Can I give my baby expressed breast milk?  Is it possible to take breaks in the process of feeding.  How to feed thawed milk

Can I give my baby expressed breast milk? Is it possible to take breaks in the process of feeding. How to feed thawed milk

Very often, young mothers practice feeding newborns with expressed breast milk. This technique is used when it is not possible to attach to the breast in the standard way. If a nursing woman was forced to resort to this method, she is recommended to familiarize herself with the key rules for expressing milk and the technique of feeding a baby from a bottle.

There is a way to proceed, so it is recommended to practice breast-feeding for a few weeks before starting to paint breast milk for a child. This is just to ensure breastfeeding before feeding your baby.

On the other hand, getting your milk means you don't have to be present at every meal while you're at home, your partner can take care of that and give your baby bottled milk, which means you can have more uninterrupted sleep or rest to take care of yourself. . Plus, letting dad take care of some of the food also helps him bond with the baby!

Indications

  • prematurity and low birth weight of the child;
  • situations when a young mother is not able to apply the baby to the breast in a timely manner;
  • birth trauma in the baby;
  • acute and chronic diseases in the mother, not allowing breastfeeding;
  • difficult course of childbirth.

If there is one or more indications, a woman will have to regularly express breast milk, which can be stored in the refrigerator and used when needed.

You may want to use a breast pump for various reasons such as. Stimulating milk production and increasing the amount of milk supplied by milk to feed a premature baby or who cannot suck pain with breast pain relief saturates the milk content in enough if your doctor advises you to temporarily stop breastfeeding because you are taking medications that can cause harm to your baby or if you are hospitalized for a short time and you cannot breastfeed all day. the ability to draw milk automatically and automatically, rather than manually. Please note that some women prefer to draw milk by hand, but most still find that using a milk pump is faster and easier. While it may seem strange at first to use a machine to collect milk from your breasts, it won't be long before the process becomes quick and easy, you just have to trust yourself and give yourself some time so that your body appropriates this new technique.

Pumping Rules

In order for the pumping process not to cause discomfort and pain in a woman, she needs to familiarize herself with the key rules of this manipulation:

  • This procedure can be carried out both in manual mode and with the help of a breast pump. Specialized pumping devices simplify this manipulation and make it as comfortable as possible. For information on how to choose the right breast pump, read our article at the link.
  • If a woman prefers manual pumping, then during the process the mammary gland should be pointing down, while the thumb should be placed above the nipple, and the index finger below it.
  • Before pumping, it is recommended to perform several smooth (kneading) movements that help expand the ducts of the mammary gland.
  • Next, you need to perform gentle stroking of the chest towards the nipple.
  • After injecting milk, gently press on the area around the nipple and on the nipple itself. If all the manipulations were performed correctly, the young mother will notice a drop-shaped and then a jet discharge of milk from the mammary gland.

Please note that using your electric breast pump should not cause you any pain. Manual pumps also use a nipple, but milk is extracted using a pressure mechanism or by pulling a piston by hand rather than relying on an electric motor.

Good breast pumps mimic the action of a baby's sucking and won't hurt you. Make sure you are using the correct nipple shields for your nipples and position them so you don't get pinched or irritated. Remember that in order to achieve the best milk production, you need to be calm and relaxed.

After pumping, the mammary glands are wiped dry with a soft towel. For storage of milk, it is recommended to choose sterile glass containers. From the point of view of convenience, you can use sterile disposable bags for freezing breast milk.

Features of milk storage

The maximum beneficial properties of mother's milk are stored in it for half an hour from the moment of pumping. Before putting milk in the refrigerator, it must be kept in a sealed container at room conditions.

At first, you may feel a little shock from using a fully automatic milk pump. Start with the lowest suction level, then increase as needed once you start. It shouldn't hurt, but it might seem odd. Be sure to thoroughly clean the pump parts after each session.

What type of milk pump should be used?

Choosing the right breast pump depends on how often you plan to use it and how much time you can spend on a draw. If you work full time and need to find time to draw your milk during a busy work day, you will need to use a dual pump automatic milk pump so you can pump both breasts at the same time. But if you only need to pump a few ml each time, an inexpensive hand pump can do the trick.

Other rules for storing such a valuable product include:

  • The shelf life of a freshly expressed product in the refrigerator is no more than 24 hours. If we are talking about longer storage, then the mother should freeze the milk. A pediatrician or a breastfeeding specialist will help you familiarize yourself with the freezing technique.
  • Before feeding the baby, milk must be heated in a water bath. The temperature of the food should not exceed the body temperature of the mother. To assess the temperature indicators of milk, you can drop 2-3 drops on the back of the hand.
  • Before freezing the product, indicate the date and time of pumping.
  • Milk is not used for feeding the baby, subject to the expiration of the shelf life.
  • Each portion of freshly expressed milk should be stored in an individual container. Mixing individual portions is strictly prohibited.


