We usually hear all the wonders that breastmilk is to your baby, but sometimes that milk doesn’t come out as we would want.
In this article we will talk to you about a method that has been shown to have great results in increasing milk supply, called power pumping.
Keep in mind that you are doing an amazing job just by bringing a baby into your life, and having trouble with lactation doesn’t mean that you are doing anything wrong and there are always alternatives to keep your baby strong and healthy.
How to power pump?
First, we need to tell you what power pump is: it is a technique in which you essentially tell your body to make more milk by mimicking a cluster feeding (your baby feeds very often at certain times with short breaks and doesn’t feed for long gaps) that your baby would do, making your body to produce more milk as a response to this demand.
Power pumping is then a natural method to increase your milk supply that prevents you from side effects that you could have if you take medication for it; but it is only recommended if you wish to increase your milk supply.
In order to power pump, we will share with you some ways to do it, but keep in mind that every person is different and what works for somebody else may not be the right choice for you and that’s ok; keep your healthcare provider close to answer any doubts that you may have.
How to power pump:
- Recommendations are to do it at least one hour per day during a week (it can take up to 3 weeks, so be patient and kind to yourself).
- Find a time and a place where you feel comfortable and get all the help necessary to get this done.
- During that hour you can pump for 20 minutes and then rest for 10 minutes, then 10 minutes of pumping and 10 minutes rest until the hour is done (it doesn’t need to be this exact amount of time, you can vary this as you need it).
- You can repeat this for another hour if you are comfortable with it and if you feel it works best for you.
- Breaks between pumping are important to increase milk supply and to protect your breasts.
- You can power pump even if milk isn’t coming out, the goal is to let your body know that producing milk is necessary.
How to create my own breastfeeding and pumping schedule?
First of all it is important to find your needs and your baby´s. Here are some thing that you may want to consider:
- Is your baby feeding by your milk exclusively or are you using formula as well.
- Are you pumping exclusively or breastfeeding as well.
- How much breast milk is your baby having (or does he/she need more or less).
- What´s your daily routine, and how many hours are you apart from your baby.
- What kind of method and item of pumping will you be using.
- Do you want to increase your milk supply or not.
Keep your lactation consultant close to check your unique needs regarding this matter.
Once you find your needs, now you can make your schedule, keep in mind that your baby is growing up fast and his/her needs can change and so does your schedule and that’s ok.
The main idea is to pump or breastfeed for at least 15 minutes every 2-3 hours to maintain your milk supply.
In order to get this done, try to accommodate your calendar in a way that you feel comfortable with and don’t forget to ask for help if you need it! This can be challenging and you can always involve the people around you to make this easier.
Can a breast pump be hands-free?
The answer is yes! If you wish to breast pump while doing whatever you want or need to do, this can be the choice for you.
As power pumping does take time from your day, you can find a hands-free breast pump that works for you and keep up with other activities while increasing your milk supply.
An important thing to mention is that not all hands-free pumps are wireless, so you may want to be aware of your needs before choosing.
How does a hands-free breast pump work?
Their are of course different kinds and brands that offer hands-free breast pumps, so not each of them work the exact same but, the main idea is:
- They are mostly battery-powered with a motor that suctions your milk at up to 220mmH (regular breast pumps suction up to 300mmHg) with a pumping mechanism attached to containers to collect your milk.
- They are designed to be lightweight, compact, quiet and discreet so they fit in any bra and don’t have any tubes.
What is Aeroflow and how does it work?
Aeroflow is an organization that specializes in helping pregnant and nursing moms receive maternity and postpartum recovery items through their insurance; including breast pumps.
In Aeroflow you can get the help you need to get the necessary items that your insurance will cover (or help you cover), Aeroflow can guide you through this process in order to get them.
This could be a great option for you if you are looking for the items available including breast pumps to get your power pumping done. To learn more and to act through Aeroflow, you can visit their website.
What is the best hands-free breast pump?
This really depends on your needs and what you feel comfortable with, even so, we will share with you some websites that have review and detail some hands-free breast pumps so it can help you make your decision:
- Best Hands-Free Breast Pumps I what to expect.
- Best Hands-Free Breast Pumps of 2023 I MomLovesBest
- 6 Best Hands-Free Breast Pumps, According to Expert Testing I GH
8 of the Best Hands-Free Breast Pumps of 2022 I Healthline
In Breastfeeding 101, we hope this information has been useful for you to learn about power pumping and hands-free breast pumps.
We love to have you here and we invite you to keep up with our content to learn more about baby´s and mothers’ health.
In the following, we share with you some of the sources that made this article possible:
- Cluster feeding I HE
- Differences in pumping affect breast milk`s nutritional value I Stanford Medicine
- Evaluation of the impact of breast milk expression in early postpartum period on breastfeeding duration: a prospective cohort study I BMC
- Exclusive breastmilk pumping: A concept analysis I Wiley online Library
- Lactation Support for Breastfeeding and Pumping Mothers I UAMS
- Increasing Breast Milk Supply I Michigan Medicine
- Prevalence and outcomes of breast milk expressing in women with healthy term infants: a systematic review I BMC
- Pump Early, Pump Often: A Continuous Quality Improvement Project I National Library of Medicine
- Pumping Milk Without Ever Feeding at the Breast in the Moms2Moms Study I National Library of Medicine
- The Quiet Revolution: Breastfeeding Transformed With the Use of Breast Pumps I National Library of Medicine
Avery Reckers
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