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Milk production after preterm, late preterm and term delivery; effects of different breast pump suction patterns

Journal of Perinatology volume 36, pages 47–51 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two different breast pump suction patterns (BPSP) during the initiation of lactation in mothers of term, late preterm and preterm infants.

Methods:

Breast pump-dependent mothers (n=130) of term (n=19), late preterm (n=44) and preterm (n=67) infants were assigned to either a standard or irregular-BPSP after birth until the onset of secretory activation. Both groups used the same standard maintenance BPSP thereafter. Time to secretory activation, time to full milk production and daily milk output were compared between the standard and I-BPSP groups, and between the term, late preterm and preterm groups.

Results:

Mothers using the irregular-BPSP demonstrated significantly greater daily milk output and established secretory activation significantly earlier. This effect was observed in mothers of term, late preterm and preterm infants.

Conclusion:

The irregular-BPSP mimicking sucking of healthy newborns is more effective at achieving secretory activation and an earlier adequate milk supply than the standard-BPSP. The irregular-BPSP can be used successfully for mothers of preterm up to term infants who are breast pump dependent during the establishment of lactation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Medela for making the Preemie+TM cards available to our neonatal ward for this study, and Vanessa Sakalidis for her editorial assistance.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Disclosure

Authors declare not to have received any grants for this work Medela made the Preemie+TM cards available to the neonatal ward for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Department, St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands

    E D M Post & G Stam

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands

    E Tromp

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  1. E D M Post
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  2. G Stam
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E D M Post.

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Competing interests

This study was not funded. No honorarium, grant or other form of payment was given to anyone to produce the manuscript. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Post, E., Stam, G. & Tromp, E. Milk production after preterm, late preterm and term delivery; effects of different breast pump suction patterns. J Perinatol 36, 47–51 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2015.152

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