The need for expressing breast milk to date is one of the most controversial issues. On the one hand, the young mother will have to listen to a whole lecture from the "wise old generation" about what will happen if not to be expressed. These are horrific stories about lactostasis, mastitis and other no more pleasant problems. The second point of view, by the way, modern doctors adhere to this position, says that it is necessary to express milk after feeding only in some situations, and in no case it is impossible to do this constantly.
So, let's try to figure out whether it is necessary to express the milk after each feeding.
Expressing after feeding - when is it needed?
The more the milk is squeezed by the nursing mother, the more it arrives. This statement has been repeatedly proven by scientific research and is confirmed by the practice of more than one generation. In this case, it is quite logical to assume that pumping after each feeding is not only a waste of time and effort, but also a vicious circle that does not solve the problem at all, but creates new ones.
In other words, if the toddler is active and healthy, eats with appetite and on demand receives mother's milk, the question is whether to be expressed after each feeding is not worth it. But, there are situations when a nursing mother can not do without expressing. So, to express milk after feeding it is necessary:
- In the first days after childbirth, when milk comes in large quantities and the baby can not eat such a quantity, it's just not possible. In this case, it is necessary to express, of course, but hardly after each feeding. Experts recommend that the procedure be performed up to three times a day and only until relief. After some time, the woman's body will "notice" the presence of excess milk, and will start to produce it in less quantity. With proper behavior, lactation normalizes within a week, and the need for decantation will disappear by itself.
- If the baby was born prematurely or for some other reason can not suckle. Then it will be advisable to express breastmilk to supplement the crumb (from a syringe without a needle, through a probe, from a spoon or otherwise), and also to support lactation. In the future, the baby will be able to feed naturally and will receive all the essentials.
- Of course, you need to express the milk in case of a mother's illness, because if you do not do this, then it's unlikely that you will be able to recover after recovery.
- The process of lactation is much longer and more difficult if the mother and child are separated from each other. In such situations, a woman can produce either too little or too much milk. But these volumes do not coincide in any way with the child's need. And everything happens because the baby, as a rule, is brought on schedule every 3 hours. However, at this moment, the crumb can sleep or simply be unskilled, so it will not suck the breast. What is fraught with problems for the mother, such as lack of milk or stagnation. In order to avoid difficulties with lactation after discharge from the hospital, it should be expressed after each feeding, especially in those cases when the baby ate very little or did not eat.
- Many people are worried about the question, whether it is necessary to be expressed after feeding during hyperlactation.
In this case, everything is individual, depending on the cause of increased milk production. But, since often hyperlactation occurs because of regular and complete decantation, then this procedure should be gradually and cautiously terminated. To speed up the process, you can apply a mode of expressing. First, you should stop expressing after night feeding, and eventually reduce the number of daytime, and so until complete cessation. - In addition, pumping is extremely necessary if the mother is going to leave for a long time or if symptoms of lactostasis appear.