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Breastfeeding
tokenhoser
member
If I asked myself if pumping was being used as a magic fix for common,
yet easily managed, breastfeeding concerns I would have to say yes, it
is. The idea to pump instead of or in conjunction with breastfeeding is
often suggested to mothers by their support people. These support people
include other new mothers and experienced mothers at places like Mommy
and Baby Yoga, Mommy and Me time, Kinder Music, Baby Signs, the museum,
StarBucks, any place mom's and babies hang out together, you all know
where mommy's go. Other support people are their mothers and their
mothers and mother-in-laws, sisters, sisters-in-laws, aunts, grandma's,
that old family friend, again you know who these people are. Of course,
new mother support people include Health Care Providers like doctors,
nurses, midwives and the complementary support people like doula's and
childbirth educators. And, in case you are not aware, these people
include many that did not breastfeed themselves or were not successful
in their attempts to breastfeed.
Most moms are choosing to initiate breastfeeding now and so of course it comes up in conversation as people feel the need to ask new moms how breastfeeding is going or new moms feel compelled to seek out support in these early weeks or health care providers are following mom and baby. When moms are asked they share the concerns they have with breastfeeding in hopes that someone can help them. Here is the list of common complaints and one likely answer they will receive to alleviate that concern.
Sore Nipples -> Pump and bottle feed
Baby not effectively sucking -> Pump and bottle feed
Thrush -> Pump and bottle feed
Engorged -> Pump between feeds
Plugged Duct -> Pump between feeds or pump and bottle feed
Needing to feed in public -> Pump and bottle feed
Over Active Let Down -> Pump before feeding
Low supply -> Pump between feeds or after feeds
Baby not sleeping -> Pump and bottle feed or have someone else feed
Colic -> Pump and have someone else feed
Foremilk/Hindmilk concerns -> Pump before feeding
So, it appears that pumping can be a common suggestion to alleviate the most probable breastfeeding issues. But let me tell you, it is not a magic fix, it might be a band-aid, but it does not fix anything and in fact pumping can create more issues.
These are just a few ways this pumping band-aid could create more issues for mom and baby.
With sore nipples, generally the most common concern, but also the easiest to fix, pumping only results in double the work. Why would a new mother want to add in all the extra work of pumping and bottle feeding when getting some assistance with position and latch could make the problem go away, in even the very next feed. And long term pumping is not going to sustain a babies needs and milk supply like breastfeeding directly from the breast would. Often breastfeeding relationships end far sooner than mother's intended due to supply issues because it leads to supplementation or another feeding method all together.
How about that baby that just is not sucking effectively or will not latch? Let's see, how do people learn? By doing. So if we take baby away from the breast, how does he learn? Again, we need to support moms and babies in positioning and latch and innate instincts that babies have to feed and let them learn together.
Thrush is no reason to stop feeding at the breast. The reality with pumping with thrush is that mothers now have more parts and equipment to treat or throw away. Thrush can sometimes take a long time to clear up but it spreads so easily, we need to restrict what comes into contact with the thrush to stop the spread of it, not add more to it. There are medications and such that we can use to treat thrush and the discomfort of thrush well we are trying to eliminate the nasty little bug it is.
Milk supply works on supply and demand so well pumping to relieve engorgement seems like a good idea right now, later on the fullness comes back and generally more full then the previous time, as a mother's body thinks that is milk that baby needed. If moms are engorged because a baby is not eating, then the answer is to get the baby eating, not pumping. The more baby is at the breast the less engorged mother's will be. If baby is not waking to feed and mom is starting to fill up, mom can put baby to breast and encourage that baby to eat, to play his role in this breastfeeding relationship. Another concern with engorgement is that as much as it may seem logical that when mothers are engorged, it means they have a good, healthy milk supply, in fact the opposite can occur. The more often a women is engorged, the faster her milk supply will start to decreased. When breasts are full it sends a signal to the part of moms brain responsible for milk supply to slow production down and milk making cells start to shut down, resulting in less milk in the days ahead.
