The Good Start Guide to Breastfeeding

For those of you going back to work, hospital-grade pumps are available for rent, or you can buy a pump such as Medela's "Pump In Style" that looks like a briefcase and runs quietly and efficiently. There are also fairly inexpensive hand pumps available on the market. The Avent Isis is one that I particularly like. It's easy to use, inexpensive and quiet, and a good choice for women who don't need to pump every day. Pumps you may have been given upon discharge from the hospital are usually uncomfortable, difficult to use and generally not a good choice. Which makes sense when you consider that these pumps are often given out by formula companies who have a vested interest in seeing that nursing mothers give formula, not pumped breast milk, to their babies.

Education, perseverance, and trust in yourself and the beauty of using your body for what it was intended for, will help ensure that you get off to a good breastfeeding start. Good luck, and enjoy your baby!