What you need to know?
Babies respond to milk flow. Over the course of a breastfeed milk flow slows. In the early days especially, a baby can lose interest, fall asleep and not get all the available milk. This is when breast compressions are really helpful! Breast compressions stimulate the letdown reflex resulting increased milk flow.
When to do breast compressions?
If your baby is falling asleep at the breast.
If weight gain has been slow.
If your baby is having very long and frequent feeds.
You are experiencing recurrent mastitis or blocked ducts.
How to do compressions?
When your baby stops swallowing and is not actively sucking that is when you do compressions.
Place your thumb and fingers on opposite sides of your breast, not too close to the areola as you do not want to distort the latch.
Gently squeeze your breast, hold the compression. Watch for swallowing.
Maintain that pressure until your baby stops swallowing and then release the pressure.
Then repeat, move the position of your hand so you are squeezing a different part of the breast.
When compressions no longer elicit a swallow, switch sides!
If breastfeeding to going well, baby is gaining weight, having lots of wet and dirty nappies, then breast compressions are not needed. As always if you are uncertain and need help seek out an IBCLC.
Comments