Plugged ducts are uncomfortable, for sure and yes moms want them out, but pumping is not the most effective way to unplug a plugged duct. In fact it can lead mom right back to the engorgement stage and create the spiral onwards from there, when the easiest way to get rid of that plug is by using baby, again.
I am starting to see a larger amount of women pumping so they can feed their baby while out and about. First, people that want to go out in public just need to accept that mothers and babies go out in public, too, and mothers and babies use breasts to feed. Secondly, mothers need to be informed about how this "solution" really is only one that is feasible for a small time. Each feed mom misses at the breast impacts that supply and demand mechanism again. If mom is out and is not feeding baby or replacing a feeding session with pumping again her body and brain communicate this to each other and the process of milk supply slows down. This again goes back to what I mention early about keeping up supply, supplementing and ending the relationship early than expected.
Over Active Let Down is a problem that some moms struggle with but again pumping can just aggravate this problem. It is an easy problem to aggravate as it can lead to the engorgement issue and when baby is ready to feed, mom is ready to burst with milk and when the let down occurs it is like opening up a dam. Baby gets flooded with milk, has trouble managing flow, staying latched, becomes upset and this all causes frustration in mom and baby. Positioning, latch and frequent feeds are the easy fix here.
For the healthy, full-term infant pumping for low supply should be the last resort. Babies truly are the best solution here again; baby to breast = more milk in breast.
Pumping to top up or to force more milk into that non-sleeping baby:. Fuller tummy does not equal more sleep in babies. Babies have very small tummies, breastmilk is readily absorbed and digested so babies feed frequently. The issue here is not the amount of milk the baby takes, but rather unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings babies.
Colicky babies are much better soothed at the breast than any other way, so pumping to feed another way removes that comfort source from this already high needs baby and can make the baby even more upset. There is no real understanding behind colic and why some babies are colicky and some are not but there is good understanding that skin-to-skin and mothering at the breast calms these babies best.
Foremilk/hindmilk imbalance or what is being perceived as such seems to be rampant these days. It seems like a viral condition that has spread. So many moms seem to feel they have this issue, when in fact it is very rare. However, if a mother thinks this is an issue she has and pumps to get to the hindmilk, we go back to the engorgement cycle where mom has too much milk, can have a forceful let-down and then babies do get more foremilk than hindmilk, they are upset by the flow of milk and we end up in a vicious cycle. Worst case scenario, in fact, this could create that colicky baby we all fear. Foremilk/ hindmilk is best controlled by frequent feeds and proper positioning.
I am pleased to see fewer mom's grabbing for a formula can when breastfeeding challenges arise but I am not thrilled to see more mom's grabbing for the pumps.
Mom's please seek out appropriate, knowledgeable, support when you encounter these easily managed breastfeeding concerns.
Blog: Is pumping being used as a new "magic fix" for breastfeeding concerns?
tokenhoser
member
https://kimsmithibclc.blogspot.com/2011/07/is-pumping-being-used-as-new-magic-fix.html
Is pumping being used as a new "magic fix" for breastfeeding concerns?
Most moms are choosing to initiate breastfeeding now and so of course it comes up in conversation as people feel the need to ask new moms how breastfeeding is going or new moms feel compelled to seek out support in these early weeks or health care providers are following mom and baby. When moms are asked they share the concerns they have with breastfeeding in hopes that someone can help them. Here is the list of common complaints and one likely answer they will receive to alleviate that concern.
Sore Nipples -> Pump and bottle feed
Baby not effectively sucking -> Pump and bottle feed
Thrush -> Pump and bottle feed
Engorged -> Pump between feeds
Plugged Duct -> Pump between feeds or pump and bottle feed
Needing to feed in public -> Pump and bottle feed
Over Active Let Down -> Pump before feeding
Low supply -> Pump between feeds or after feeds
Baby not sleeping -> Pump and bottle feed or have someone else feed
Colic -> Pump and have someone else feed
Foremilk/Hindmilk concerns -> Pump before feeding
So, it appears that pumping can be a common suggestion to alleviate the most probable breastfeeding issues. But let me tell you, it is not a magic fix, it might be a band-aid, but it does not fix anything and in fact pumping can create more issues.
