Maternal Satisfaction With Parallel Pumping Technique

摘要

Pumping is a necessary practice for many families and due to the time-intensive nature, optimal techniques are in high demand. The objective of this study was to assess the experiences and feelings of women who utilized the parallel pumping technique. Three phone interviews were conducted with all participants who met the inclusion criteria. Participants in this study favored the parallel pumping technique over the triple-feeding technique and felt it streamlined their feeding routine. Future studies should focus on identifying if the parallel pumping technique quantifiably increases production of mothers' milk. Breastfeeding is the optimal way to feed infants and results in health and economic benefits for both families and society at large, including reductions in child and maternal deaths (Victora et al, 2016). The World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months is for "optimal growth, development and health ... protection from common childhood illnesses [and] longer-term health benefits for the mother and child, such as reducing the risk of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence" (WHO, 2018). There is, however, a disconnect between the WHO recommendation to breastfeed for at least 6 months, and the actual number of people still breastfeeding at 6 months, which is approximately 57.6% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Many people are faced with difficulties that lead to early cessation of breastfeeding, such as perceived or actual insufficient milk supply and latch problems (Lewallen et al., 2006). Odom et al. (2013) found that "approximately 60 percent of mothers who stopped breastfeeding did so earlier than desired." Li, Fein, Chen, and Grummer-Strawn (2008) identified that fears around adequate supply were steadily the top concern of all 1,323 respondents to their questionnaire.