What does milking mean?
Milking or sucking is the process of expressing milk from the breast using a breast pump or by hand. You can save your milk for your baby.
You may need to express milk for one or more of the following reasons: you cannot breastfeed your baby, but it is difficult for your baby to adjust to the colored, rounded areola on your breast in order to form and maintain a breast milk supply to increase milk supply. Your nipples may be flat or encircled. Expressing milk for a few minutes before feeding your baby helps your nipples to firm up. A nipple that becomes sore, hard and feels uncomfortable is distended. Regular milking will make it less hard and the distention will flatten the nipple. Milking will relieve the distention and soften the areola, which will make it easier for your baby to suckle.
How does your body produce milk?
There are two hormones that are actively important in the production of milk, namely prolactin and oxytocin.
Prolactin is the hormone that produces milk. The more prolactin you have in your body the more milk you will produce. The body will produce more prolactin if: if you express milk more often if you breastfeed your baby more often. Oxytocin is the hormone that helps milk come out of the breast. Oxytocin contracts the muscles near the lactating cells of the breast, which squeeze out the milk. The secretion of milk from the breast is called lactation.
During lactation, the following things can happen.
Your breasts are sore when you do not suckle or feed your baby, and milk will leak or drip from your nipples You may feel cramps or contractions in your uterus. Lactation can occur even if you do not feel or experience these phenomena.
The following conditions may decrease the amount of oxytocin produced in your body. For example, you may find it difficult to express a lot of milk if you feel: worried tired achy stressed hungry. These will temporarily reduce the amount of milk produced, but as long as you keep expressing milk, your milk volume will increase when your baby recovers.
When can I express milk?
Start milking the day your baby is born or as soon as your body allows.
What kind of breast pump should I use?
A hospital grade double electric breast pump is recommended to secure your (though not yet breastfeeding) milk supply. These electric breast pumps will help you pump milk out of both breasts at the same time.
This pumping and circulation can best help your breasts produce milk without sore nipples. Circulation is the number of times the nipple goes in and out of the breast pump, similar to the number of times a baby sucks and swallows the nipple.
These breast pumps and sterilized breast pumping devices are available in the vast majority of Baby-Friendly hospitals. Please consult with a nurse or lactation specialist. Many hospitals will rent and/or sell the equipment needed for breast pumping. Use new, sterile equipment for each milking and mark it for sterilization after each use.
Should I suck one side of the breast and then the other or both sides at the same time?
It is best to suck on both sides at the same time, which is called bilateral pumping. Bilateral pumping saves time and helps to produce more milk. The prolactin in your body will increase faster and more after bilateral pumping. In order to pump bilaterally, you need to connect both breast pumping devices to the catheter that is connected to the breast pump.
If you are not comfortable with bilateral breast pumping, then you can suck on one breast at a time. This is unilateral breast pumping. You only need to attach one breast pumping device to the catheter. Remove one catheter from the breast pump and plug the hole left with a white plug. If you feel uncomfortable while pumping, contact your nurse.
How long does each breast pumping session take?
For bilateral pumping, each pumping session lasts 10 to 15 minutes. For unilateral pumping, 15 minutes at a time. If you have a lot of milk, you can pump longer, especially if you still have milk.
How often should I breastfeed?
Every 2 to 3 hours from 6:00 am until midnight, 7 to 8 times in 24 hours. Your body will produce more prolactin at night. If you wake up during the night, pump. The maximum interval at night is 6 hours. If you sleep more than 6 hours at night, your body will produce less milk after 2 to 3 days.
”Can I wait until my breasts are full before I suckle?”
”If you wait until your breasts are full, you will have more milk. Why can’t you do that all the time?” This is a common question. At first, it’s true that you can get more milk with longer intervals, but with long intervals and not receiving enough stimulation, this can make your body feel like it doesn’t have to produce prolactin anymore. This causes the body to produce less lactation. To change this, you need to pump at least every 2 to 3 hours and aim for no more than 6 hours in a 24-hour period.
Ways to make milking easier
Before starting to express milk.
Wash your hands with soap, or use a no-rinse hand sanitizer in the lactation room to clean your teats with sanitizer.
To aid lactation.
You can place hot towels on your breasts. This improves blood circulation to the breasts and can help lactation by gently massaging the entire breast Use your fingertips to press your breasts and have your fingers move in a circular pattern. Start at the perimeter of the breast and gradually move closer to the nipple Gently tap the breast with your fingertips, start at the perimeter of the breast and gradually move closer to the nipple, then do it again leaning forward and shaking the breast, this can help milk flow from the nipple, if your milk can flow easily and there is more milk, there is no need to use a hot towel and you can leave the breast unmassaged.
