How To Clean A Breast Pump?

Motherhood is an important period in a women's life and breastfeeding is the best way we connect with our child in their initial months of growing up. Breast milk has numerous benefits for the baby's health and development. And this experience can be enhanced by digital technologies and today's modern urban mums have a choice and a good one at breast pumps.

What Is A Breast Pump?

A breast pump is device used to express milk from the breasts of a lactating woman. Breast pumps create suction pressure on the outside of the nipple , which pulls or “sucks” milk out of the breast.

Why It Is Used?

1. Sometimes babies aren’t able to drink milk from the breast if they’re ill, or were born too early and are too weak to suck the milk out
2. A mother may not be able to breastfeed because her nipples are too sore, or because she has to work or keep an appointment
3. If a mother’s breasts are painfully full and hard or she has mastitis it is a type of breast infection, expressing milk can relieve the discomfort
4. Milk can either be expressed by hand or using a breast pump

How To Use:

It basically consists of: Shield (phalange), tube, pump and collecting bottle.

If it is an electric pump, you put a breast shield over your nipple, turn the machine on, and let it do the work of suctioning your milk into an wide mouthed container. Shields are attached with pumps and a tube end into container. Manual pumps also use a phalange, but you extract the milk by operating a squeeze mechanism by rotating plunger with your hand.

It usually takes ten to 15 minutes to pump both breasts with a good electric pump and up to 45 minutes with a hand pump. Wash your hands before you start.

Technology comes with all pros and cons.Next come the essential ritual of cleaning breast pump. As germs can grow quickly in breast milk or any remains in the pump.

Some Tips To Clean Breast Pump:

1. Wash your hands before using pump
2. After pumping first rinse all parts with cold water to remove any remaining breast milk
3. Take hot and soapy water and rub gently with fingers or brush to clean it further and again rinse thoroughly with warm water
4. Dry on a clean paper towel or keep it in clean rack for air drying

Regardless of its numerous benefits it comes with some disadvantages also:

1. Firstly it is time consuming takes longer to pump than for the baby to feed again you need cleaning arrangements all time. It can hurt or sore your nipples
2. Feeding your baby pumped milk effects mother baby bond. Pumping does not completely stimulates your breast and so it does not protects you from next pregnancy and nor does it completely protects you from breast cancers etc.
3. Breast feeding comes off as a natural protective mechanism against them whereas breast milk pumping does not

Whatever you choose is best in the baby's interest. Choose carefully while purchasing breast pumps and try to feed directly for as long as you can.

Hope you like these tips if you have any other suggestions please do comment.

Happy feeding!

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