Monday, March 30, 2009

Guide to Pumping with the Avent Isis Breast Pump

By Jocelyn Madrigal

Ok, so youve begun breastfeeding, but youre maybe having trouble feeding your baby as often as they want, or youre getting stir-crazy at home and want to get out there and be a human being again. Maybe youve tried breastfeeding outside the house, and youre getting looks from other women and you feel embarrassed and frazzled. It sure sounds like an Avent Isis Breast Pump would come in handy. Breast Pumping will allow you to store up a supply of breast milk for difficult situations, and to free you from having to pull up your shirt and expose yourself every time you need to feed. How does that sound for piece of mind?

The first step of using a pump is to sterilize the container. You can do so by submerging it for 2 minutes in a pot of boiling water, which will kill any lingering bacteria. Then let it dry on a clean cloth or towel. After that and any other parts are clean, sit down in a comfortable spot, and just relax. You may be sitting there for a while if you just started pumping.

Thankfully, the Avent Duo Isis Breast Pump makes it easy for mothers to pump and to have it feel similar to their infant feeding. Because the pump lets you control the sucking speed and pressure, you can change the settings to be as fast, as slow, as gentle, or as insistent as your newborn sucks. It is recommended that you try to mimic your infants pattern of feeding, as this will ensure you express the most milk.

Once youre done (which should take anywhere between 10-30 minutes) you can store your milk either in the fridge or in the freezer. Its not recommended to store breastmilk in the fridge for more than 7 days, and in the freezer for more than 60 days. The moment you have excess breast milk and youre able to put some away in the freezer or fridge, youll feel a lot better and secure knowing that you have extra milk in case its needed.

Just so you know, its best to store your milk for freezing in special CSF bags that are made specifically for this purpose. The bags come with labels so you can mark when your milk was pumped so you wont look at it a week later at 2 in the morning and wonder if its still good to use. The bags are sturdy and work very well for their intended use. Youll soon have a freezer full of bags if you use your pump regularly.

Using your Avent Pump or Avent Duo Isis Pump takes time to get used to, and it takes time to dial in the settings so theyre right for you, so dont get discouraged too quickly. Thankfully, modern science and breast pumps like the Avent Breast Pump line make it easy for mothers to breastfeed their children and not to rely on formula. You can now be free, feed on demand, and even build up a milk supply in case of trouble!

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