Suckling your breasts
Assemble the breast pumping device in as sterile an environment as possible and make sure you have been shown how to do this before. Place the conical funnel on the pumping kit on the breast and keep the nipple centered. Make sure the sucking device is mounted at the bottom before you flip the switch. Slowly increase the sucking motion to allow the nipple to move in and out of the funnel without discomfort. In order to ensure and maintain milk production, it is important to achieve the maximum amount of milk at each sucking session to ensure a certain amount of milk is sucked without discomfort. If sucking is painful, turn the sucking down to the minimum and turn off the switch. Place one finger under the funnel to reduce sucking and remove the sucking device from the breast. Adjust the device so that the nipple is right in the middle of the funnel. Turn the breast pump on and continue to increase the amount of sucking as long as there is no discomfort.
While you are suckling
Instead of looking at the breast pump or your own breast when you are pumping, think about your baby not worrying about how much milk you can express each time. It is unlikely that you will express the same amount each time. For example, after a break, you may express more milk in the morning. Many women will send more milk from one breast than the other.
Finishing milking
Skip the sucking to a minimum, then turn off the breast pump and probe your fingers so that you can end the sucking, remove the pumping tool from the breast Take a small amount of milk and apply it to the teat and areola and let the teat dry naturally Put the milk in the prepared sterile bottle Remember not to fill it up, but leave an inch of space because the milk will swell when refrigerated Mark your milk with the prepared computer label and write the date and time of milking Put the milk Put the milk in a designated place on the ward
What is a milking log?
A milking log is a piece of paper that records the amount of milk you pumped in each 24-hour period over a period of time. At each milking, write down your milking time and milking volume and add up the milking volume for the 24 hour period. By noting the amount of milk you milked in each 24-hour period, you can see if your milk production has increased or decreased, and seek help if your milk production has decreased.
How much milk should I express?
In the first few days, many women can only express a few drops or spoonfuls of milk at a time. Don’t be anxious if you can’t express for the first few days, but you should still express 7 to 8 times a day to stimulate your breasts.
Milk usually increases within 2 to 4 days after the birth of the baby. In order to produce more milk, you need to stimulate and empty your breasts regularly. By the time your baby is 7 days old, your milk production should be 350 cc (about 12 ounces) in 24 hours, and by the time your baby is 10 days old, your milk production should be 500 cc (about 17 ounces) in 24 hours. By the time your baby is 6 months old, the amount of milk produced in a 24-hour period increases to 800 cc.
If your lactation does not reach this level, talk to your nurse, doctor or lactation consultant about ways to increase your lactation. Remember, it’s good for your baby no matter how much milk you have.
What is power lactation?
When you are near your baby or holding your baby, the amount of hormones that produce milk goes up. Many mothers then produce more milk. There are many different ways to achieve this effect.
Kangaroo nursing, i.e., holding the baby close to the skin (meaning putting on a diaper) and putting it between the breasts, holding the baby with both arms if the baby is still in the incubator, stroking the baby and watching the baby.
After you have been with the baby for at least 20 minutes, it is time to express milk. If you and your baby are both in the hospital, you can do this every 1 to 2 hours. If your baby is not with you when you pump, keep something handy that brings back memories, such as a photo, pajamas or blanket to drape over your shoulder.
Breastfeeding a hospitalized baby at home
How do I use a breast pumping device at home?
If you are going to pump at home for a hospitalized baby, wash and rinse all suction units in hot soapy water after each pumping session, dry them with a clean towel, and cover them with a clean towel. Disinfect all the units for the specified time according to the instructions.
How do I deliver breast milk to the hospital?
When sending lactation to the hospital, place it in a cooler. If the milk is already chilled, add ice to the cooler to ensure that the milk is frozen.
If the milk is already frozen, add a freezer pack to the cooler. If the milk is already frozen, do not add ice to the cooler because doing so will speed up the dissolution of the milk.
What is hand milking?
This refers to expressing milk by hand. If you want to learn this method, consult a nurse and a lactation specialist.
When do I use a manual breast pump?
A manual breast pump is used occasionally to pump milk for babies who are breastfeeding well. No electricity is needed.
Important points
Expressing milk means expressing milk from the breast by hand or with a breast pump If your baby is not able to feed on the breast, a hospital grade double electric breast pump is recommended to safeguard and ensure milk supply can be refrigerated or frozen to store milk for your baby.