When Do You Pump And Dump Your Breastmilk?

There are times a mom has to pump and dump her breast milk. Pumping and dumping are when a breastfeeding mom pumps her breast milk and then has to discard it. There are many reasons why a mom may need to do this. In fact, taking certain medications and drinking too much alcohol, caffeine or smoking may make breastmilk temporarily unsafe for the baby. Furthermore, pumping and dumping is a way of maintaining breastmilk production during times when your milk could be contaminated with drugs or medications. Pumping helps stimulate your breasts and tells your body to produce more breastmilk. If you take a break because you need to pump and dump, your milk production may go down. Pumping and dumping involve using an artificial method, such as a breast pump and discarding your milk from your breasts.This tells your body to keep producing milk and at the same time, your baby is not exposed to any harmful drugs or medications. In the meantime, you can give your baby expressed milk or formula instead. You can resume pumping when these drugs or medications are no longer in your system. There may also be times that you need to pump and dump when you do not have access to a cool environment for many hours for your breastmilk. Try to bring a cooler with you wherever you go somewhere while you are breastfeeding so, you will not need to pump and dump and waste your precious breastmilk. Ask your doctor if he advises you to pump and dump while you are on certain drugs or medications. Also, ask your doctor if there is a safe alternative to the drug or medication that you are taking while you are breastfeeding. Furthermore, many medications are safe to take while breastfeeding. So, do not pump and dump until you have checked out the list of drugs while breastfeeding.There are lists on different websites or you can ask a Lactation Consultant. You can even email me and I will look it up for you. Dr. Thomas Hale puts out a great website for everyone to see and we as Lactation Consultant can look up any drug in his book for you. It is better to play it safe while breastfeeding. A mother's diet while breastfeeding is very important. A mom needs approximately 500 extra calories a day. She needs to maintain a good balance meal plan as well as drink plenty of fluids. Therefore, she should avoid alcohol, caffeine, smoking and certain drugs and medications while breastfeeding.There are times when you may have to pump and dump such as times when you take drugs that are contraindicated for breastfeeding moms, such as radioactive dyes for a medical test. Contact your doctor before you take any drugs or medications while breastfeeding. Your doctor may advise you to pump and dump while on certain medications. If you smoke before breastfeeding, nicotine is transferred into your breastmilk. If you have to smoke, light up your cigarette after you breastfeed, in order to give your body three or four hours until the next feeding. Furthermore, nicotine is a toxic substance and can cause great harm to your baby's health.Even second-hand smoke is not healthy for your baby. Therefore, this might be a good time to really give it a hard try and quit smoking. If you need to drink coffee, drink one cup a day after you breastfeed your baby. This will give the caffeine a few hours to work through your system. In fact, caffeine is a stimulant. Babies are more awake, alert, constipated, jittery and colicky when a mom takes in too much caffeine. Therefore, babies can have a difficult time sleeping, when a mom uses too much caffeine. If you drink alcohol while breastfeeding, it can be transferred into your breastmilk. Therefore, you should limit your alcohol intake to one glass at a time after you breastfeed.Many moms ask me if they can drink alcohol and this is what I recommend while they breastfeed. Wait 2-3 hours after you drink alcohol to breastfeed. If the mother has drunk too many glasses and feels drunk, she should pump and dump for a while. Once alcohol is out of your system, it is out of your breastmilk. So, use good judgment when drinking alcohol for pleasure. In conclusion, it is important to take care of yourself so you can provide the best care to your baby. I know that smoking is the toughest addiction to overcome but, if you can quit smoking while you breastfeed, you will help your baby stay healthy.Lastly, try to back off on using too much caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes while breastfeeding. This will help you and your baby have a healthy life together.