These are just a few ways this pumping band-aid could create more issues for mom and baby.
With sore nipples, generally the most common concern, but also the easiest to fix, pumping only results in double the work. Why would a new mother want to add in all the extra work of pumping and bottle feeding when getting some assistance with position and latch could make the problem go away, in even the very next feed. And long term pumping is not going to sustain a babies needs and milk supply like breastfeeding directly from the breast would. Often breastfeeding relationships end far sooner than mother's intended due to supply issues because it leads to supplementation or another feeding method all together.
How about that baby that just is not sucking effectively or will not latch? Let's see, how do people learn? By doing. So if we take baby away from the breast, how does he learn? Again, we need to support moms and babies in positioning and latch and innate instincts that babies have to feed and let them learn together.
Thrush is no reason to stop feeding at the breast. The reality with pumping with thrush is that mothers now have more parts and equipment to treat or throw away. Thrush can sometimes take a long time to clear up but it spreads so easily, we need to restrict what comes into contact with the thrush to stop the spread of it, not add more to it. There are medications and such that we can use to treat thrush and the discomfort of thrush well we are trying to eliminate the nasty little bug it is.
Milk supply works on supply and demand so well pumping to relieve engorgement seems like a good idea right now, later on the fullness comes back and generally more full then the previous time, as a mother's body thinks that is milk that baby needed. If moms are engorged because a baby is not eating, then the answer is to get the baby eating, not pumping. The more baby is at the breast the less engorged mother's will be. If baby is not waking to feed and mom is starting to fill up, mom can put baby to breast and encourage that baby to eat, to play his role in this breastfeeding relationship. Another concern with engorgement is that as much as it may seem logical that when mothers are engorged, it means they have a good, healthy milk supply, in fact the opposite can occur. The more often a women is engorged, the faster her milk supply will start to decreased. When breasts are full it sends a signal to the part of moms brain responsible for milk supply to slow production down and milk making cells start to shut down, resulting in less milk in the days ahead.
Plugged ducts are uncomfortable, for sure and yes moms want them out, but pumping is not the most effective way to unplug a plugged duct. In fact it can lead mom right back to the engorgement stage and create the spiral onwards from there, when the easiest way to get rid of that plug is by using baby, again.
I am starting to see a larger amount of women pumping so they can feed their baby while out and about. First, people that want to go out in public just need to accept that mothers and babies go out in public, too, and mothers and babies use breasts to feed. Secondly, mothers need to be informed about how this "solution" really is only one that is feasible for a small time. Each feed mom misses at the breast impacts that supply and demand mechanism again. If mom is out and is not feeding baby or replacing a feeding session with pumping again her body and brain communicate this to each other and the process of milk supply slows down. This again goes back to what I mention early about keeping up supply, supplementing and ending the relationship early than expected.
Over Active Let Down is a problem that some moms struggle with but again pumping can just aggravate this problem. It is an easy problem to aggravate as it can lead to the engorgement issue and when baby is ready to feed, mom is ready to burst with milk and when the let down occurs it is like opening up a dam. Baby gets flooded with milk, has trouble managing flow, staying latched, becomes upset and this all causes frustration in mom and baby. Positioning, latch and frequent feeds are the easy fix here.
For the healthy, full-term infant pumping for low supply should be the last resort. Babies truly are the best solution here again; baby to breast = more milk in breast.
Pumping to top up or to force more milk into that non-sleeping baby:. Fuller tummy does not equal more sleep in babies. Babies have very small tummies, breastmilk is readily absorbed and digested so babies feed frequently. The issue here is not the amount of milk the baby takes, but rather unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings babies.
Colicky babies are much better soothed at the breast than any other way, so pumping to feed another way removes that comfort source from this already high needs baby and can make the baby even more upset. There is no real understanding behind colic and why some babies are colicky and some are not but there is good understanding that skin-to-skin and mothering at the breast calms these babies best.
