Check out Well Rounded's interview with our very own Amanda Cole on breast pump basics. She answers questions on many expectant mothers' minds and gives some tips on how to navigate the process.
Top 15 Tips for Traveling with Baby this Summer
The summer season is upon us! And with it comes extra travel. Whether it is a day trip to the beach, a car trip to visit family and friends, or that big vacation complete with baby’s first flight, here are some tips and tricks any new mom can use.
Boob Scoop: Mothers will sometimes encourage their baby to feed longer at the breast to assure greater intake of hind milk, which is the fatty milk that comes at the end of a feeding. However, research indicates that there is no reason to worry about foremilk (which comes at the beginning) and hindmilk. If a baby breastfeeds effectively and feedings are not cut short, he will receive about the same amount of milk fat over the course of a day, despite the breastfeeding pattern. Therefore, there's no need to time feedings. Good milk transfer and steady growth are better indicators that a baby is getting just what he needs.
When warming expressed breastmilk that has been refrigerated, it tends to be easiest to run the bottle under hot water for 2-3 minutes. Once warmed, you can dab the breastmilk with your clean knuckle to assure that it has reached your body temperature. Some babies prefer warm breastmilk, since it reminds them of the temperature experienced while breastfeeding. Other babies are happy to drink mom's perfect food even when it is cool. Sharen Medrano, IBCLC (www.nycbreastfeeding.com)
Boob Scoop: It's not necessary for you to pump at the exact times your baby is feeding at daycare. However, it is recommended that you stimulate and drain your breasts the same number of times as your baby feeds. Pumping both breasts at the same time increases pumping output and decreases pumping time. On average, women double pump for about 10-15 minutes per pumping session. If you find that you can get most of your output before that time-frame, that's fine too!
The number of times a mom empties her breasts each day to maintain long-term milk production has been called her "Magic Number." If a mom is not nursing enough times in a 24-hour period to meet her Magic Number, her body will eventually down-regulate milk production and her supply will decrease. For working mothers, more breastfeeding at night means more nursing sessions in a 24-hour period, which in turn could mean less pumping sessions needed while mom is at work. For help on figuring out your magic number, click here www.nancymohrbacher.com/blog/2010/8/13/the-magic-number-and-long-term-milk-production-part-1.html
Boob Scoop: Mothers often delay a dental visit because they're concerned that if they receive local anesthesia, the medication will be passed onto their breastmilk. However, most medications used for oral and IV sedation are considered compatible with breastfeeding. Therefore, there is no need to interrupt breastfeeding after receiving novocaine or other local anesthesias, such as bupivacaine and lidocaine. In addition, Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) sedation is also compatible with breastfeeding because it is insoluble in the bloodstream. That is, once administered, it goes from your brain to your lungs, to the room air, immediately after you stop ingesting it.
Boob Scoop: Some mothers may notice their expressed milk will have a “soapy” appearance and a taste/smell that becomes sour-smelling rather quickly after being stored. This results from an excess of the enzyme lipase in their milk and only affects a small percentage of mothers. Lipase is responsible for breaking down the fat in breastmilk. If there is an excess of Lipase, then the fat gets broken down too quickly after being expressed, and results in the soapy appearance and sour smell described above. The milk is not harmful and most babies are not bothered by the mild change. However, the longer the milk sits in room temperature, the more apparent the taste/smell becomes to the baby, which of course, may result in more aversion. For more information, check out this helpful link: http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/lipase-expressedmilk.
Boob Scoop: Massaging the breasts and gently shaking them prior to a pumping session can help you increase pumping output since both aid in moving breastmilk towards the front of the breasts. Another effective way to increase output is to use manual expression after your pumping flow stops. Your hands tend to do a better job than the pump at extracting the breastmilk that comes at the end of a pumping session since the hand motion involved during manual expression is more similar to a baby's suck. In the end, all three methods (massaging, gently shaking and hand expressing) promote better milk removal, which in turn leads to increased milk production.
