Tips For Breast Pumping
by Julia Gregory
Breast pumping is one great way for working mothers to make sure that they are able to return to work as soon as possible after they have had a baby without denying that baby the benefits of breast milk. However, breast pumping can be difficult work and it can be hard to get into a schedule that works for you. Here are some tips for breast pumping as efficiently and smoothly as possible.
1. Start Pumping as Early as Possible
As soon as you feel physically up to the task, start pumping breast milk as early as possible, even before you go back to work. This will allow you to build up a stockpile of milk that you can use when you are too busy to pump or too tired to pump. It takes some of the responsibility to pump every day off of your shoulders and reduces the overall stress that you might feel about breast pumping, allowing the milk to flow more easily.
2. Try Pumping After You Shower
Try to pump right after you shower, regardless of the time of day at which you shower. Similar to the way that warm water can help you improve your circulation, warm water can also help increase the amount of milk that your body produces that makes it to the end of your breast. You might be able to get a larger amount of breast milk out of a single pumping if you pump right after you shower.
3. Get Extra Sets to Take to Work
Purchase extra sets of the pumping equipment so that you don't have to worry about washing anything when you get to work. Just take anything dirty home with you and run it through the dishwasher. This will allow you to spend any time you take to pump actually pumping breast milk, rather than standing at the sink scrubbing out the pumping equipment.
4. Make Privacy Accommodations
If you work in a cubicle, get your boss' permission to pump in your cubicle as long as you figure out a way to do it privately. To make your cubicle more private, hang a sheet over the door or get a cheap shower curtain. Then, write a note to post on the side of your cubicle telling everyone that when the curtain is up, no one is allowed to enter, but people are more than welcome to talk to you over the cubicle wall if they have any work-related questions. This will allow you to continue to work even while you are pumping.
For more information, talk to a company like M-D Choice Medical Supply that makes breast pumps.
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About Me
The decision to move one of my parents into assisted living was one of the most difficult I have ever made. I had extreme feelings of guilt that led to me being at the facility with my parent practically around the clock. It took a few months before I realized that I could not let my own life fall apart from the guilt I was feeling. I also learned that my parent was fine without me constantly hovering around. Since that time, I have had several friends express similar feelings of guilt. I started this blog to help others in the same situation understand not only their feelings about assisted living, but those of their parents.