The
technique may be useful for:
- Poor
weight gain in the baby
- Colic
in the breastfed baby
- Frequent
feedings and/or long feedings
- Sore
nipples in the mother
- Recurrent
blocked ducts and/or mastitis
- Encouraging
the baby who falls asleep quickly to continue drinking
Breast
compression is not necessary if everything is going well.
When all is going well, the mother should allow the baby to
"finish" feeding on the first side and, if the baby
wants more, should offer the other side. How do you know the
baby is finished? When he no longer drinks at the breast (open-pause-close
type of suck).
It
may be useful to know that:
- A
baby who is well latched on gets milk more easily than
one who is not. A baby who is poorly latched on can get
milk only when the flow of milk is rapid. Thus, many mothers
and babies do well with breastfeeding in spite of a poor
latch, because most mothers produce an abundance of milk.
- In
the first 3-6 weeks of life, babies fall asleep at the
breast when the flow of milk is slow, not necessarily
when they have had enough to eat. After this age, they
may start to pull away at the breast when the flow of
milk slows down.
- Unfortunately
many babies are latching on poorly. If the mother's supply
is abundant the baby often does well as far as weight
gain is concerned, but the mother may pay a price-sore
nipples, a "colicky" baby, a baby who is constantly
on the breast (but feeding only a small part of the time).
Breast
compression continues the flow of milk once the baby starts
falling asleep at the breast and results in the baby:
- Getting
more milk.
- Getting
more milk that is high in fat.
Breast
Compression - How to do it
- Hold
the baby with one arm.
- Hold
the breast with the other, thumb on one side of the breast,
your other fingers on the other, fairly far back from
the nipple.
- Watch
for the baby's drinking, though there is no need to be
obsessive about catching every suck. The baby gets substantial
amounts of milk when he is drinking with an open-pause-close
type of suck. (open-pause-close is one suck, the pause
is not a pause between sucks).
- When
the baby is nibbling or no longer drinking with the open-pause-close
type of suck, compress the breast. Not so hard that it
hurts and try not to change the shape of the areola (the
part of the breast near the baby's mouth). With the compression,
the baby should start drinking again with the open-pause-close
type of suck.
- Keep
the pressure up until the baby no longer drinks even with
the compression, then release the pressure. Often the
baby will stop sucking altogether when the pressure is
released, but will start again shortly as milk starts
to flow again. If the baby does not stop sucking with
the release of pressure, wait a short time before compressing
again.
- The
reason to release the pressure is to allow your hand to
rest, and to allow milk to start flowing to the baby again.
The baby, if he stops sucking when you release the pressure,
will start again when he starts to taste milk.
- When
the baby starts sucking again, he may drink (open-pause-close).
If not compress again as above.
- Continue
on the first side until the baby does not drink even with
the compression. You should allow the baby to stay on
the side for a short time longer, as you may occasionally
get another letdown reflex and the baby will start drinking
again, on his own.
- If
the baby no longer drinks, however, allow him to come
off or take him off the breast.
- If
the baby wants more, offer the other side and repeat the
process.
- You
may wish, unless you have sore nipples, to switch sides
back and forth in this way several times.
- Work
on improving the baby's latch.
The
above works best, in our experience in the clinic, but if
you find a way which works better at keeping the baby sucking
with an open-pause-close type of suck, use whatever works
best for you and your baby. As long as it does not hurt your
breast to compress, and as long as the baby is "drinking"
(open - pause - close type of suck), breast compression is
working.
You
will not always need to do this. As breastfeeding improves,
you will able to let things happen naturally.
Handout
#15. Breast Compression. Revised January 1998
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article may be copied and distributed without further permission.
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