Foremilk/hindmilk imbalance or what is being perceived as such seems to be rampant these days. It seems like a viral condition that has spread. So many moms seem to feel they have this issue, when in fact it is very rare. However, if a mother thinks this is an issue she has and pumps to get to the hindmilk, we go back to the engorgement cycle where mom has too much milk, can have a forceful let-down and then babies do get more foremilk than hindmilk, they are upset by the flow of milk and we end up in a vicious cycle. Worst case scenario, in fact, this could create that colicky baby we all fear. Foremilk/ hindmilk is best controlled by frequent feeds and proper positioning.
I am pleased to see fewer mom's grabbing for a formula can when breastfeeding challenges arise but I am not thrilled to see more mom's grabbing for the pumps.
Mom's please seek out appropriate, knowledgeable, support when you encounter these easily managed breastfeeding concerns.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Blog: Is pumping being used as a new "magic fix" for breastfeeding concerns?
I know a lot of women IRL who have become EPers because of whatever reason in the beginning (some of the reasons listed here), and I wonder what percentage of women that happens to. Does anyone know if there's any studies about why or how many women become EPers?
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
Excellent article!
Im currently dealing with a severly painful bout of thrush, LO has it also of course, and has been super fussy, but at her early age it may just be her temperment or aggravation from thrush. All of my family and my ILs (all of whom ff) keep telling me to just pump so i can heal faster...but its so time consuming and much more effort with bottling/freezing/warming/cleaning/etc.
I'm very torn about this article. It has some valid points about pumping being suggested often now, but I have many problems with it.
Any article (or blog post, or anything) that is trying to give sound medical advice should not contain the ridiculous number of grammatical errors that are in that post. I am no grammar queen, but they are glaringly obvious and I can't take it seriously.
My son had a tongue tie and at 4 days old he was physically incapable of sucking effectively. He was starving. It was Sunday at 8am. Would it really be the best advice to continue only nursing and not pumping and bottle feeding until we could get to the ENT on Monday afternoon to have it clipped?
I will agree with the advice to seek out appropriate knowledge and support, because the suggestions this article says doctors are making are ridiculous and wrong. Anyone who has done their homework and educated themselves about breastfeeding should be able to know better than to fall into some of these "traps," as the poster outlined in the responses to each problem. What the poster doesn't take into account is that pumping and bottle feeding is meant as a temporary solution.
Most importantly, whether a mother breastfeeds or pumps and feeds bottles, the benefits to baby are the same. They need to get the milk from their mother, and if women prefer to pump and feed, I see no reason to chastise them. Breastmilk is better than formula and until there is evidence that breastmilk straight from the breast is better than breastmilk from a bottle after pumping, there is no need to attack women that choose to pump and feed occasionally or EP.
I for one seriously respect anyone that EPs. I'm not sure I could do it. It is so much work and I am not sure I would be dedicated enough to EP for a year. Even doing it for 40 hours a week is more than I'd really like.
I try to remain even tempered about things (sometimes better than others), but this is an absolute slap in the face to those of that pump. I work full time. I also only had 4 weeks off. So I did not have the luxury of time to develop a strong nursing relationship. I still nurse occasionally, but we are probably 90% expressed breast milk from a bottle and 10% boob.
This article needs to get over it's sanctimonious self. I produce plenty. More than enough to feed my daughter and even donate. I rarely get engorged, and I plan to provide my daughter with breast milk for at least 18 months.
Yes. This article prevents some valid points that may be true for a lot of women, but instead of bashing woman for EP'ing, they should be praising them for going through the hassle of pumping and not reaching for formula--which would be so much easier.
This sounds like something from the high horse LLL'ers and I think it could be worded much better.
All of this! I had issues with both of my DD's and had conflicting advice from different LC's. One suggested a nipple shield. One said throw the shield away. One told me that I had a good latch just a 'little diva' who didn't want to take to the breast. Another told me she had a tongue tie (pedi said it wasn't). After giving it all I could to try to BF both of my DD's, I resorted to the pump because it was the only means for my daughter (and my sanity) to get BM. I produce almost double what she eats in a day and have a nice freezer stash. Once I go back to work, I hope to keep up with EPing until at least 6 months, preferrably a year or more.
I didn't see this as a slam on mothers at all. It's a slam on lazy "educators" that throw out one "solution" for every problem. Except as AmyG said, few EPers will make it as long as they originally would have liked to breastfeed. It's hard and crappy.