If you only need to express milk from time to time - for example for a random bottle - you can handle manual editing, although it does take some practice to run milk. In manual terms, a little breast milk can help calm congestion and clogged ducts. And if you have sore or cracked nipples, you can give them some breast milk after each breastfeeding session to soothe them.

How about saving breast milk?

Many women find that drinking milk by hand takes a lot of time, making it impossible to drink regularly. a large number milk. It can be helpful to massage your chest a little or apply a warm towel before you start to sit and lean forward - gravity helps! Place your thumb and index finger on each side of the chest, about 2 cm behind the areola, forming a C hand. Use a sliding motion, you may need to experiment to find the right place - when you do this you will burn the milk. Rotate your fingers around the areola as you continue to milk each breast. You will only get a few drops at first, don't worry, it will come with practice! Collect the milk in a clean, wide-open container.

  • Wash your hands before starting.
  • Press your fingers towards the chest wall, and then gently connect.
You can store your breast milk in a plastic or glass bottle, most breastfeedings come with storage containers.

How to feed with expressed milk

The practice of feeding with expressed milk introduces some changes in the lactation process. When a woman puts her baby to her breast, the baby independently regulates the amount of food. The maternal organism also adapts to these volumes, which does not produce more milk than the child requires.

In order not to provoke inhibition of lactation, in the first 2-3 weeks after childbirth, a young mother should express herself every hour in small portions. Of particular value are pumping at night. Many women are concerned about the frequency of feedings so that the baby does not experience nutritional deficiencies.

You can also use a breast milk storage bag specifically designed for milk storage. Fill the container three-quarters full if it goes into the freezer to allow for expansion. For convenience, store milk in quantities that are normally used when feeding.

Don't forget to date the bottle or bag before putting it in the fridge or freezer - you'll know when you pull it. You may be surprised to see what breast milk looks like. It is normal for the fat to separate and float on top, and sometimes the milk has a bluish tint, especially at the beginning. Don't shake the milk. Instead, stir gently to mix the fat well.

A guide for a young mother is the behavior of the child. The optimal frequency of breastfeeding is every 2-3 hours during the daytime and twice a night. Bottle feeding will be equally comfortable for both mother and baby, subject to the following rules:

  • First of all, the mother must choose a comfortable position for herself and the baby.
  • The nipple of the bottle should be pressed against the baby's lower lip so that the baby can open his mouth and capture it entirely.
  • The baby's tongue should be under the nipple.
  • If the nipple is properly grasped, the baby's lips close around its base (wide part).
  • During feeding, the mother should hold the bottle at an angle.
  • If the baby has not eaten the entire portion, then in no case should he be forced to eat up.


Your milk should not have a sour smell or taste, but after thawing, it will sometimes have a slightly soapy smell due to the change in fat. Opinions differ on the shelf life of fresh mother's milk. When it comes to fresh breast milk, some experts say the milk can be kept at room temperature for six to eight hours, but it's best to refrigerate it immediately. Use fresh chilled milk within five days.

Regarding frozen breast milk: Milk can be frozen for two weeks at 5°. In a freezer with separate doors, it can be stored for three to six months. And in the freezer at -4 degrees, it will be good for 6-12 months.

When feeding, it is important to establish tactile contact with the newborn. It is recommended for a young mother to gently stroke the baby, hold it by the handle. Emotional well-being is a critical factor in successful feeding.

After the child has eaten, for 7-10 minutes, the woman needs to keep him in an upright position. This manipulation will allow the baby to get rid of excess air that has entered the stomach during feeding.

After freezing frozen milk, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If you need to transport milk, keep it cool until it is right before you use it. Some medical workers recommend throwing leftover milk into your baby's bottle after a feed, but others may tell you that it's acceptable to partially store a bottle of breast milk if you refrigerate it immediately and use it within four hours.

To thaw frozen milk, run the bag or bottle under hot water until the temperature is comfortable or the milk thaws in the refrigerator overnight. For many women, the most difficult thing is finding the time to integrate the task into the work schedule during the day, or finding a comfortable and private space to do so. Draw is easy for anyone and here are some reasons that can make it difficult.

In order to make sure that nutrition is adequate, a woman should pay attention to the behavior of the child. The satiety of the newborn is indicated by his balanced state, the absence of whims, good sleep and normal stools.

A sufficient amount of nutrition for a newborn up to 1.5 months is 1/5 of the baby's weight. From 1.5 months to six months, this amount is equal to 1/6 of the weight.

