Breast pumping has simplified the lives of moms all over the world. Pumping breast milk and storing it for later use has made it possible for new mothers to return to work sooner while still offering breast milk to their babies. Breast pumps, on the other hand, have side effects that few mothers are aware of.
Advantages of Breast Pumping
Breast pumps have several advantages for both mothers and babies. They’re also a terrific choice for mothers who can’t breastfeed for various reasons but still want to offer their baby breastmilk rather than formula. Here are a few advantages of using a breast pump.
Control Feed Timing
Mothers or caregivers can create a feeding plan for their babies and control when they feed them. This helps the mother organize her pumping and feeding schedule while freeing up part of her time.
Relieve Working or Busy Moms
The working mothers can pump milk before leaving. Breast pumps can open time for moms to do things like run errands, meet up with friends, or treat themselves. This will also allow moms to share their feeding duties with their family members.
Help Increase Breast Milk Supply
After breastfeeding, pumping can help to increase milk production. Alternatively, having a supply of milk on hand can assist moms dealing with a lack of milk supply in feeding their kids.
Works Around Medical Conditions
If you or your child suffers from a medical problem that prevents you from breastfeeding, pumping milk and bottle feeding can be beneficial.
Disadvantages of Breast Pumping
Although breast pumps allow mothers to give their kids breast milk even when they are not present, new moms should be aware of several side effects and downsides to utilizing breast pumps.
It can reduce the milk supply.
Reduced milk supply is one of the adverse effects of constantly pumping breast milk. The mechanism of a breast pump is not the same as a newborn latching on to your nipple and sucking. A baby latching causes the stimulation of milk production in your body on. When a baby isn’t permitted to latch on, milk production suffers.
It depletes the nutritional value of the breast milk
When newborns feed directly from their mothers, they receive all the nutrients required for proper development. Three months of freezing, thawing, and subsequent reheating of breast milk results in nutrient loss.
Nipple and Tissue Damages
Breast pumps can damage nipples and breast tissue. Pumping can be excruciatingly painful if an improper setting is selected. Since manual pumping is challenging and exhausting, it can cause pain in both the mother’s breasts and hands.
Combination confuses baby
Switching back and forth between the bottle and breastfeeding may cause the infant to become confused. This is because the suckling mechanisms are different in both circumstances. The infant may suck harder on the mother’s nipples as he does with the bottle. The mother’s nipples may also become sore as a result of this. This could also happen if the infant has become accustomed to feeding on a bottle with a rubber nipple and cannot latch on properly while feeding directly.
Painful Engorgement and Excessive Let-down
One of the disadvantages of using an electric breast pump is that moms tend to pump excessively to store a large supply for later use. This causes the body to release too many hormones, causing the breasts to swell and fill with too much milk. Engorgement is the medical term for this condition, which can be extremely painful for the mother.
Does Not Replace the Bonding Time that Direct Breastfeeding Provides
Breastfeeding creates a strong link between the mother and her child that cannot be replaced by bottle feeding. Holding the baby in your arms and feeling them suckle from your breast creates an emotional link that bottle-feeding cannot achieve.
The repetitive cycle of washing and sterilizing bottle
All the pump elements, feeding bottles, and nipples must be thoroughly washed and sterilized before and after each usage is a disadvantage of utilizing breast pumps. Another issue is that moms may not find a private spot to pump outside their homes. They may also be unable to locate a secure location to store the pumped breast milk.
Danger of contamination
Even if you clean and disinfect everything thoroughly, mold and bacteria might collect in hard-to-reach areas of the pump and valves. The nutrient-rich breast milk provides an ideal habitat for bacteria and fungi to flourish and reproduce. They have the potential to taint breast milk and make the baby sick.
Baby’s Teeth Decay
Bottle feeding can lead to the decay of a baby’s teeth in the long run. Milk does not reach the baby’s teeth when they breastfeed because the mother’s nipple rests behind the baby’s teeth. When a baby is bottle-fed, they frequently fall asleep with the bottle in their mouth, causing the milk to cover the teeth. When exposed for an extended period, this can lead to tooth decay. If the decay has progressed, a dentist may cap or remove the tooth.
Delays in Mother’s Recovery after Childbirth
The hormone oxytocin is released into a mother’s body when she breastfeeds her infant directly. The hormone oxytocin promotes uterine contractions, which reduces postpartum bleeding. Breastfeeding also speeds up the uterus’s return to standard size. According to studies, a breastfeeding mother’s uterus recovers to a standard size six weeks after delivery, whereas a non-breastfeeding uterus takes ten weeks to return to standard size.
Be it good or bad, we suggest you consult your doctor before choosing breast pumping. Discuss with them thoroughly and then make the decision.
