Expressed Breast Milk – How Can We Achieve It?
For this edition, we have the latest installment of our interview with Paula Andrea Osorio, the lactation consultant. We hope that the information we give you about breastfeeding will be of great help.
La Isla Magazine. Paola, we want to address a topic that worries many mothers who cannot feed their babies directly from the breast due to different circumstances: feeding with expressed breast milk. We know that in these cases it is recommended to create a milk bank at home to continue feeding exclusively breast milk. Can you explain to us what a milk bank is?
Paula. A/ The milk bank is basically the safe storage of expressed breast milk, without affecting its properties. As we have said before, most women have the ability to produce breast milk and can also create a milk bank at home, but this is a process that depends a lot on the needs of each woman. When for some reason the lactating mother cannot be with her baby all the time to feed him directly from the breast and must leave him in the care of another person, the best option is to create a milk bank so that his baby continues to feed on breast milk.
La Isla Magazine. What do you advise to those families who want to create a milk bank at home?
Paula. A/ Creating a milk bank is a process of great commitment because the extraction of milk must be sensible and constant, so that the mother may acquire a routine to perform the extraction. For example, we know that during lactation the levels of prolactin, which is the hormone that stimulates milk production, increase at dawn, so this is a good time to express milk.
La Isla Magazine. Paola, what are your recommendations for a successful transition from breast to bottle?
Paula. A/ The transition process from the breast to the baby bottle requires knowledge. In general, babies easily get used to the bottle and begin to reject the mother’s breast because the bottle facilitates the sucking process. This creates a lot of confusion for mothers, because when the baby stops sucking at the breast, milk production decreases, so the woman believes that she is having problems with breastfeeding. The transition from breast to bottle should be made 6 weeks after having an established, stable, and consistent breastfeeding routine. So that the baby does not reject the mother’s breast, I recommend avoiding the use of bottles with pacifiers and opting for options that make it difficult to suck the milk, such as, for example, glass or spoon-shaped bottles. If, on the other hand, the baby rejects the bottle, I recommend using soft pacifiers that resemble the woman’s breast. There really are many options on the market for each situation. Likewise, it is important that from the first moment bottle feeding is carried out by the person who will be in charge of caring for the baby. The mother should avoid being present at this time to allow her baby to have a natural detachment from the breast, get used to the bottle and adapt to a new routine. Each case is particular and punctual, we have to have a lot of patience and love in this process.
La Isla Magazine. Thank you very much Paola for this interview, please, can you give us your information so that our readers can contact you if they want breastfeeding advice?
Paula. A/ Sure. You can find me on Instagram as @poder.materno and access the personalized virtual counseling services I offer. I would really love to support them in their breastfeeding processes. Many thanks to Isla Magazine for this space.