Breastfeeding Tips & Breast Pump Guide | Lactation Connection

Once your newborn is at least 6 days old, there are some guidelines to help you be sure of your milk supply.  Note that insufficient milk supply is rare.  What is more common are practices that can hinder your milk supply or baby's feeding which I will detail at the end of this post. To assess good milk transfer, answer the following: Is the baby  wetting 6-8 diapers in 24 hours ? (Disposable diapers are so absorbent, that it might be hard to tell.  If you are unsure, take a clean diaper in one hand and the removed diaper in the other and you should be able to tell by the slight weight difference.) Yes  |  No Is the baby having  3-4 bowel movements in 24 hours  that are mustard yellow with curds in them? (These shold be silver dollar size or larger, not just a stain.) Yes  |  No Do the  breasts feel full before feeding  and  softer after feeding ?  Yes  |  No Do you  hear swallowi...

Recently, we have been researching the effectiveness of small breast flanges for moms who are trying aftermarket brands in 15mm.  Most manufacturer's do not offer flanges that small.  This mom in particular was having difficulty because even a 15mm was too large.  A smaller flange can often be too large if too much of the areola is being pulled in and the milk sinuses are not being compressed properly at the breast shield. This problem can ofte be solved with a silicone insert or silicone breast shield.  So where a 15mm plastic flange may be too large, a 15-19 mm silicone breast shield such as the x-small and small super shields by Pumpin' Pal will work very well.  The reason is the material.  Silicone helps hold the breast tissue in place whereas the hard plastic flange will allo the tissue to be draw in too far. If you have tried a silicone shield, and still need to the areola to be held in place more efficiently, rolling the silicone so that it suc...

If your breast pump is not suctioning the way it used to, the problem often lies in one of two breast pump parts.  Most breast pumps have a valve plus a diaphragm, filter or backflow protector.  The number one cause of low suction is a dirty, torn or worn out valve.  If you valve is the type that has a valve head and membrane shown here, it is imperative that you remove these parts when cleaning.  The valve membrane will retain a build up that decreases the suction.  Taking the membrane apart from the head is essential to remove this build-up.  If you see that the membrane will no longer close completely with the head or if it has a tear, replace it as soon as possible. If your breast pump has a duckbill valve (shown below) which in most cases is a clear or white valve, the tip of the duckbill must be able to close completely.  If it remains open, the amount of pressure your pump can provide is decreased.  As a rule, if you are pumping thre...

Happy New Year!  Lactation Connection has been serving nursing mothers since 1993 so we are celebrating our 27th year in business in 2018.  In honor of this event, we are launching a new program to answer your breastfeeding questions .  You will be able to email me directly and have 25 years of breastfeeding experience tailored to your situation. Just copy and paste the following into an email and fill out the information so that I can assist you in the best way possible! What is your baby’s birth date and birth weight? What was your baby’s age and weight at last weigh-in? How often (include specifics on number of times per day and how long) are you putting the baby to the breast? How often (include time of day and number of minutes) are you pumping? How many wet and dirty diapers does your baby have in 24 hours? What color are the stools? What specific breast pump do you have? If you are exclusively pumping, how many ounces are you getting per d...

One of the most common breastfeeding questions we get is regarding a mom's breast pump.  What breast shield size will work best?  Choosing the correct breast pump flange is even more essential than choosing the correct nursing bra size , although both are important.  The figure below shows what a correct fitment inside your breast pump flange should look like. It is imperative that there is enough room to draw the nipple into the flange so that the areola is compressed where the lactiferous sinuses are located.  As you can see from the image below, the lactiferous sinuses are located about an inch behind the nipple.   This is where the majority of the milk pools before milk ejection which is why it is essential to compress the sinuses properly when pumping.  If the flange is too small, the nipple is compressed and not the milk sinuses.   If the breast shield you received with your breast pump does not fit properly as in the ...

If you have the wrong breast flange size, it can greatly reduce your output when your are pumping and decreasing the amount of milk extracted signals your body to produce less milk! There are a lot of things you can save money on when you are breastfeeding, but getting the right size flanges and replacing essentials like valve and filters is not the place to scrimp as both those things can greatly reduce your milk supply.  I have created an image to help you determine your nipple size.  Use this as a guide to buying the correct breast flange size no matter what brand you have.  Some brands don't have a full range of sizes, which is why Pumpin' Pa l is perfect!  Not only do their Super Shields help you lean back and save your back while you are pumping, their breast flanges now come in sizes from x-small 15mm to x-large that fit up to 40mm nipple diameter.  Remember the nipple diameter does not include the areola, just the nipple itself and it is easy to see wh...

There are many things sold out there that you do not need for breastfeeding.  One example are hot compresses.  They can be expensive upwards of $20 for an item you use temporarily.  My suggestion for this is a disposable baby diaper.  It is imperative to soften breasts that are engorged before feeding or pumping with warm compresses, but a baby diaper run under hot water can be very effective and costs about .50 cents each. And while some moms only need expressed breast milk to soothe their breast, having a good nipple cream around can be a lifesaver.  I recommend purchasing a quality nipple cream prior to delivery. That way, you aren't sending your hubby to the grocery store in the middle of the night and he comes home with something with pesticides or other substances that can be harmful to the baby and not helpful to you. While HPA Lanolin has been the go-to nipple cream in the past, many companies such as Ameda have discontinued carrying this product. ...