12 COMMON MISTAKES PUMPING

MOMS SHOULD AVOID

1. Using a Wrong-Sized Flange

Each mom has different nipple sizes and so are breast

pump flanges. You need to find your correct size before

starting your breast-pumping journey. Using an incorrect

flange size will give you sore nipples, cause breast pain,

and will affect milk expression.

2. Pumping Too Soon

If you plan to nurse your baby, it is best to wait for 6

weeks before you start pumping. This will allow your

nursing routines to be established because breast pumping

too early can cause milk oversupply. Once you have an

oversupply, your baby will have difficulties in latching

and will possibly choke on your milk. Your baby will also

tend to be full, only feeding on the foremilk and missing

 out on the hind milk which is rich in essential fats like

DHA and ARA for the baby’s brain development.

If you plan to exclusively pump, or if your baby is

preterm, you can pump as soon as possible.

3. Pumping Without a Schedule

It is difficult to establish milk production without frequent

and regular milk expression, be it through nursing or

pumping. If you are nursing your child, you can pump

after some of his feeding schedule so you can start

building your milk stash. If you chose to exclusively

pump, it is best to mimic your baby’s feeding time which

usually is every 2-3 hours. This is to be done round the

clock, without skipping nighttime, to ensure you establish

your milk supply. Once your milk supply has been

 established, maintain your pumping frequencies and

adjust to your baby’s feeding patterns.

4. Pumping Too Much

Sometimes mothers are tempted to pump for longer

periods of time to increase their milk supply. However,

pumping frequency and not duration has positive

feedback on your milk supply. More milk expression=

more milk production. The average pumping duration is

only around 15-20 minutes. However, if you can still see

milk flow after 20 minutes, you can extend your pumping

duration until no more milk is expressed. Pumping too

much can only bring nipple trauma which can hurt your

breast pumping journey.

5. Pumping for a Short Time

Pumping for a short time is better than prolonged or

missed pumping. However, regular short pumping

sessions can be interpreted by your body as “you don’t

need milk anymore”, so it can cause low milk supply.

This is due to lack of milk expressions and your breast

tend to be full more often if breasts are not emptied

adequately.

6. Waiting for Breasts to be Full Before Pumping

Breastmilk contains a lactation inhibitor, and this can

only be addressed through frequent emptying of breasts.

If your breasts are always full, the lactation inhibitors rise

to levels which lowers your milk production. It is best to

pump even when your breast doesn’t feel full.

7. Relying Too Much on Milk Supply Boosters

This is the most common and expensive mistake of every

lactating moms. We think that if we drink lactations

supplements, cookies and drinks, we can achieve our

lactation goals. Milk supply boosters or galactagoues may

help a lot in increasing your milk supply, but they only

serve as assistance and not the main reason why we

lactate. Milk production is primarily affected by regular

infant’s suckling or breast pumping. Consuming a lot of

milk boosters without frequent and regular milk

expressions can still cause low milk supply.

8. Comparing Milk Output with Others

Every mom can provide enough breast milk for her child.

We see on social media that some moms can produce 10z

 per pumping, but every mom has different breast storage

capacities. Let’s not count the milk output per session,

rather count the milk output per day, and we’ll see we

have enough for our baby.

9. Throwing Breast Milk When it Smells Soapy

Our breast milk contains lipase which helps our baby

digest fats. However, in some mothers, their breast milk

contains increased activity of this enzyme. You’ll notice

after storing your milk in the refrigerator or after thawing,

your milk smells and taste like soap. Most babies cannot

tolerate this taste and so the milk is thrown in the sink.

Ouch! This milk is totally safe for babies and you can

actually mix the stored “soapy” milk with freshly pumped

milk to dilute its taste. Some babies may be able to

 tolerate it. but if not, it is best to scald your breast milk

prior to storing it, to decrease the enzymatic activity of

lipase, which causes the soapy smell and taste of your

breast milk.

10. Quitting During Growth Spurts

Most mothers are not aware of their infant’s growth

spurts periods. Babies have growth spurts during 4 weeks,

6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 7 months of life. This

may not be the same for every baby, but you can

determine if they are on their growth spurts when they

become fussy, irritable, and demands more milk. During

growth spurts, your baby’s suckling pattern changes as

their demands for milk changes. However, if you are an

exclusively pumping mom, your infant may not be able

 to regulate your milk production, and if you pump with

your regular schedule, you may feel you have not enough

milk. During these times, you need to pump more often

and you can even do power pumping to increase your

milk supply.

11. Following Other People’s Advice to Switch to

Formula

I cannot count how many times my parents and in-laws

told me to switch to formula. They even insisted that

formula is rich in vitamins. Yes, they may have vitamins,

but nothing compares to your own breastmilk for your

child! Breastfeeding is a great challenge and once they see

you having a hard time, they encourage you to stop. Is

that what you really want? Most people do not know that

formula feeding decreases your milk supply. Why?

 Because your baby is not 100% reliant on your milk. You

can avoid this by pumping 2-3 hours even if your baby is

fed with formula.

12. Not Searching for Reliable Information

The most important mistake pumping moms make is to

go on their pumping journey without knowing anything,

and without someone to guide them. Motherhood is a

whole new experience for every woman, and so is

lactation and breast pumping. We think that

breastfeeding is natural for every mom until we

experience it. We’ll realize how hard it is to feed our

babies, and how hard it is to go on our regular lives

WHILE feeding them. We all know that breast milk is

best for our babies, but why do we think most mothers

give in to formula-feeding their babies? It’s because when

breastfeeding through nursing or pumping becomes

difficult, we don’t know who to reach out to. We can’t

deal with breastfeeding challenges, simply because we

don’t know how, and we don’t have the support system.

THREE BASIC STEPS TO INCREASE

YOUR MILK SUPPLY

 Strictly pump
every 2-3 hours
for 15-20
minutes,
maximum of 30
minutes

Power
pump/cluster
Don’t give up!
pump 1-2 times a
Your baby needs
day for one week,
you!
or until boost in
supply is seen
STEP 1: STRICTLY PUMP EVERY 2-3 HOURS FOR 15-

20 MINUTES, A MAXIMUM OF 30 MINUTES

If you are an exclusively pumping mom, this is very crucial for

you since your baby does not suckle on you. Regular and

frequent milk expression through infant suckling or pumping

is a very important regulator of lactation that promotes milk

production.

STEP 2: POWER PUMP/CLUSTER PUMP 1-2 TIMES A

DAY FOR ONE WEEK, OR UNTIL A BOOST IN

SUPPLY IS SEEN

Power pumping or cluster pumping mimics your baby’s

suckling patterns during growth spurts. During these times,

they have more demands for milk which makes them feed
longer and more frequently. Growth spurts usually happen for

a few days to 1 week, so it is best to mimic not only the pattern,

but also its duration.

Do power pumping as follows:

Pump for 20 min→Rest for 10 min

Pump for 10 min→Rest for 10 min

Pump for 10 min

STEP 3: DON’T GIVE UP!

This, for me, is the most important factor in increasing and

maintaining your milk supply. You can buy dozens of milk-

boosting products, you can pump every 2-3 hours and power
pump for 1 week. But what makes all the difference is your

personal determination to go through this journey, because all

pumping moms know, that this path isn’t easy at all.

So, mommy, DON’T GIVE UP! Your baby needs you.

To find out more, stay tuned for our daily newsletter.

 Please like and follow us on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/mommyandlactation and

visit our website: www.mommyandlactation.com