Every breastfeeding mom should be shown how to express breastmilk, even if they don’t think they will need to be away from their baby. Being able to express can be empowering as it means a mother is able to leave the home or return to work, knowing that her child’s feeding needs are taken care of. It also means mom is able to keep up breast milk production when she’s away from her baby (remember, milk supply is directly impacted by demand). There are three ways to express milk. You can learn how to hand-express, a technique, using your hands to extract milk from your breasts, or you can use a breast pump. A breast pump is a device designed to express your milk. Some pumps are manually operated and others are electric.
Breast pumps can be expensive and not all mothers are able to successfully hand-express. If you won’t be using your pump again or maybe, you’ve received multiple pumps at your baby shower, please consider donating one to a mother in need.
Employers can support working moms by ensuring that you have a designated clean, safe and private space in which moms can pump, and a refrigerator in which they can store breastmilk during the work day.
Last week, we spoke to the DG Murray Trust about how they have stepped up and supported breastfeeding mothers returning to work after maternity leave. Read the full article here.
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X is for eXpressing