Just curious:
- Can I start using it from the first day onwards?
- Can I continue using it for a very long time? Any side effects?
- Any advantages to mother and child when using breast milk stored in bottle?
- Using it continuously causes a lack of bondage between the kid and parent?
asked Nov 20, 2012 at 10:36
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2 Answers
Breast Feeding in any manner is a good thing for the both of you. Use the manual pump when you need or want to. This balance is entirely up to you. ANY breast milk is better than none - do what you can and don't stress too much about the rest.
Some Disadvantages to your Manual Pump to Consider If you want to bottle feed using your expressed milk exclusively that is up to you, but skin to skin contact between mom and baby is a bonding thing and actually impacts Mom's chemistry (helping her to make more milk) AND baby's chemistry (helping baby to be more relaxed - and I hear through La Leche League, though I don't any studies on it, sleep better).
Manual pumps tend to not get as much as baby or an electric pump would. Using them - especially a lot - can affect your production negatively. Pumps have made it possible for working moms to continue their work and still supply the baby with breast milk - that is a VERY good thing, but they do make it a little tougher to make as much milk as you would make without the need for them. I address how to handle this problem if you encounter it below, but it does take more work. The more you feed the baby without your pump, the more likely you are to continue to produce just the right amount of milk for your baby at the right time.
How to Increase Your Production If you Need to If you do have low production and find you aren't making quite enough to keep baby fed, you can use the pump right after nursing your baby (OR right before) to help increase production. This will lengthen the nursing time and signal your body to increase its production of milk.
If you are away from baby, sometimes having a photograph of the baby or the ability to play the sound of it crying while you get started, can actually help your brain do what it needs to do to make your milk "let down" stronger and allow you to produce a bit more.
The more you can feed baby without the pump, the easier things will be for you and for your baby. However, a lot of pressure gets put on moms to make sure they are breast feeding and sometimes circumstances make that really hard or even impossible. While "Breast is Best," and Pumping is next best - in the end exactly how you handle the feeding of your baby is not the only or even most important factor in his/her health OR happiness.
answered Nov 20, 2012 at 14:39
- Can I start using it from the first day onwards?
No, you do not want to begin pumping right away. In order to establish an adequate milk supply you want to be nursing on demand or using a hospital-grade electric pump if you plan on exclusively pumping. Exclusively pumping requires a significant time and energy committment because it has neither the emotional benefits of breastfeeding nor the time benefits of formula feeding and most people don't do it unless they cannot breastfeed for whatever reason.
If you plan on pumping along side full- or part-time nursing you do not want to begin pumping until after your child is 2 weeks old. This is because pumping, at least a lot, during the early weeks can lead to an oversupply. An oversupply of milk can cause problems for both the baby and the mother.
- Can I continue using it for a very long time? Any side effects?
As balanced mama eloquently stated, using a manual pump exclusively can hurt your supply.
Another thing to consider is that most pumps, manual or electric, do have a life span. You cannot count on a pump to last longer than a year, although some do.
- Any advantages to mother and child when using breast milk stored in bottle?
Pumping does allow another caregiver to provide breastmilk to the child. This can be advantageous in a variety of situations. However it does not necessarily save any time on the mother's part as in order to maintain a milk supply the mother must pump around the time the child has the bottle in order to signal to her body that the milk was used. Most women do not enjoy pumping.
Using a hospital-grade electric pump in order to establish or maintain supply if there is a nursing issue is a definite benefit if a mother desires to nurse her child but for whatever reason cannot for a period of time. However a manual pump will not do a good job of either establishing or maintaining a milk supply.
- Using it continuously causes a lack of bondage between the kid and parent?
While breastfeeding can certainly promote a mother-child bond, babies who are bottle fed also bond with their mothers. I'd be far more concerned about the time costs of exclusively pumping and the miserable experience that pumping is than the bonding issues.
