The reasons for using a breast pump are many and subjective to each woman. Maybe your baby is not latching correctly, and they prefer drinking from a bottle.
Or perhaps you don't have time to breastfeed your little one every meal because you are a working mother or a mother of multiple children.
However, what if you want to nurse and pump to have the best of both worlds? Pumping regularly can maintain your milk supply constant as well as storing milk for future meals.
The first question that comes to mind, though, is how soon you can nurse after you pump?
After pumping how soon can I breastfeed?
Most pediatricians and lactation consultants will recommend you wait at least half an hour after you pump to breastfeed.
Allow your body to produce more milk
This is important because you need to allow your body the time it needs to produce more milk. If you don't wait at least half an hour before nursing, you risk to either not have enough milk to nurse your baby, or you might stimulate your breasts to produce more milk than you need.
Keep a balance between nursing and pumping
The idea behind this is that your body will produce milk based on demand. To your body, there is no difference between nursing and pumping.
- If you do both of these things too often, you will just tell your body to produce more milk, faster.
- This might work if you are breastfeeding multiple babies, but it might be too much milk for just one baby.
- So, according to your circumstances, you might want to pay attention to the quantity-demand report and keep it in balance.
Have a proper Scheduling
Scheduling meals will help you with this balance a lot. It will help you know exactly when to feed your baby and when to pump, so you don't impact your milk supply in a way that you don't want.
- Having a schedule will also help your body understand when and how much milk it should produce.
- And ultimately, your baby will be happy to have a schedule when it comes to their meals.
- They will get used to this rather fast, and before you know it, they will get hungry right when it is time to nurse them according to your schedule.
In time you will get to know your body, and you will learn how to listen to it as well. Each woman is different, so listening to your body is essential to find the best balance between pumping and nursing that applies to you.
So, after a few days or weeks of breastfeeding and trying different techniques, you should get into a routine that you are satisfied with.
Key References
- "Breast Pumping Guide: When and How Long to Pump - Ameda". Accessed February 07, 2020. Link.
- "Pump Early, Pump Often: A Continuous Quality Improvement Project". Accessed February 07, 2020. Link.
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