You may get milk too soon, you may not get much milk if you have recently breastfed your baby, you may need to change your pump settings, it may be difficult to get enough milk if the suction pressure is too low or the speed is too high. Some women find it difficult to get enough milk if they use a manual pump or an electric pump that doesn't work very well. You will get the best results with a high quality double electric pump. If your nipple is too small and your nipples swell when you start shooting, you won't be able to collect enough milk from your breasts. Be sure to use the size that suits you.

  • You may not be using a good enough pump.
  • You can use nipples for women with small nipples.
Other reasons that may explain the lack of milk may be lack of hydration or taking certain medications such as decongestants or estrogens that can inhibit milk supply.

The inability to breastfeed a child is not a reason to switch to artificially adapted formulas. Maintaining lactation under any conditions is the main goal of every young mother.

Olesya, a young mother, her Elechka is almost half a year old and she feeds her with her milk. What's wrong with that, you ask? And it is noteworthy that Olesya does not breastfeed the baby, she expresses milk and feeds the baby from a bottle. For almost 4 months now, she has to pump several times every day, day and night, to provide her beloved baby with decent nutrition. The fact is that even in the early days at the maternity hospital, she tried to put the crumbs to her breast, but it was sheer flour - Olesya's nipples were large and inverted. The baby could not grab her breasts in any way and not only got her milk, but severely injured her breasts. The surrounding medical staff, unfortunately, could not help her, the doctors only said that with such nipples she would not be able to feed. Olesya was discharged from the hospital with a bottle and a breast pump. Of course, now it is not easy for her to remember that period.

You may have problems with your milk drop. You can also try to gently massage the chest or use warm compresses before the draw. If you are having difficulty or feeling discouraged, calling a lactation consultant or talking to other mothers can be a great source of support.

As a mother, you have a range of sizes to choose from that keeps you in control and flexibility. Flexible: Ideal for expressing, preserving, freezing breast milk and feeding your baby. Breast milk is a key element for your baby's development. Handled with care, it contains all the vitamins and all the natural nutrients your baby needs.

The severity of the loss

For every mom, breastfeeding is not just a process of satiation. Any mother dreams of how she will put the baby to her breast, how satisfied he will quietly suck, and fall asleep under her breast, calm down at her breast, smile at her mother without releasing her breast from her mouth.
To fully realize her maternal instinct, a woman needs breastfeeding, which is part of motherhood, and mothers who do not succeed are very worried. They may feel inadequate, they are depressed, confused, dissatisfied, they are bitter because they have lost breastfeeding. Some mothers become depressed from the realization of this fact, they begin to blame themselves for not being able to establish breastfeeding.
Olga has been expressing milk for Zhenya for 4.5 months. “At first it was difficult, I was tired both physically and emotionally, because all the time I reproached myself for being an unworthy mother for my Zhenechka. Later, I became more comfortable with not breastfeeding. As for pumping itself, you gradually get involved in it and treat it as a process that goes without saying. The main thing is to firmly understand why you are doing this, so that the motivation is good, then it's not difficult.
In such a situation, it is important to try to cast aside emotions and take a sober look at the situation. No matter how you feed the baby, you still remain his only and loving mother. You can show all your love and care in other ways that will be inherent only to you and your baby. The main thing is that he has you, and you have him!

You can express your milk for your baby directly in bottles and then store it until you need it. You can use breast milk in a straight bottle after thawing. This way you don't waste a single drop of your precious milk and reduce the cleaning required. It is important to carefully choose a milk storage container.

Whether out of obligation or personal decision, many mothers choose to breastfeed their baby. Such a decision raises many questions and, above all, whatever the motives, all mothers want to do everything possible for their child. Bottle feeding can mean two ways to feed your baby.

Why?

Why do women resort to such a difficult way to feed a baby?
We have already mentioned that these may be women who failed to establish natural feeding, because they could not get the necessary information and support from lactation specialists in time. These are mothers who have flat or inverted nipples, or who had severely injured nipples, or who had severe lactostasis and mastitis. However, these mothers should not immediately give up trying to breastfeed. We know of cases when, even after 6 months of feeding a baby with expressed milk, mothers managed to transfer the baby to breastfeeding. You may need specialist help to arrange breastfeeding.
They can also be women who have experienced sexual violence in the past.
Some mothers, on the other hand, deliberately arrange feeding in such a way as to be able to go away often on their own business, so that other family members have the opportunity to feed the baby.
And there is another category of mothers who would like and could feed, but the baby’s illness does not allow him to breastfeed, for example, babies with a cleft palate or a split sponge.
All these women want to feed with breast milk and therefore begin to express it and give it to the baby from the horn. Such mothers understand very well that it is important to feed the baby with breast milk, because only women's milk is able to fulfill all the nutritional needs of a little man, only it contains growth factors that allow the baby's body to mature as fully as possible, only it has protective factors and all the vitamins , which is important to receive a tiny body. These heroic moms are deliberately refusing to feed their robust babies the much-touted artificial formula - a breast-milk substitute.

