Top 5 Reasons to Use a Breast Pump to Supplement Breastfeeding

Who can deny the necessity of breastfeeding? Breastfeeding is an essential topic for infants and toddlers, especially for the newborns with milk being a crucial part of their diet. This is because they get all the necessary proteins, vitamins, minerals and nutrients from the milk which they feed on. However, there are methods other than only breastfeeding. One such notable process is the pump. And at this point, we all come to the question of whether to use a pump or not?

 

Choosing between a pump or breastfeeding

Choosing between a pump and breastfeed is a crucial decision to be made. It is not as simple as it may sound. This is because even any tiniest mistake while making the decision may result in a considerable loss, perhaps, to both the mother and the child. Since any wrong decision can cost a lot, no mistake can hence, be afforded. Thus before coming to any conclusion, it is wise to understand both the pros and cons of both the methods. Yes, it is agreeable that breastfeeding the natural process available, but situations such as illness may cause hindrance in the process. This is where the pump jumps in and comes in handy.

 

Types of manual breast pumps

There are two basic types of a manual breast pump, each of them having their distinct and specific purposes. In addition to that, none of them compromise to the quality of their service. Thus any mother can use it as needed without having to think which one is better and which one is not. All she needs to think about and decide is which one to use.

 

Reasons for using pump over breastfeed

1. A mother may always prefer to breastfeed considering the fact that it is the most natural process until today. However, as mentioned earlier,  illness or weakness from both the side of the mother or the child can hinder the process. In such situations, methods like pumping can come in handy.

 

2. To breastfeed a child, a mother needs to stay by the side of the baby throughout the time. There may be cases, where the mother may not always be able to keep in close contact with her child. But the newborn need milk to feed on. Hence, to feed a child in this kind of occasions, pumping is the best alternative one can think of.

 

3. Sometimes a baby may be born with cleft palates. Here pumping is almost a mandatory thing to do, no matter, whether the mother can stay with the baby, the entire time or not. It is almost like there is no other simple or easier option left open for the family. Here, all that can be done is to go with the process of pumping and in the meantime arrange for the baby’s treatment.

 

4. Human beings have the suck-swallow reflex. Many mothers often give birth to premature babies. These children are often the major patients, facing trouble with the suck-swallow reflex. Here the child can not suck milk properly. Thus to feed him/her, pumping plays a vital role. It ensures the fact that even after not having the necessary fitness, the child has access to the very thing which it needs to survive.

 

5. Breastfeeding is well known to stress the mother out, especially when she is breastfeeding her child. Some mothers may feel extremely weak after they give birth to a child. And stress and weakness together may make the mother fall sick. In such conditions, the process of breastfeeding may be taken into consideration.

 

Conclusion

We all know that each and everything in the world has their very own pros and cons. However, some properties may be dominating over the others. Thus an individual may study both the cases well before coming to a conclusion. In the above passage, I have mentioned the top 5 reasons to use a breast pump to supplement breastfeeding. Saving both the mother and the child is essential. Yes, breastfeeding is natural but it may not always be the best. Thus it is wise to take the breast pump into consideration.