Expressing Tip!

Yesterday I had a mum who was exhausted and stressed. Her once easy going breastfeeding little man was refusing the breast.

 

Why? That is the million dollar question but not the reason behind today’s post.

 

Mum could not express any milk, manually or via the pump.

 

Her breasts over the day became so engorged and painful. What did we do?

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Crop top with a slits for the pump flange allowing for hands free expressing (and a cheaper option than the store bought expressing bra).

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A sock over each bottle to reduce mum’s anxiety towards the “how much am I expressing” thoughts. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.

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I then taught mum how to play with the letdown and suction functions on the pump. Every 20 to 30 seconds we changed it up! Your baby doesn’t feed from the breast in a constant sucking motion. They suck fast, slow and pause. By changing / playing with the functions you can assist with your body’s ability to letdown.

 

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Deep breathing, mindfulness, and trying to relax when expressing – using it as some “down time” – can also assist your letdown.  We had a chat (because you all know that is one of my skills!) but a  cuppa tea, eating something, watching some Netflix, or going outside and getting some sun while expressing honestly can make a huge difference.  Mum expressed for 15 minutes and then went had had a 15 minute shower and practised some mindfulness breathing and the expressed for another 10 minutes.

 

We got 265mls!

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