Breastmilk: The best start for your baby
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It is every mother’s dream to give their baby the best nutrition when they are born.
So far, breastmilk has been found to give a baby the best foundation for their health and nutrition.
It is complete, and fully nourishes the baby while at the same time giving them the immunity, which they need to fight diseases.
Experts recommend that you breastfeed your baby for the first six months of their life and then continue to breastfeed until they attain their second birthday.
This gives them a head start in their health and nutrition journey that cannot be achieved in any other way.
Breastmilk has antibodies that help in building your baby’s immunity against different infections that may attack their fragile bodies.
It has also been observed that babies who have been breastfed fight infections well and recover quickly from illnesses.
They also are protected from allergies that may develop when a baby is introduced too early to foods.
Expressed breastmilk for your baby
As much as breastfeeding has all these advantages, some mothers do not have this privilege to breastfeed their babies.
Some babies are born prematurely and therefore cannot be breastfed normally.
Some may be born having health problems that may make latching on the breast a difficult task to achieve.
In some cases, moms are required to go back to work or to school immediately after childbirth.
This may not allow them to be there with their babies’ full time to be able to breastfeed them as required.
There are also times when a mother may find breastfeeding a tedious and frustrating journey and decide not to venture into it altogether.
As a remedy, a mother can choose to express their milk so that the baby can still get the goodness of breastmilk.
Breastmilk can be expressed in different ways.
The traditional way of expressing milk is by using your hand to squeeze milk from the breast.
This can be quite a tiresome process and you can end up with very tired arms making this good venture a frustrating one.
Breast pumps: Your solution
In recent times, expressing breastmilk has been made easier by the arrival of breast pumps. Breast pumps have different parts.
There are breast shields or funnels or flanges, membranes and valves, tubing, milk collection, and other parts that may be brand specific.
Pumps can also be manual or electric, depending on the brand.
Breast pumps work by simulating your baby’s suckling action to stimulate milk flow.
Breast shield which is commonly called the funnel or flange is the part that rests on the breasts and also creates the suction to receive the milk that is pumped from the breasts.
Medela breast pumps
Medela breast pumps work by mimicking the suckling motions of when your baby is breastfeeding.
It has a two-phase technology in its working.
The first phase is the stimulation phase which imitates your baby’s motions of suckling rapidly to trigger your milk flow, a process also known as a letdown.
Once the milk flow is established, the second phase kicks in.
This phase is much slower and mimics the regular suckling pattern your baby has and reflects the time your baby needs to swallow the milk.
There are several Medela breast pumps.
These typically use the same two-phase technology to pump breastmilk.
The handling of pumps may be slightly different but the technology is the same thus making your breast pumping a pleasant affair.
How do you use the Medela breast pump for perfect results?
The Medela breast pump is an easy-to-use breast pump and its two-phase technology makes it very comfortable to use.
The following are steps of how to use the Medela breast pumps:
- As part of the preparation of your pumping session, find a private and comfortable place to relax as you pump your milk.
- You need to wash your hands and also clean your breast with a clean, wet piece of cloth. This will ensure that you keep germs at bay and assure you of the safety of your baby’s milk.
- Place the breast shield so that your nipples are centered. The placing of the flanges or breast shield is important in avoiding nipple and breast injury when the pump begins to work. Depending on the type of Medela breast pump you are using, you may need to hold the breast shield in place as you turn on your machine.
- You can now turn your machine. In the beginning, the machine will have a fast-paced action to stimulate the milk flow. Again, depending on the kind of breast pump you are using, you may need to hold the breast shield in place during this phase before you can be able to allow the pump to do its work hands-free.
- Once you have felt or seen the ejection of the milk, you can now press the expression phase button. This activates the Medela breast pump’s second phase, which is slower than the first phase. In case you forget to press the expression phase button, the breast pump will automatically begin the second phase after the first phase of your pumping exercise.
- Once the milk flow is established, you can adjust the speed of the pump so that it is at a place that is comfortable and the milk is being efficiently expressed.
- Once you are done with your pumping session, remove the tubes from the flanges.
- You can now carefully close your milk bottles for storage.
- Remember not to turn off your pump immediately. This extra time allows the vacuuming motion to dry off the extra condensation that may have formed during the pumping process.
- You can now disassemble the breast pump, clean and sterilize it in readiness for the next use.
It is important to remember that just like breastfeeding, a breast pumping session lasts about 15-20 minutes.
Ensure that you express milk completely from one breast before moving on to the next.