Obviously, pumping is meant for when you can not be with your baby. Or when your baby has a medical reason they can't breastfeed that will correct with time - a tongue tie, prematurity. If you think the author just hates pumps, you're being unreasonably defensive.
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I don't think the author hates pumps...I just feel that the author is out of touch and has tunnel vision when it comes to the pump. Sure, bad advice is given to mothers and they are told to pump when they should actually nurse. I was told a lot of this advice for some things...but after doing my own research I was able to distinguish the good vs. bad advice. Pumping is just one of those things that you have to take a step back and see if its going to cause more relief in the short term or going to make your life (and babys) better in the long run.
I think that pumping is a great tool and an innovative way to help with BFing. In a perfect world there would be no obstacles to BFing. But there are, and if a tool is available to me, I am not going to refuse it especially if it helps me reach a goal and provide nutrition to my DD that I would otherwise not be able to provide (in the immediate sense and long-term).
Okay. Maybe it isn't a slam on mothers, but is a slam on lazy educators. And yes, many EP'ers probably don't make it as long as they planned. I personally know that I will make it longer than my original goal of 1 year because I am that committed.
Pumping may be meant for when you can't be with your baby, but I know in our situation, we kept bottle feeding more because it just became easier. We have lately had a renewed nursing relationship which has been nice.
Sorry for my somewhat heated reaction. I just don't like judgments about a group that may not be true for the whole group.
We'll miss you sweet Debbie Girl (4.21.12) and sweet Cindy Girl (8.9.12)
Jeez people! Chill out! The author never said that pumping has no place for a breastfeeding mom. She just listed specific issues where pumping may not be the best answer in the long run--the same issues that ladies on here caution other mom's not to rely on the pump to solve like oversupply, etc. Issues she did NOT list: Needing to work or be away from baby for a time, feeding a preemie, and physical deformities that cause a baby to be unable to latch like tongue tie. She is just trying to encourage readers to educate themselves and look at longterm consequences of choosing to pump for the reasons she listed.
I will agree that the author didn't intend to chastise mothers that need to pump for short periods of time because of some problem, or mothers of preemies or that work and pump long-term. However, the way it was worded and the attitude it presented was offensive and unnecessary.
There's a big difference between "If you pumped for one of these reasons, you didn't educate yourself well enough and your doctors are idiots," and "If you're having trouble with one of these things, make sure you seek out knowledgable professionals and develop a plan to transition back to breastfeeding instead of relying on pumping long-term."
I agree...I have been EPing for 7 months and plan to do so until my DD is 12 months. If I could just pop my baby on my boob when I'm home I would glady do that but it would make me cry from pain everytime and I probably wouldn't have a nipple left. I don't think I had the best LC but I work full time and can't just go and drive around town finding another one and now we are 7 months into it... I'm just going to finish the year out and try again with better guidance with the next baby.
Agreed!!!
As an EP'er who has a preemie, I kind of take offense to that blog. Would I like to breastfeed my child? Absolutely! Do I like doing twice as much work and feeling like a slave to the pump? Heck no. Would I do things differently if I could? In a heartbeat.
Sometimes you have no choice but to pump if you want your child to have breast milk. I see nothing wrong with pumping if that's what you have to do. I'm doing the best I can.
What's bad about just telling a mom to pump is that it's not really helping her fix the problem. It doesn't deal with the oversupply, the poor latch, the quick letdown. It just sidesteps the problem by adding more work for mom. Wouldn't it be more ideal if LCs had more to offer than "pump" and "nipple shield"? These are supposed to be the smartest breastfeeding people we've got... and throwing a pump or a shield at a new mom is not really trying very hard to help her succeed.
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Agreed, a bad LC is one that doesn't help you try to solve these problems, but rather tells you to just pump or throws a nipple shield at you. However, if I tried to work out my breastfeeding issues without using a pump at all, my milk supply would have dried up in a matter of days and I'd be formula feeding now. Pumping definitely has its place in working through breastfeeding problems because not all problems can be quickly and easily fixed before your supply suffers as a result.