Breastfeeding Tips & Breast Pump Guide | Lactation Connection

I have been asked to speak at an event at a Motherhood Maternity store in the next few weeks.  The topic, Preparing to Breastfeed.  There are many misconceptions about getting ready to breastfeed, but much of your success is about education.  You as a reader of this blog, are doing just that.  Getting a head start by getting information prior to delivery.  Knowing what is normal, what to expect and when to get help is essential. Know Your Body Watch for indicators that your body is getting ready to produce milk.  The most common is breast tissue growth.  Your breast should change and get larger before delivery.  You may or may not leak colostrum in the last trimester, but you should have some breast size change during the pregnancy.   Check for flat or inverted nipples.  This is not a simple, look in the mirror exam.  You will need to put pressure with your thumb and index finger approximately 1" onto the areola (figure A) to ...

If you are new to pumping, you want to know what to do about maintaining your new breast pump.   All breast pumps need to be maintained to function at optimal levels and Hygeia breast pumps are no different. Getting Started When you get your pump, remove the  breast shield  from the  Hygeia tubing .  Then remove the valve from the breast shield.  Sterilize only the following parts:  breast shield, valve, bottle, bottle ring, disc and cap.  Do not sterilize the filter or tubing.  Sterilize using the top rack of the dishwasher,  microwave steam sterilizer bag  or boiling water.  If you use boiling water, bring the water to a boil and then leave in for no longer than 3-5 minutes or you will have cloudy or warped parts.  Do not use a bottle brush to clean breast pump parts.  Do not wash Hygeia filters .  Keeping the filters dry, helps maintain their integrity longer. Re-assemble as per in...

Today's consumer wants plug and play electronic equipment, but breast pumps require a little more preparation. Getting Started When you get your pump, remove the breast shield from the backflow protector .  Then remove the valve from the breast shield.  Sterilize only the following parts:  breast shield, valve, bottle, bottle ring, disc and cap.  Do not sterilize the filter aka backflow protector or tubing.  Sterilize using the top rack of the dishwasher, microwave steam sterilizer bag or boiling water.  If you use boiling water, bring the water to a boil and then leave in for no longer than 3-5 minutes or you will have cloudy or warped parts.  Do not use a bottle brush to clean breast pump parts.  Do not wash backflow protectors.  Keeping the filters dry, helps maintain their integrity longer. Re-assemble as per instructions.  If you has misplaced your instructions, you can download these Spectra S2 breast pump instructions...

Your body makes milk on a supply and demand basis. Although we don't need ounce markers on the side of our breasts to know the baby is getting enough, we tend to fret over milk supply.   Here is a comprehensive guide to ease your worries and address your concerns. Is my baby getting enough? When your baby is first born, his wet diapers should increase daily. On day one, he should have at least one, day two, he should have two, up until day six. After six days of age, they have six to eight pale wet diapers daily and three to four "cottage cheese and mustard" stools. Other ways we can tell the baby is getting enough milk is that he makes quiet swallowing sounds at the breast. The breast feel full before the feeding and softer afterward. The baby seems satisfied after twenty minutes of swallowing. Babies may loose 7-10% of their birth weight, but begin regaining at day 6 and gain 5-7 ounces per week on the average until 6 months of age. The stools can change at 4-6 we...

One of the top questions we get, is how much do I leave for my baby in a bottle when I am away at work?  After all, your breasts don't come with ounce markers because your baby feeds on demand.  But for moms who are working or away from their baby short term, it is important to know how to determine how much milk is appropriate to leave.  For infants up to six months old, the quickest way to determine this is to take your baby's current weight rounding up to the nearest half pound and multiply by 2.5.  For example, a baby who is 10 lbs will need 25 ounces per day.  Then divide by the number of feedings per day, normally 8 for an infant under six months of age.  Therefore 25 ounces divided by 8 feedings is 3.12 ounces per bottle which we will round up to the nearest quarter ounce.  In other words, leave 31/4 ounces for a 10 lb baby for every 3 hours that you will be away.  Also leaving an extra frozen bottle is a good idea for emergencies.  He...

