Impact of breast pumping on lactogenesis stage II after cesarean delivery:A randomized clinical trial

Objective. Women at risk for delayed onset of lactation are often advised t o pump their breasts before lactogenesis stage II to hasten the timing of t his process. The effectiveness of this clinical practice has not been previ ously evaluated. This study investigates the effects of breast pumping befo re the onset of lactation on early milk transfer and subsequent breastfeedi ng duration among women giving birth by cesarean delivery. Methodology. Sixty women were randomly assigned to either the pumping group (n = 30), which used a double electric breast pump for six 10- to 15-minut e sessions from 24 to 72 hours postpartum, or to the control group (n = 30) , which held the pump to their breasts without suction for the same amount of time. Milk transfer was assessed by test weighing infants before and aft er 3 breastfeeding sessions daily. Test weight data were fitted to a second -order polynomial curve, to predict milk transfer over time. Results. Breast pumping between 24 and 72 hours after cesarean delivery did not improve milk transfer. Participants in the pumping group tended to hav e lower milk transfer than did controls. Primiparae in the pumping group br eastfed for similar to5 months less than their counterparts in the control group; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions. Breast pumping did not improve milk transfer during the first 72 hours postpartum and may negatively affect breastfeeding duration among primiparous women.