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Weaning From the Pump

August 31, 2020/0 Comments/in Exclusively Pumping /by Melissa Portunato

By Jacque Ordner BSN, RN, IBCLC, RLC 

 

It’s relatively easy to find information on increasing milk supply and maximizing pumping, but what happens when it’s time to pack the pump away?  Weaning from the pump can be confusing and scary for some moms.  With our step by step method, you can make a plan to wean from the pump safely and comfortably! 

There are many reasons a mom would wish to wean, but if you are considering weaning due to breastfeeding problems, an IBCLC can help! If your desire is to continue providing breastmilk for your baby, but things aren’t going well, reach out for help!  You can schedule a free consultation with one of our Spectra IBCLCs HERE.  

Step 1:  Determine what your goals are.  Do you want to get down to just one or two pump sessions per day? Do you just need to eliminate the middle of the night sessions?  Or, do you want to wean completely?  Knowing your end game will help you make the best plan for you! It’s also important to remember that reducing pump sessions will result in a reduced milk supply.  

Step 2:  Determine when to start. Now that you know what your goals are, you can evaluate when to start the weaning process.  The more milk you’re making and the more sessions you need to eliminate, the longer the process will take.  Plan for at least one week per session. 

Step 3: Pick a session to eliminate first.  Weaning S L O W L Y is the best way to ensure you don’t end up with clogged ducts and mastitis.  For this reason, we just want to pick one session to focus on at a time.  Do you loathe pumping over your lunch hour?  Are you gleefully daydreaming of cutting out that middle of the night pump?  Think through your pumping schedule and settle on one session to whittle away first.  

Step 4:  Cut back slowly!  Reduce the pumping session of your choice by just a few minutes.  In general, reducing by 5 minutes is effective. You can keep all other sessions the same. 

Step 5: Evaluate.  How is your body responding to the reduced pumping time?  If things are going well, continue with the next steps. Conversely, if you’re experiencing clogs or uncomfortable engorgement, consider going even slower.  You can reduce by just 3 minutes and even allow a few days for adjustment before continuing to reduce. 

Step 6: Repeat.  If your body is adjusting to the reduced pumping time, repeat steps 4 and 5 until the session has been fully eliminated.  Then, review your overall pumping schedule to determine if you need to space out your remaining sessions before choosing another one to eliminate.  

Ready to tackle weaning?  Need to wean faster?  Schedule a free consultation with one of our IBCLCs to make a custom weaning plan.  Click HERE to schedule.  

Breastfeeding 101

August 10, 2020/0 Comments/in Exclusively Pumping /by Melissa Portunato

 

By Jacque Ordner BSN, RN, IBCLC 

Breastfeeding is natural and the biological norm for feeding babies, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! We’ve got you covered with top tips for getting started and avoiding common pitfalls. 

The human breast continues to develop milk making glands, ducts, and other structures involved with lactation throughout pregnancy. For this reason, it is normal to experience breast changes including increase in size, increased sensitivity, darkening of the areola and nipple, and even leaking of colostrum in late pregnancy. These are all great signs that your body is getting ready to feed your baby! 

After baby is born (more specifically, after the placenta is delivered) mom’s body experiences a hormone shift that triggers production of breast milk.  For the first few days, women’s bodies make a thick, sticky liquid called colostrum.  Colostrum is a POWERHOUSE of nutrients and bioactive immune factors the help seal up your baby’s gut and protect him or her from illnesses.  Colostrum is small in volume, but is just what baby needs in the early days.  Due to its thick, sticky consistency, colostrum can be difficult to express with a breast pump.  Many moms have more success using hand expression.  Here’s a great video with more information on hand expressing in the early days:  https://med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/breastfeeding/hand-expressing-milk.html  Newborn tummies are tiny and are made to stretch as mom’s milk supply increases in the initial postpartum period. 

Placing baby skin to skin with mom and offering unlimited access to the breasts can have a huge impact on later breastfeeding success.  Latching baby within the first hour is ideal.  However, not latching in the first hour doesn’t mean breastfeeding will be unsuccessful!  Breastfeeding is a new sensation but shouldn’t be painful.  If you’re experiencing pain with latching or pumping, reach out for help from an IBCLC.  Frequent nursing helps mom’s milk supply increase faster.  Mothers make transitional milk (often somewhat yellow, very nutritious breastmilk) until about 6 weeks postpartum when transitional milk becomes mature milk (often whiter and more abundant breastmilk). If baby is unable to latch or is not nursing effectively, it is imperative that mom begin pumping with a high quality, hospital grade breast pump.  Studies show that 120 minutes/24 hours of good quality nipple/breast stimulation is needed to bring in and maintain a full milk supply. A full milk supply (after about 6 weeks postpartum) is between 750ml and 1035ml. 

Newborns nurse often!  We often hear that babies should nurse at least 8-12 times in 24 hours, but it is also normal for them to nurse even more.  If your newborn is producing 6-8 wet diapers in 24 hours and 3-4 dirty diapers in 24 hours, along with maintaining appropriate growth, then breastfeeding is likely going well! Remember, painful latching is a sign that something isn’t quite right even if baby is gaining weight well.   

If nursing is going well, there is no need to pump right away!  Many moms stress over when to add in pumping once they bring baby home.  In general, if nursing is going well, there is no need to add in pumping until around 4-6 weeks postpartum.  Pumping and nursing can lead to an oversupply of milk, and in-turn, increased risk of clogged ducts and mastitis.  However, many moms choose to introduce pumping as they anticipate returning to work soon after delivery.  If your baby requires a supplement, or if you are pumping milk for bottle feeding, Paced Bottle Feeding is key!  Check out this great demonstration for tips on avoiding overfeeding and helping baby transition from breast to bottle and back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K3O3grKusA 

Confidence is key!  Moms and babies are made to breastfeed!  If you are struggling with breastfeeding (pumping is breastfeeding too) or just need reassurance that things are going well, don’t hesitate to reach to an IBCLC for help!  Our IBCLCs are available to support you as well.  Email us at ibclc@spectrababyusa.com or set up a virtual consultation at www.spectrababyusa.com/lactationservices .   

 

Sources: 

Lawrence, R. A., & Lawrence, R. M. (2016). Breastfeeding: A guide for the medical profession. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier. 

Mohrbacher, N. (2012, November 27). How Much Milk Should You Expect to Pump? Retrieved July 27, 2020, from http://www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2012/11/27/how-much-milk-should-you-expect-to-pump.html 

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