Best Tips for Expressing Breastmilk

21/10/2020

Tips on when and how

TIMING – The best time to pump is immediately after your baby has fed and settled. This is to give your breasts time to replenish again in time for your baby’s next feed. If you wait too long after you may not have made enough milk for the next feed and your baby could be on & off and unsettled as they cannot get enough food to satisfy them.

MORNINGS – Always the best time to get a great volume in expressed milk. Your prolactin is at its highest between 2am – 6am so you should always feel the fullest first thing in the morning therefore you’ll get the largest yield then.

EPMTY EVERY TIME – If you are trying to increase your supply pump until your breasts are completely empty. STOP immediately when/if they begin to feel sore. I’ve seen mums who over-pumped their breasts they are almost bruised, swollen and inflamed its a terrible sight and one I wouldn’t wish on any mother.

LOVE – Love your breasts treat them with care always.

On a purely aesthetic note, should you wish to have your breasts return to their former position after breastfeeding ends get yourself comfortable night and day bra’s and only take them off to wash. Good scaffolding will protect your skin from stretching and then sagging. I don’t mind telling you I speak from experience here and I wish someone had given me this information.

A note about the ‘fussy feed’

It is normal for supply to reduce over the day. Most mothers find the 7pm feed to be the fussiest. This is usually because you have less milk therefore baby is still hungry. Mums are tired and perhaps haven’t had dinner and are maybe even a little dehydrated. This is an easy way to test if this is why your baby is fussy – feed them 30-50mls  of expressed milk from a bottle. If your baby settles you’ll know thats why.

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