Premature babies may have trouble sucking breast milk directly from the breast or not getting enough nutrition only with direct breastfeeding. For this reason, usually extracted milk is used and, in some cases, to ensure adequate feeding, special supplements are indicated. However, a study published by the Journal of Perinatology has shown how you can get breast milk with higher fat content with manual extraction combined with the electric extractor.
Very young babies may not have the strength to reach the end of the teat, when the milk is more dense and caloric. And this can be fundamental for its optimal development.
The interest of this study is that it offers a method to increase the caloric value of the extracted milk by the mothers of premature babies.
With the electric extractor production can be significantly improved, however, in this study they have found that if the mothers, in addition to the sessions with breast pumps, do manual extraction, they manage, in addition to increasing the global production, to extract that dense milk and more viscose that flows very slowly.
The work has measured the composition of the milk extracted with the electric breast pump and that achieved by mothers who combined this method with manual extraction, obtaining as a result that the latter could offer a more caloric milk, possibly by the manual milking of the end of the tetada, more effective and less annoying with the hands.
Getting nutrient-rich and more caloric breast milk It is essential for the development of premature babies.
Breast milk fat is more easily digestible and the baby would get more fat-soluble vitamins, in addition to being richer in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are essential for brain development. In addition, avoiding cow's milk proteins is a protective factor against allergies and intestinal problems.
For that reason, being able to feed premature babies with human milk thanks to the combined extraction method must be highly valued. Manual milk extraction helps premature babies to have optimal and natural nutrition.