With breast milk, which is more like serving a bottle of breast milk: in this case, the mother draws breast milk and does not resort to breastfeeding. This is what we call "breastfeeding with breastfeeding". . In this article, you will find everything you need to know about breastfeeding with breastfeeding and all the tips to make breastfeeding perfect for baby and mom!

Give breast milk to a bottle: why?

It is already good to know that the benefits of the composition of breast milk are increasingly known and recognized especially in relation to the health of infants. Knowing this, many mothers who are unwilling or unable to breastfeed choose to still enjoy their baby through another technique.

Here is the story of Catherine, who fed her Svetlana with expressed milk for up to a year and a half.

“My baby was born very small and couldn't hold her breast in her mouth so I had to bottle feed her. But I knew how important it was for Svetik to receive exactly my breast milk, because she was small and weak. Doctors told me that it is important for us to maintain lactation and feed only breast milk. I tried my best, constantly pumped, fed and carried on my arms a lot, a lot! At first it was not easy for me, and then I got involved and no longer imagined that it could be different. My Svetochka grew and gained weight well, thank God, she was healthy. I know that it was all thanks to my milk and our constant contact - we were together all the time, day and night. After the introduction of complementary foods, I continued to express milk and give it to Svetochka, because I knew that up to a year, babies get 75% of breast milk! And I tried to provide everything in full. So we fed up to a year and a half. I believe that I fulfilled my maternal duty by breastfeeding my baby girl for so long!”

How to organize everything?

Moms who feed with expressed milk also have many questions about feeding. It is important to understand that despite the non-traditional way of obtaining breast milk, this feeding is still very different from full artificial feeding. Therefore, the rules that apply to artificials, such as feeding according to the regimen, for example, do not apply to this case.

  • You can feed with expressed milk more than once every 3 hours, because breast milk is easier and faster to digest anyway. It is better to give milk often, but not in large portions. For example, during the day every 2 hours for 60 - 70 g. And at night twice.
  • To determine whether there is enough milk for the baby, it should be according to the test for wet diapers, as well as for babies who are breast-fed. It is important to find out how often a baby pees a day in order to determine whether he needs to give more milk. If there is enough milk for the baby, then he will soak 12 or more diapers. If there are less than 12 diapers, add one or two more feedings and test again.
  • An important difference: babies of the same age, but receiving different bottled foods (one formula, the other breast milk), should receive different amounts of food in one feeding. For example, an artificial baby receives 100 g of the mixture, and a baby who receives breast milk - 70-80 g. This is explained by the fact that breast milk is easier to digest and assimilate, and the baby does not need additional calories to process milk. The baby artificial, on the other hand, must receive additional energy in order to cope with rough food.
  • Organize a joint night's sleep, despite the fact that you will not wake up for breastfeeding. It is important that the baby receives as much love as he expects, and this is possible only with frequent contact with the mother and the feeling of her full presence.
  • Try to make as much skin contact as possible while bottle feeding. Try to take a position for feeding so that the baby's cheek touches the skin of your breast.
  • With such feeding, the baby does not need to be given water at all.
  • For the first 6 months, your baby doesn't need anything other than your breast milk.
  • Do everything to keep the milk as long as possible - up to a year or more. Later, the baby will definitely appreciate your efforts!

Expression and storage of milk

To maintain lactation and produce the right amount of milk, you need to express at least 6-7 times a day, approximately 100-120 g each. Try to express approximately the same amount of milk from each mammary gland in one pumping. If you wake up after a night and feel that your breasts have become very full, then you may need to get up once at night to make it easier to fill your breasts.
You should decide which way is more convenient for you to express milk. Some mothers note that an electric breast pump is a good helper in this matter, while others find it more convenient to express with their hands. Try and look for the option that suits you.
You can store milk in the refrigerator for two days. If you make a stock of milk, then you can store it for 3-4 months in the freezer.

Feeding with expressed milk is a new phenomenon of our time, it goes without saying that it was impossible to do before. The biological expectation of any baby, and indeed of the mother, is contact directly with the mother's breast. Feeding with expressed milk is a titanic work, for which a mother takes a lot of time and effort. Often people who are close to such a mother do not notice how much effort she puts into feeding the baby with her milk. But it is she who, more than ever, needs the support and approval of her family and the doctors who are watching her baby.

Patience and strength to you!