"My Pumping Pathway”: Standardizing a Personalized Approach to Pumping for Practice and Research

The first two postpartum weeks represent a critical window for achievement of secretory activation and the transition to autocrine/paracrine control of lactation. In otherwise healthy dyads the breastfeeding infant adapts sucking patterns to accommodate these lactation phases and in turn provides essential stimulation for milk synthesis. For NICU mothers the pump substitutes for the infant with respect to mammary gland stimulation and milk removal. This presentation introduces a novel evidence-based 2-part instrument - My Pumping Pathway - which links pumping behaviours to those used by the human infant during the first 1-2 postpartum weeks.