Breast pump: The working, nursing moms' lifesaver

Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei

Juggling work and family is hard. Yet, it is even harder when a mother has a newborn baby to take care of.

In this fast-paced world, motherhood has become a huge challenge for many mothers.

It is not an easy job being a mom because the buck always stops at you – since you are the nutrition provider to the baby.

We get to hear hundreds of stories where women lose their flourishing careers to motherhood.

The quintessential concern of a newbie mother is breastfeeding her child. First few months are easy - she is on maternity leave, and the in-laws are present to support her and the child.

However, the real challenge lies when the job resumes and the mother faces the looming question of how to feed her child while being at work.

Few mothers take a pro-longed sabbatical to rear their child. But it is not always easy to rejoin work post a long break since the industry is growing at a fast pace and is ever changing. Hence, most women lose confidence and believe they cannot stand their ground in the competitive market.

What is the alternative then?

Dr Preeti Gangan (MBBS, DCH, IBCLC), Cheers Child Care, Mumbai, tells us how mothers can breastfeed their babies using a breast pump while being away from home.

All the doctors and medical associations agree that breast milk is the ideal form of nutrition for babies (especially during the first 6 months) and a mother should ensure the baby is not deprived of this.

Most working mothers rely on breast pumps these days to feed their babies and the practice of breast pumping milk is continuing to grow.

Mothers returning to work after their milk supplies are established will need a pump that withdraws milk as effectively as possible, but is also portable and convenient. Ours being a consumer-driven market, the needs and requirements of a mother are well heard and met.

Today such solutions are available which are customized to suit every mother’s requirement and necessity. Electric or manual; single or double pump - a mother has galore choices while opting for the right device.

Breast pumps are manufactured to mimic the nursing habits of babies and fit in just right when properly attached. They can be adjusted as per required speed and suction levels to suit the needs of the mother.

The medical technology has advanced to an extent where babies' natural feeding behaviour has been replicated in a feeding bottle to allow the mother to switch from bottle to breast feeding without any hassle to the baby or herself.

Such medical solutions are creating waves in the market for their novel uses and empowering women to be more self-reliant and resourceful when it comes to the need of their babies.