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How can I help a mother ‘follow her flow?’

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It is easy to help a mother use CustomControl to follow her flow. In fact, it’s almost as easy as watching her milk pour into the collection bottle, which most mothers do anyway. This approach works best after a mother’s milk increases on postpartum Day 3 or 4 and she is able to express measurable amounts of milk. Before then, suggest the mother set her pump on its fastest speed (which will usually be most comfortable with minimal milk production) and adjust her suction to the highest comfortable setting (for details, see below).

 

 

 

When a mother begins pumping, suggest she:

1. Start by setting her pump to one of its fastest speeds to more quickly trigger milk ejection (just like her baby).

2. Set her pump suction to the highest level that’s comfortable for her. To find her maximum comfortable suction level, suggest she:

  • Turn up her suction until it feels slightly uncomfortable.
  • Then turn it down just a little until it’s completely comfortable.
  • She’ll know it’s still too high if she’s tense during pumping or her nipples feel painful during or afterward.
     

3. At milk ejection when the mother sees her milk start to flow faster, it is time to turn down the pump speed (just like her baby sucks slower) to drain the breast faster. She can find her own best speed setting by watching her milk flow and adjusting the speed until she reaches the setting where her milk flow is fastest.

4. As her milk flow slows to a trickle, turn the speed up to the setting that triggers milk ejection most quickly, using her milk flow as her guide.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as needed until she sees several milk ejections and it’s time to stop pumping.

By using CustomControl to follow their flow, many mothers can shorten the time between milk ejections to get more milk more quickly. Better results begin with improved control.