Breastfeeding your baby is an intimate, very warm and beautiful act. This entire environment is involved in the output of milk, which is influenced by hormones closely related to the emotional. That is why using something that reminds us of our baby when we use the breast pump is one of the tips that you can implement to do milk flow more easily.
Many mothers carry with them the image of their baby, some clothes that smell to their child, or if the extraction is done outside the house they call to hear the voice. That happens because the milk will come out more easily if they stimulate the mind with memories of the baby or hear a recording.
And although having a baby’s memory is a very effective strategy to stimulate the flow of milk, the main thing to make a correct and efficient use of the breast pump is to be relaxed.
For many women this is obvious, but sometimes the obvious is the first thing that goes unnoticed, so it is always good to remember that to use this device is more than necessary to be relaxed, but not achieve much.
So if you are away from home and you are going to extract milk from your breasts try not to think about everything you have to do at home or at the last work meeting. Rather, try to go to a quiet and comfortable place where you can extract milk, where you can relax and think about your baby.
Related: Extraction and preservation of breast milk
Using the breast pump while breastfeeding is effective
If you are going to use the breast pump at home, there are some tips that can help you relax a little more and make the experience less painful.
You can apply heat to the chest, before and during the milk extraction session with the breast pump; heat helps to dilate the ducts through which the milk leaves and facilitates its extraction.
However, if the chest is very full, tense and painful, in addition to the heat it is convenient to apply the technique called “Reverse pressure softening” before beginning the extraction.
It is also advisable to massage the chest before using the breast pump. Before the milk extraction gives your breasts gentle shaking, and during the extraction with some compression massages.
It is also advisable to separate the breast from the breast pump from time to time, and “shake” it gently, so when the device succeeds, the milk will come out more easily.
Another trick is to use the breast pump while breastfeeding your baby. At that time you can take advantage of the ejection reflex that stimulates the baby while taking the nipple and take advantage of the other breast to fill the container in which you are storing the milk.
Remember that nothing and no one sucks milk like a baby, so it is easier to use the breast pump when the child is sucking one of your breasts.
Stress can inhibit the exit of milk, so it is good that when you use the breast pump is also quiet, entertained in a pleasant activity.
Many women entertain themselves by reading, watching TV or talking to a friend while they draw milk from their breasts. This state of relaxation helps you completely empty your chest.
In fact, one of the tips to use the breast pump is to extract milk again in the first breast, when you empty the second it is possible to get a little more milk, even if you have already emptied it.
It is very important to empty the breasts to the maximum, because the milk of the end contains more fat and if it is not extracted decreases the production.
You should also keep in mind that the more times you take milk, the more it will produce because the only thing that increases the production of milk is the periodic emptying of the breasts.
Practice makes a master for the use of breast pump
The use of the breast pump requires experience, which you will accumulate through patience and practice. So the more you practice, the easier and faster it will be, do not despair at first it is not so easy to use this device, however, as you already know the practice makes the master.
Remember that there are no magic formulas or perfect solutions; some tips work with some women to perfection and some not so much.
Ideally, you find the one that fits best in your day and according to your schedule and routines, because there is no ideal time to use the breast pump. There are mothers who prefer to breastfeeding in the morning, others in the evenings; everyone has to prove their moment.