Northside Hospital - Special Beginnings

Using the breast pump: • Use one of the hospital double electric pumps. • Position the shields over your nipples. • Begin with the suction on minimum. • Adjust the suction to comfort – you should feel a slight tugging sensation. • Pump for 15 minutes. • Pump at least 8 times in 24 hours, 10 times for multiples. • Pump at least once at night. • Having the suction set at the highest level does not remove more milk. • Pump often until breasts feel well drained. This is important for complete removal of the milk. When your breasts still feel full after pumping, the rate of milk production decreases because of high levels of FIL. FIL is a protein in your milk that tells the cells in the breast to stop making milk. It can be normal to pump only a few drops or nothing at all in the first few days. It is the regular pumping of the breasts that will increase the amount of milk each day. Hands on pumping: Using your hands along with pumping can assist with more milk removal and can increase your milk supply by 48%. For some mothers, pumping alone may not remove all the milk from the breasts. • While pumping, massage and compress your breasts as much as you can. • Continue pumping until milk flows to a trickle. • Massage your breasts again, concentrating on areas that feel full. • Finish by either hand expressing your milk into the pump’s breast shield or single pump, which ever yields the most milk. A Hands-Free Pumping Bra is highly recommended to use with your breast pump which makes pumping easier. It will help hold your pump parts so your hands are free to massage your breasts during pumping, drink fluids or eat a snack.

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Do not throw away any pumped milk. Every drop should be saved.

Another good reason to drain your breasts completely when you pump is to increase the amount of calories in the milk. It ensures collection of hind milk, the milk that is released last. Hind milk is high in fat and contains the calories your baby needs to grow. Collection of pumped breast milk: • Use new clean bottles each time you pump. • You can combine pumped milk from both breasts into (1) bottle from (1) pumping session. • Do not combine milk from different pumping sessions. • Do not fill the bottles more than two thirds full.

Special Beginnings in the Special Care Nurseries

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