Pump and dump lactation method is when a mother chooses to pump the breast milk and dump it in the sink instead of letting the baby drink from the breast. It is usually done through a breast pump to squeeze the milk from the breast. It may seem wasteful of precious milk but some mothers consider this beneficial in some specific situations.
For example, if the mother has ingested some food or drinks that she may consider unsafe for the baby, she will express and dump her breastmilk if she feels that the ingested food or drink may enter into the breastmilk and cause harm to the baby. For example, any medications, alcohol, etc.
In This Article
- How Does Pump and Dump Lactation Work?
- Why Pump and Dump?
- When Should You Consider Pump and Dump Lactation Method?
- Benefits of Pump and Dump Lactation Method
- Drawbacks of Pump and Dump Method
- FAQ’s
How Does Pump and Dump Lactation Work?
Before going into the pump and dump method in detail it is important to know the process of lactation and how it works.
The method was developed with the thought that it will be helpful for both mothers and babies. Because, breastfeeding parents may consume some substances that may not be beneficial for a baby and also sometimes mothers’ breasts get heavy due to excess milk. Thus, the pump and dump method helps to get rid of the pain that mothers go through due to excess milk supply. It also helps the babies not consume harmful substances in the milk.
Pump and dump lactation takes place by the frequent stimulation of the nipple and breast by the breastfeeding baby or by pumping the breast milk. The stimulation tells the body to produce more milk as the milk is removed from the breasts. It also saves from stopping milk production. With this method, you don’t have to take a break from breastfeeding. The break from breastfeeding may slow down the body and stop producing milk.
[Read : Oversupply Of Breast-milk – Hyperlactation]
Why Pump and Dump?
Mothers can choose to pump and dump because of many reasons. The reasons are discussed below:
- You might be away from the baby for a long time and need to get rid of the milk to make yourself comfortable.
- Some mothers can produce larger amounts of milk than their babies can eat. So, it is better to express that unwanted milk otherwise the breasts can get engorged which may lead to mastitis or breast infection.
- If you take alcohol during your lactation days then you should pump that milk and dump it. Otherwise, there is a chance that the baby might take in that milk. Just like how alcohol affects the blood, breast milk also gets affected by alcohol. So, it is better to wait for at least two hours so that there is no alcohol in the milk.
- Take the doctor’s advice on whether you should breastfeed or not if you are under any medication. The doctor may recommend you to pump and dump during the period or let you breastfeed depending upon the type of medicine you are taking.
[Read : Is It Safe To Drink Alcohol During Breastfeeding?]
When Should You Consider Pump and Dump Lactation Method?
Here are some situations under which you can consider pumping and dumping.
1. Vacationing Without Your Baby
Are you planning to go on that much-needed weekend vacation with your spouse? Since you are not feeding your baby at this time, chances are that you may experience pain, heaviness, and fullness in your breasts. Pump and dump is ideal in such situations and protects you from unnecessary inconveniences.
2. Post Your Night Out
A mother needs her me-time once in a way, this is an important part of self-care. A night out with girlfriends can be a great stress buster in these hectic times for you. After a night of partying and a couple of drinks, pump and dump will be of great help if you are worried that your breast milk may contain traces of alcohol.
3. Traveling For Work
If you are working, you may at some point be faced with a situation when you will need to travel for a meeting. While your family takes care of your baby, you can take care of preventing heaviness in your breasts due to overproduction of milk by pumping and dumping in frequent intervals.
Benefits of Pump and Dump Lactation Method
Pumping and dumping have a lot of benefits. Some of these are discussed below:
- The biggest advantage of pumping and dumping is that it allows you to get relief from conditions such as engorged breasts and breast discomfort when you are not able to breastfeed your baby.
- If you produce more milk than your baby can have, then pumping and dumping can be of great help.
- Your breast may feel pain if you are away from your baby for a long time. In that case, pumping and dumping your milk is good.
- If you want to take alcohol during breastfeeding, you can choose to pump and dump. You may wait for a few hours after consuming alcohol to feed your baby. In the mean time, you can pump and dump the milk to ensure that the milk your baby is drinking doesn’t have traces of alcohol in it.
- If you are under some medication, then your doctor may recommend you pump and dump and you can once again start breastfeeding your baby once the medicines are over.
[Read : Breast Engorgement]
Drawbacks of Pump and Dump Method
Some of the drawbacks of the pump and dump method are discussed as under:
- You may not feel comfortable pumping and dumping as many other mothers find it difficult or unpleasant to do so.
- Some mothers naturally have difficulty producing sufficient milk. In that case, if you pump and dump, it can result in a cut down of the total milk supply and your baby has to starve unless you supplement their diet with formula milk.
Both breastfeeding and pumping milk is good for babies as you are providing breast milk to your babies. But pumping and dumping lactation method is also essential in certain circumstances like pain in the breast due to long hours not feeding the baby, when under medications or under the influence of drugs etc. The pumping and dumping method has both good and bad sides to it.
Whether to pump and dump is absolutely your choice. If your baby is not hungry and your breast feels heavy, you can choose to pump and dump. But if you are not comfortable with the method you can choose not to try this method. It is solely up to you.
FAQ’s
1. Do You Have to Pump and Dump Before Feeding?
Pumping and dumping are recommended only if you have harmful substances in your milk like alcohol, drugs, or caffeine which may harm the child. You can also pump and dump if your breast gets painful because of too much milk that your baby can take in. If you are not sure of the content of milk you can choose to pump and dump.
2. How Many Times Do I Need to Pump and Dump Before Drinking?
Ideally, you can choose to drink right after breastfeeding your baby. So, you will get some hours before the next session of breastfeeding takes place. You don’t have to pump and dump your milk as there will be a lot of time for the alcohol to metabolize naturally. Unless there is an issue of engorgement or milk supply you don’t have to pump and dump. But just keep up with the timing and have drinks some hours before you feed the baby. Also, you should drink moderately. Excessive drinking can disturb the sleep pattern of the baby and affect its early development.
3. Does Alcohol Stay in Pumped Milk?
No, the alcohol does not stay in the pumped milk. After the alcohol consumption pumping and dumping the milk will not reduce the alcohol level. It will be there in your milk as long as it is in the bloodstream. As the alcohol in the blood level decreases, the alcohol in the breast milk also comes down.
Read Also: Food to Eat and Avoid During Breastfeeding
