Expert Pumping Tips for Breastfeeding Mothers
As a working and breastfeeding mother, you are constantly looking for ways to do it all. This includes boosting your milk supply while you are pumping at work. In this article and video, we will look at several pumping tips for breastfeeding mothers to increase your milk supply.
Choose the Right Flange Size
As a breastfeeding expert, I often cringe when I scroll through social media and see breastfeeding recommendations. I often see breastfeeding education accounts touting the benefits of teeny tiny flange sizes. In my experience as a breastfeeding mother and now a breastfeeding medicine physician, I know that choosing the correct flange size for your body is very important. Not too big, but not too small either.
Use Hands-On Techniques
Hands-on pumping is a technique where you massage your breasts while you are expressing milk with the breast pump. This will help you to produce more breast milk. In addition, you may choose to hand expression the final drops of breast milk after a pumping session. Both maneuvers will help you to get more breast milk.
Stimulate Oxytocin Release
Oxytocin is one of the main hormones that is involved in breast milk letdown and production. Often, it is more difficult to have a letdown and pump sufficient milk in a sterile office environment. If you find it difficult to pump at work, consider bringing something will you that reminds you of the baby. Either with the baby’s scent on it or something like a picture or a video of your baby.
Experiment with Different Pumps
Not all pumps work equally well for every mother. Often certain women do not respond as well to the wearable pumps as they would to a traditional electric breast pump. Consider changing up your pump if you have maximized all of these other things and you are still not seeing good results.
Personalize Your Pumping Experience
Each person is different and each breastfeeding journey is unique. Take these tips into consideration and experiment with them in order to make more breast milk for your baby.
Click the button below to take advantage of our free resource. The Breastfeeding Math Guide will help you keep all of your breastfeeding “numbers” straight and in one place.
© 127 Pediatrics, April 2024
This article is for information purposes only. Please consult your personal physician for medical advice.
