEd Online Lactation Studies Course
http://www.breasted.com.au
mailto:[log in to unmask]
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