[Breastfeeding] All About Pumping!

What should you look for in a pump? Is it ever too early to pump? What’s the easiest way to build up your milk stores? What about if you need to increase milk production or are exclusively pumping? How can you make your pumping sessions more effective? Nancy Mohrbacher answers these questions and many more. Check it out!

What we talked about:

• Selecting your pump, and sizing it right
• Nancy’s four things to look for in a pump
• Stronger is not better: understanding how milk flows
• How to pump to build a stash
• How to pump to sustain or increase milk production
• Things you can do while pumping to make it more productive
• How your body responds to pumping
• Is it ever too early to pump?
• Things to consider if you’re exclusively pumping
• Finding your magic (production) number
• How much milk does your baby need?

Resources and links mentioned by Nancy:

• To Pump More Milk, Use Hands-On Pumping (includes links to Stanford videos)
• Blog post: How Much Milk Should You Expect to Pump?
• Website section: Pump/Store Milk  
• Website section: For Employed Nursing Mothers
• Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple (Nancy’s book)
• Nancy also has a Breastfeeding Solutions app (available through the App Store and Google Play), which includes a section on pumping

Related resources*:

• Hand Expression of Breastmilk, video by Jane Morton (Stanford School of Medicine)
• Pumping Breast Milk – Everything You Need to Know! from Cindy and Jana
• Supporting Nursing Moms at Work, from womenshealth.gov

Courtesy of Nancy Mohrbacher

About Nancy Mohrbacher

Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA lives in the Chicago area. She began helping breastfeeding families as a volunteer in 1982 and became board-certified as a lactation consultant in 1991. For 10 years she founded and ran a large private lactation practice. She also worked for a major breast-pump company and a national corporate lactation program.

Nancy is author of Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple and its pocket guide edition, which are used by breastfeeding specialists worldwide. She co-authored with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett the book for parents, Breastfeeding Made Simple. Her 2013 tiny troubleshooting guide for mothers, Breastfeeding Solutions, is now available as the ground-breaking Breastfeeding Solutions app for Android and iPhones. Her book, Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple, debuted in 2014. In 2015, she released her tablet-based prenatal preparation program, Natural Breastfeeding: For an Easier Start, which she developed with OB Dr. Theresa Nesbitt. Nancy speaks at events around the world.

In 2008 the International Lactation Consultant Association officially recognized Nancy’s contributions to the field of breastfeeding by awarding her the designation FILCA, Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association.  Nancy was one of the first group of 16 to be recognized for their lifetime achievements in breastfeeding.

You can find out more about Nancy at nancymohrbacher.com, follow her on Facebook, or check out her YouTube channel.