Breastfeeding Supplies

A breast pump is a mechanical or electrical device that extracts milk from the breasts of a woman who is breastfeeding. Mechanically, a breast pump is directly analogous to a milking machine used in commercial dairy production. more...

The expressed breast milk (EBM) may be stored for feeding to a baby by bottle at a later time. Expressed milk may be kept at room temperature for up to ten hours (at 66-72 degrees Fahrenheit, around 20 degrees Celsius), refrigerated for up to 8 days, or frozen for six months in a deep freeze separate from a refrigerator maintained at a temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit, −18 degrees Celsius. Expressed milk may be donated to milk banks, which provide human breast milk to premature infants and other high-risk children whose mothers cannot provide for them.

The breast pump was invented and patented by Edward Lasker. It may be used for a variety of reasons. Many women use them to continue breastfeeding after they return to work, pumping while away from their child, and having a caregiver, such as the father, feed the expressed milk when the baby and mother are separated. A breast pump may be used to stimulate lactation for women with a low milk supply, or who have not just given birth. A breast pump may be used to relieve engorgement, a painful condition whereby the breasts are overfull, possibly preventing a proper latch by the infant. If an infant does not latch properly for direct breastfeeding, and the mother still desires the benefits of breast milk, she may choose to pump exclusively. Finally, pumping may be desirable to continue lactation and its associated hormones to aid in recovery from pregnancy even if the pumped milk is not used.

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