How to use breast pump correctly

The most common reason for new mothers to suck up milk is to save the milk so that when the mother is not there, the baby can also eat breast milk, and when you are with the baby, you can maintain your milk. If you want to return to work and want to continue breastfeeding, then it is very necessary to suck the milk out and save it.

In addition, the use of breast pumps can also stimulate milk secretion, increase the amount of milk, collect milk to feed premature babies or babies who can not suck their own nipples, but also relieve the pain and pressure caused by the expansion of milk.

Finally, if the doctor recommends that you need to stop breastfeeding temporarily, for example because you are taking medications that may be harmful to your baby, or if you need short-term hospitalization, breastfeeding during the day, breastfeeding, can help you maintain adequate milk secretion. .

Most mothers use a electric or manual breast pump to suck out the milk. (Although some people prefer to squeeze milk by hand, most people still think it is faster and easier to use a breast pump.) At the beginning, you may feel that using the "machine" to suck the milk out of your breasts will It’s weird, but it’s usually not long before you can suck it quickly and easily.

Which breast pump should I use?

Choosing the right breast pump for you depends on how often you plan to use it and how much time you can spend on breastfeeding. If you are working full time and need to sneak out your time to suck up your breasts, then you need to use a fully automatic breast pump because it can simultaneously suck the milk from both sides of the breast. However, if you only need to suck out some milk occasionally so that others can help feed your baby when you are out, then you only need to buy a cheap manual breast pump.

So how do we use a breast pump?

If you are using an electric breast pump, simply attach the cup to your breast and start the machine, it will automatically suck your milk into the connected container. Manual breast pumps also use cups, except that you manually squeeze the device or pull the piston to suck the milk instead of relying on an electric motor. A functional electric breast pump usually takes 10 to 15 minutes to absorb the milk from both breasts, while a manual breast pump can take up to 45 minutes to complete.

A good breast pump will simulate the baby's action of sucking milk, so it won't make you feel pain. However, you must choose a plastic cup that fits your breast and place it in a positive position so that it won't be pinched or irritated to the breast. If you are using a fully automatic breast pump, you may feel a lot of suction at first, although it doesn't hurt, but it feels a bit strange. You can consider buying a breast pump bra so you don't have to hold the cup of the breast pump all the time. You can empty your hand to hold a book or magazine, while sucking your milk while reading a book or working. Remember to carefully clean the various parts of the breast pump after each use to prevent bacteria from entering the breast pump.

When do you start milking by hand and how do you do it?

If you only occasionally need to squeeze some milk out, for example to relieve breast milk, or to occasionally use a bottle to breastfeed, you can milk your own hands, but you may need to practice a little to master the essentials. Similarly, if your nipples are chapped and painful, you can also squeeze a little milk from your hands and apply it to your nipples to relieve pain after each feeding. But milking by hand is time consuming, so if you need to milk regularly, this method will not work.

Wash your hands before milking. Correspond to the thumb and other fingers, press on the sides of the areola, then squeeze the finger inward toward the chest wall to squeeze out the milk. If your areola is large, you can place your fingers about 2.5 cm from the nipple and collect the milk in a wide-mouth container.

How to save the sucked (squeezed) milk?

It is best to put the sucked milk in a plastic or glass bottle that can be sealed to keep it fresh. You can also use a plastic bag specially designed for storing milk, or a disposable baby bottle lined bag. However, because this plastic bag is very thin, it is easy to break. Remember to date the bottle or plastic bag first, then put it in the freezer or freezer so you can master the "production date" of the milk. You may be surprised to see the milk you squeezed out, because the oil in the milk is likely to separate and float to the top of the milk, and sometimes the milk may have a faint blue color.

Fresh, refrigerated milk should be consumed within 72 hours, stored in the freezer of the refrigerator for at least 3 months, and placed in a separate freezer set below -18 °C for 3 to 6 months. After the frozen milk is thawed, it can be refrigerated in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Milk that has not been eaten beyond this time must be thrown away and cannot be re-frozen. Freezing destroys some of the antibodies in the milk, so it's best not to freeze if you don't have to. However, even frozen breast milk is still healthier than formula and provides the baby with more disease-resistant ingredients.

When thawing the milk, you can soak the bottle or plastic bag in warm water or warm water in the water pipe, or you can put it in the refrigerator in the refrigerator for one night. Do not thaw or heat the milk in a microwave oven, which will destroy the nutrients in the milk. Most health experts recommend throwing away the baby's milk left in the bottle. However, some people think that if you put the leftover milk in the refrigerator immediately and eat it within 4 hours, there is no problem.