With today's easy to use breast pumps, moms sometimes think they just need to pump at work at lunch and break and then just go about their business.  Pumping, just like breastfeeding should be intentional.  We don't choose to breastfeed because someone said it is better for your baby.  We breastfeed because we educate ourselves to want the best for our child.  Pumping should also not be so haphazard. First choose a quality hygienic breast pump. There are many breast pump out there that while commonplace, are not the best choice.  You need an auto-cycling breast pump that does at least 60 cycles and has a closed system like Hygeia , Ameda and Spectra offer.  Double pumping increases the prolactin levels as well as save you time. Prolactin is the milk producing hormone. Next determine your pumping schedule. A mother of an infant under six months should pump at least every 3 hours that she is away from her baby.  That time frame is from the begin...

We get this question often as to how to ensure a healthy breast milk supply while working and breastfeeding.  Just as in raising kids, consistency is essential.  Most moms return to work when the baby is 4-8 weeks old so we will give you a typical schedule to keep you on track as well as a schedule for the early growth spurts. This schedule is for a 24 hour period on any given 9-5 workday and can be modified to your changing schedule.  The imperative is to nurse or pump every 2-3 hours for a total of 8 times per 24 hour period when your baby is under 6 months old.  If you choose to delay solids past 6 months, then continue this schedule until solids are introduced. Please note that we are not advocating scheduling a baby's every feeding.  Feeding on demand is best for milk supply so if your baby asks to be fed earlier that your normal "schedule" by all means, feed your baby.  We do however find that working mothers benefit from a routine when it co...

In helping moms find breast pump parts for their insurance pumps, we noticed a similarity between the Lucina Melodi and ARDO Calypso breast pump parts .  In investigating further, we contacted Lucina whose chat rep denied such a connection.  You be the judge.  The parts are identical except the color of the cap on the double pump kit that fits on the flange.  While Lucina Melodi Advanced and Melodi Prime have a purple cap, ARDO Calypso and Carum use a green cap. We further noticed that the ARDO Amaryll manual breast pump is the exact same pump as the Lucina Melodi Manual Pump . Finally, we took a close look at the Lucina Double Pump Kit image on their website and we noticed that you can read part of the ARDO brand name on the side of the flange shaft.   Our conclusion is that the parts are made by the same company and can be used interchangeably. Good news for the mom who can't find  Lucina Melodi breast pump parts !  We would love ...

Nipple shields have changed over the years.  You will find videos and images of rubber or latex nipple shields which are no longer used due to their thickness. Latex is also no longer used since it has a tendency to break down, has a smell and a taste and is an allergen to some. Modern nipple shields are silicone.  Medela even made them with a cut-out which was supposed to be used for more skin to skin contact with the baby's chin or if flipped the other direction to prevent possibly obstructing the infants airway.  Since these "contact" style have less surface area, they do not adhere as well as a full circle design such as the Ameda Nipple Shield. When is the use of a nipple shield indicated? 1.  When a mom has an inverted nipple and the baby does not latch or suck because it does not feel the nipple in its mouth.  Some nipples are easily identified as inverted, but others only invert when the baby tries to latch.  An easy test for this is...

Not all bras are created equal and especially nursing bras that need to not only support but prevent plugged milk ducts and give easy nursing access all while looking great.  The good news is that they are out there if you know what you are looking for. One of our new favorites for moms with cup sizes up to DDD or F cup is the QT Natalie Nursing Bra .  It is a great wire free solution with good support for larger busts and is available in sizes 34D- 44DDD/F.   We like the smooth look and easy fit of this bigger nursing bra as well. If you are looking for a bigger underwire nursing bra , QT Foundations offers an excellent choice is the Dottie Nursing Bra style #3325.  This nursing bra for larger cups offers great coverage and support in sizes 34G - 42H . For our curvier moms, they appreciate that the 40, 42 and 44 bands come in the bigger nursing bra sizes of 42D through  44F and 44G nursing bra sizes thanks to QT Foundations! As for ...