We know we need a breastpump. We know it will become a handy
tool in our daily lives providing relief when we’re engorged and the benefit of
stockpiling milk supply when we’re able. This breast pump will become our new
best friend. And we’ll just figure out exactly how to use it when we need it.
Later. Much later. Right?
Wait and see. That’s one approach. Receive your breast pump,
neatly stack the unopened box among
the dozens of other unopened, unlearned, promise-to-make-your-mommy-life-so-much-better items.
the dozens of other unopened, unlearned, promise-to-make-your-mommy-life-so-much-better items.
The problem with the wait
and see approach is that it doesn’t prepare you for anything and in action,
more likely becomes the crash and burn
approach, which leads to the mom and baby
melt down effect.
So while you could leave that spanking new breast pump
neatly packaged in a box, stacked in a closet while you wait and see, may we
instead suggest the following activities to help you get acquainted and
comfortable with your breast pump before you have to use it.
- Set aside one hour of time, anytime before your baby is due, just to focus on your breast pump.
- Open the box, take out the pieces, and remember this is a tool to help make your life easier, not a scary alien apparatus. (A peaceful, accepting approach can make a big difference in so many things!)
- Plug the pump into a power source so it’s ready to run and/or charge the battery.
- Read the directions. No one was born instinctively knowing how to use a breast pump.
- Look for instructional videos online. Search your specific pump make and model in a web browser or on www.youtube.com You’ll be amazed how much it might help just to hear other women talking about your breast pump.
- Assemble the pieces of the pump according to given directions.
- Turn the pump on and listen to the sound. At first it might feel loud and aggressive, but give it time. Imagine the pulse as a natural wave.
- Practice changing the power and speed.
- With the pump powered off, fit the flanges onto your breasts and notice how they fit.
- Press the flanges onto your open palm or your thigh and turn the pump on the lowest level if you’re curious about experiencing the suction sensation.
- Put your feet up, close your eyes, turn the pump on and practice deep meditative breaths in rhythm with the pulse of the pump. (Do not have the flanges connected to you at this point.) Imagine what your baby might look like, how he will smell, how soft she will feel. Try to imagine how much you will love him and how happy you will be to feed her and pump for her.
- Repeat any of these steps as often as you need to before you feel comfortable.
Although nothing will truly prepare you for the real thing,
we know these little efforts will give you the confidence and peace of mind you
will need when you’re ready to begin pumping milk with your new breast pump.
References:
Our resident “Moms Who Know” informed this post and our
writers composed it. No one contributing to this post is a trained medical
professional. For further reading and information on familiarizing yourself
with your breast pump, please visit the websites for any of the five brands
Byram Healthcare proudly distributes:
Additional Sources:
Casemore, Stephanie. Exclusively Pumping Breast Milk. Ontario:
Canada. 2014
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