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Every parent wants a healthy start for their child. This is why over 80% of mothers choose to breastfeed their babies at birth. Though formula is also a safe and nutritious choice for babies, it’s hard to ignore the germ fighting properties that only breast milk contains. But as any mom who’s breastfed knows, it’s rarely an easy journey. It’s not always the picture of beauty and bonding that you see in photographs. Spectra is a company that is working to make breastfeeding more accessible to mothers by providing pumps that allow for a comfortable and successful experience. Their pumps were designed to instill confidence in breastfeeding moms and help them give their baby the ideal nutrition that nature intended.
In this article I’ll cover:
Why breastfeeding gives babies the healthiest start
How a quality breast pump can help your baby be breastfed longer
Why the Spectra breast pump is a great choice
Relaxation Techniques to use to increase milk supply while pumping
When moms feel supported in the emotions and difficulties that come with breastfeeding, they’re much more likely to continue and be successful. I hope this article helps you as you navigate the process!
The Many Benefits of Breastfeeding
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for their first 6 months of life. They state that it’s an “investment in the short- and long-term health of the infant.” Yet only 1 in 4 babies are still exclusively breastfed when they hit their half-birthday. Although it’s important to be reminded of the great benefits of exclusive breastfeeding and mothers should be encouraged to try, that’s not always possible. Getting your baby some breast milk is better than none at all. They will still reap many of the benefits!
Here are the many benefits that your baby gets when they are fed breast milk:
Increased protection against a variety of diseases including: respiratory illnesses, GI issues, influenza, and more
Helps a baby’s immune system fight off ear infections, UTIs, pneumonia, etc.
Lowers the risk of Type 1 and 2 Diabetes, Obesity, Asthma, and Eczema
Less likelihood of forming allergies
There is even research that shows breastfeeding can lower the risk of SIDS
Colostrum, the “pre milk” that a baby gets before a mother’s milk comes in offers an even more substantial nutritional profile compared to formula. It contains high concentrations of nutrients and antibodies to keep newborns healthy in a bacteria-filled world that the womb is no longer protecting them from. In short, antibodies are the bacteria and virus fighters that we all need to keep from getting sick...especially new babies!
And though this is less widely known, breastfeeding offers benefits to the mother, too.
First, nursing allows a mother to be happier from the oxytocin release that occurs when breastmilk is expressed (think less stressed and anxious...and what mom doesn’t need that!) Other benefits to note include:
Lowered risk of breast and ovarian cancer
Less likelihood to develop Type 2 Diabetes
Delayed menstruation which can help iron deficiency
Helps jump start weight loss after birth
Gets the uterus back to pre-pregnancy more quickly
Clearly there are many health advantages that breast milk provides. Many mothers also find joy in the special nursing bond that is unlike anything else. It truly is an amazing process. But, struggles with breastfeeding are common, too. Latching issues, pain, mastitis, and engorgement are all common side effects of breastfeeding. Getting help from your pediatrician or a certified lactation consultant is helpful in these situations.
Another reason that the number of babies who are breastfed dwindles from birth through the first year is due to mothers going back to work. Pumping at this point becomes a necessity.
How a Breast Pump Can Help in Your Breastfeeding Journey
Though many moms utilize a breast pump to help them continue breastfeeding once their maternity leave is over, this isn’t the only time they can be used. Many moms decide to exclusively pump if their baby is having latching issues, etc. and other moms like to pump between feeds to increase milk supply or create a frozen stash of milk to use later.
For whatever reason it may be, breast pumps can be a lifesaver for moms who want to continue to give their baby the optimal nutrition of breast milk.
Breastfeeding and pumping breast milk are two very different experiences, but they are both excellent ways to feed your baby breast milk. For some moms, pumping is the better or necessary choice. And that’s great!
What’s important is finding the right breast pump. Usually a double-electric pump works best for mothers who are pumping more than once or twice per day, but there are a lot of options! Spectra is an innovative company that has designed breast pumps with “Natural Nursing Technology” and has become a top choice among pumping moms. Let’s find out what these pumps are all about!
Though no pump will every feel quite like nursing your own baby, this company has worked hard to create ones that come as close as possible. They offer 3 electric options for individual purchase: the S1 Plus, S2 Plus, and the easily portable 9Plus. They all function with either single or double pump capability, which means you can pump both breasts at a time or just one. Though each pump has its own special features to meet the varying needs of nursing mothers, you’ll find many of the same advantageous features on all three pumps.
Powerful yet quiet motor (operates at 45 decibels)
Easy to carry and lightweight
Built-in nightlight helps with a middle of the night pumping
Simulates the natural suckling of a baby when in “massage mode”
Cycle length and vacuum strength can both be adjusted to fit personal needs
Automatic shut-off
One of the characteristics of these pumps that you won’t find among most pumps is that they utilize a “closed” system. What that means is that there is backflow protection built-in to ensure that no milk gets into the connected tubing. Why does this matter? This ensures that the breast milk stays where it needs to without harmful bacteria getting into your baby’s milk.
These pumps have everything you need to get started with pumping breast milk. Once you have it ready, it’s time to start getting that milk flowing for your little one. One way to make sure you keep getting the output you want from your pump is by keeping your stress low. But how?
Relaxation Techniques for Increased Breast Milk Supply
So many moms are thankful to have the ability to continue giving their baby optimum nutrition when they head back to work or when breastfeeding just doesn’t go the way they thought that it would. But it can also be stressful balancing all of the hats a mom has to take on. When you throw being attached to a breast pump into the mix, it can add to the stress. Yet stress is the exact opposite of what you need when trying to pump. According to Dr. Shivani Patel, M.D. of UT Southewestern Medical Center, “stress is the no.1 killer of breastmilk supply.”
But it’s easier said than done to just tell yourself not to be stressed. That’s why we have some solutions you can put in place immediately to stay calm and relaxed to help you have a successful pumping experience.
Use a pump that most closely mimics breastfeeding. As we described, the Spectra breast pumps are perfect for this. Pumping breastmilk should never be uncomfortable and you also want one that gets proper output. I can tell you from experience that having a pump that doesn’t express milk well is a stressful situation.
Yoga for lactation. Practicing yoga has many benefits beyond what many people would initially consider. The research here found that particular yoga exercises increased the milk production in lactating mothers of young babies. If you have older children it can sometimes be difficult to find time for exercise, but yoga is great for kids’ physical and mental health, too, so get them involved!
Meditation. The mother in this article describes her experience with meditating while nursing and how it helped increase her milk supply while pumping. This is great news for pumping mothers! Meditation comes with a host of other benefits that extend beyond lactating so it’s a great process to include in your daily routine.
Make sure you have a comfortable place to pump. Federal law requires that work places give nursing mothers a private place to pump that isn’t a bathroom. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be comfortable. We strongly encourage you to advocate for yourself; sometimes all it takes is asking the right person to get a comfortable spot where you can relax, destress, and pump the milk your baby needs.
Look at pictures of your baby or have something with their scent on it. Though this may make you miss your baby, remind yourself you’ll be back with them very soon. Keeping your “eye on the prize” so to speak will help remind you that every minute spent pumping is worth it.
Listen to calming music. It may sound far fetched, but music really does affect your mood. When it’s time to relax your mind to let your body do what it was made to do as a little one’s mom, turning on relaxing music will help. Just check out this graph from Science of Mom for proof!
There’s no denying how good breast milk is for your baby and pumping is one way to extend how long your baby gets this “liquid gold.” We hope the recommendations we’ve provided can help you enjoy the experience...because the next stage will be here before you know it!
