Early Breast Milk Pumping Intentions Among Postpartum Women.
Milk expression has become common, but little is known about women's intentions and motivations for pumping. Our objectives were to measure, among newly postpartum women, intentions related to breast milk feeding and pumping, reasons for intending to pump, and timing of pumping initiation.



We conducted a cross-sectional study at a large university hospital in 2015 using a convenience sample of 100 women before their discharge following delivery, who intended to feed their infant breast milk for at least 6 months.



All participants planned to feed their baby at the breast. Ninety-eight percent said that they would use a breast pump to express milk for their baby, with most of this subset (69%) intending to start within weeks of delivery. Over a quarter of participants (29%) had already initiated pumping or intended to initiate within the subsequent few days. Primiparae were more likely to report having already started pumping at the time of the interview. For all women, the most common reason for pumping was to keep up their milk supply. Women who started pumping while in the hospital also noted that they pumped to increase their milk supply and overcome latch difficulties.



The common intention to use a breast pump so early after delivery indicates a need for increased lactation support to reduce concerns about having an insufficient milk supply immediately following delivery. Additionally, clinicians who help facilitate breastfeeding should be aware of how early women intend to use a breast pump.
1 Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio.
Yiska
Y
Loewenberg Weisband
1 Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio.|2 Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital , Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
Sarah A
SA
Keim
3 The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio.
Lisa M
LM
Keder
4 Cincinnati Children's Center for Breastfeeding Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center , Cincinnati, Ohio.
Sheela R
SR
Geraghty
1 Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University , Columbus, Ohio.
Maria F
MF
Gallo
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D061186:Breast Milk Expression / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D037001:Directive Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D033182:Intention; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
breast pump; breastfeeding; intentions; milk expression; postpartum