[Submitted Question]

I would like to bottlefeed breast milk to my son once I return to work. The last couple of days I have tried to get in the habit of pumping a bit, but it seems my milk is gone whenever I try out the pump. There is plenty of milk when my son nurses. What am I doing wrong? I would really appreciate any tips on this!

[WombToBloom]

You’re probably not doing a thing wrong. Your body and your brain are quite aware though that the pump is not your son. The “let down” sensation you feel at the beginning of a nursing session is completely triggered by your baby. And as fabulous as your super-high-powered, had-to-take-out-a-loan-to-buy breast pump is, it doesn’t have your son’s eyelashes, giggles or cries.

The good news is that you can trick your body a little bit. Have you ever been in a store and heard someone else’s baby cry and then had your milk start to flow? Keep a photo of your baby with your pump. Think about him. Take a video of him with your camera phone and play it. You’ll eventually have “let down.” You probably won’t produce as much for the pump as you will for your baby but you will still pump enough to bring home to him.

With all of that being said, you should definitely make sure that you’re using the pump correctly. If you’re having trouble, call a lactation consultant (I’m sure one probably came to visit you at the hospital) and ask for her help or advice. And it’s definitely worth the investment to buy or rental a really good, double electric pump if you plan to pump at work. It makes quick and efficient work of the pumping process. The newer pumps do a decent job of mimicking the nursing patterns of a baby so you are, theoretically, less likely to see a decrease in production. And if it’s fast, you’re more likely to stick with it at work for a while.