Breast Feeding Tips

1. You should be in a relaxed mood when you use a breast pump. The stress arisen from your work can suppress your body's ability to release milk. To increase your breast milk, massage your breast regularly or apply warm compresses on it.
   
   
2. Consider breast feeding your baby at night. It is beneficial for both, you and your baby. It may help you to increase the supply of milk when you pump. You may also increase your feeding frequency on the weekends.
   
   
3. The most important thing is taking care of yourself. Eat healthy food, which provides nutrition to your body. Also eat fruits containing plenty of fluids.
   
   
4. Create your work schedule in such a way that you get maximum rest. Avoid extra workload. Limit your work hours too. And don't hesitate to ask for any help from anybody.
   
   
5. Wash the breast feeding pump, as well as your hands. Germs may get transferred inside the pump, when you use it. It's not as important to wash your breasts but some mothers do not take any risk.
   
   
6. How to use a Breast Feeding Pump?
   The breast pump has a part called the breast shield. You can start by adjusting your nipple in the breast shield. If the breast pump is operated on electricity then switch it on. When the milk starts to flow it should go into a collection container provided with breast pump accessories. They also provide standard-size bottles, which you can easily fit to the breast feeding pump. You can combine milk from each breast and store it in one bottle.
   
   
7. Storing Breast Milk
   - You should store breast milk in a clean bottle. The bottle may be made up of a hard plastic or glass. You can also store breast milk in milk storage bags.
   - Store your milk, at room temperature, for at least 6 hours. Then, your breast milk should be refrigerated, if you are storing it for next 48 hours. If you decide to store your breast milk for more then 48 hours, it should be kept in freezer.
   - Do not overfill the milk in the bottle. Keep some extra space, because milk starts to expand when it is frozen.
   - You can use a refrigerator's freezer to store milk for at the most 4 months. You may use a deep freezer for storing milk up to 1 year. Deep freeze would mean at least a temperature of -20C.
   - Do not refreeze your milk. Instead throw away the wasted milk