let’s address the elephant in the room, okay? is there actually a difference between milk that has been pumped via a breast pump vs your baby latching and nursing directly on breast? YES THERE IS!
but what is that difference? omggg this is the fun part — let’s get into it 😍
(IF YA WANT THE DOWN + DIRTY ASAP, SKIP TO THE TLDR; THE BOTTOM LINE SECTION)
BIOLOGICAL CHANGES
“does my breast milk change as my baby gets older, even if i’m not latching?”
let’s think about the biological changes that happen with breast milk — even in the first few weeks! COLOSTRUM is dense, thick, clear or yellow colored milk with very little water content, and is PACKED with nutrients for very little tummies! this starts being created in the breast starting around 16 weeks of pregnancy, and is fully ready to express and feed to baby immediately after birth.
there is a really beautiful transition that happens when your placenta is birthed — this is the difference between pregnancy hormones dominating the show, to now lactation hormones comin’ in HOT!!! our next type of breast milk is TRANSITION MILK — this is going to be a lighter yellow colored milk that has more water infused into it, which means slowly more and more milk volume. you may find that this type of milk lasts for up to a week!
and finally we are at MATURE MILK — the white or cream colored milk that we see when our lactation hormones are fully in the drivers seat. this is when you’ll probably feel that first feeling of engorgement, because this is when the full capacity of your breast milk (and water volume) is at play!!!
i talk a LOT more about these lactation biological changes and rhythms inside my basics to successful pumping course — the roadmap to pumping with confidence + ease! AKA knowing what the helly you’re doing when you connect your pump, no more pressing buttons and just praying to the boobie gods. i would love to have you inside (grab 10% off the course HERE)
this transition of breast milk happens when you are latching your baby AND if you’re only pumping. it doesn’t matter!!! this is proof that your body goes through automatic and biological changes without a massive intervention (or something that you intentionally do or don’t do) on your side!
PUMPING PARTS HYGIENE
yes, there are slight differences between milk expressed by your baby straight at the breast vs pumped milk!
the biggest concern here is the safety with your pump equipment. one of the largest differences found with pumped milk is the amount of bacteria or contamination (unfortunately) — and this happens from incorrect cleaning routines with our pumping parts. clearly, this is so so important to establish a good routine and be sure to wash your pumping parts the CORRECT WAY!
1. USE A TUB OR A BASIN
your pump parts should be washed in a tub or basin, and this should be the only thing this tub is used for!!! i know it makes sense to wash out your sink and fill it up to wash your bottle and pump parts — but this is an immediate no.
pump parts washed in the sink have been found to harbor bad bacteria from all sorts of things in the kitchen — one of the most heartbreaking things is in 2023 a baby died from incorrect washing and caring for breast pump parts. while this is one single story, and it is very very rare — one massive contributor to this was washing pump parts in the family kitchen sink. i know it feels convenient to have one more thing to remember — but this is still very dangerous for young babies, and especially those who have immature + still developing immune systems.
i LOVE a basin that can collapse, travel with you, and wash easily itself!!! a few of my fav options:
2. SOAKING IS NOT WASHING
girl, i mean this with all the love in the world!!! you’ve gotta wash and scrub your pumping parts. this means warm/hot water, dish soap that can support stubborn breast milk fat residue, using a scrubber (omg no other word is coming to mind right now, helloooo ADHD) that is only dedicated to washing bottle parts and pumping parts!
soaking your parts might seem like it’s cleaning everything fine, but i’m telling you, it’s not the same. soaking even in hot, soapy water, isn’t gonna remove the fat residue, or keep your pumping parts functioning as optimally as possible. just like a car that needs an oil change on a routine basis, your pump and it’s parts need to be kept up in order to pull milk effectively!!!
3. STERILIZING + WASHING MACHINES
do you need to sterilize your pump and bottle parts after every use? or even every day?
this really depends on your comfort, your story, and especially where your baby is at. for most families and mother/baby dyads, sterilizing after every single use isn’t necessary. sterilizing on a more regular basis (some parents like to do this nightly, or a few times a week). if your baby was born premature, is less than 12 weeks old, has a compromised immune system, or this is something that feels best for you — sterilizing may be in your best interest to add into your routine!!!
a quick reminder because i’ve seen far too many videos while scrolling instagram of parents using microwave sterilizing bags for their Eufy style flanges — with a warmer/metal piece. these cannot go in the microwave, it will mess up and cause your flanges to become irreversably damaged!!!
instead, if you have these very special flanges and pumping parts that aren’t as simple + straightforward as plastic — opt for boiling your pumping parts in a pot over the stove! at the most 5 minutes on a rolling boil, stirring to prevent any parts from sticking to the bottom of the pot + melting or becoming misshapen. check out Eufy’s website for more details on how to safely sterilize these types of pumping parts.
my job is to make pumping as accessible for you as possible. the more it can fit into your lifestyle, the more seamless this can be, and the LONGER your breastfeeding + pumping journey can be!!! here’s a few of my fav tools for helping you clean + sterilize your pumping parts for a HAPPY + HEALTHY journey:
TLDR; THE BOTTOM LINE
is it this much of a concern at the slight difference between pumped and latched expressed milk to NOT feed breast milk at all? aka do the risks outweigh the benefits? in my lactation counselor brain, NOT AT ALL.
with my first son Revan, he had a very hard birth (like i labored at home for our planned home birth for almost 6 goddamn days), a 7 day NICU stay, poor kid couldn’t even think about taking in any breast milk for nutrition until about 4 days old 😭 not to dump on you, but birth trauma ran my brain and my life for a lot of oldest son’s first months.
i am still SO PROUD that i was able to exclusively pump for our boy for 21 months, up until my pregnancy with with my second son naturally weaned me.
this is so “lactation counselor” of me, so bear with me — but the milk that YOUR body creates for your individual kiddo is dynamic. it is constantly changing, like literally from hour to hour, more fat content, adjusting what microbiota + immune support. our breast milk is ALIVE, and giving your baby nourishment for their first days + months earthside. you could never tell me (unless under extreme circumstances) that your milk is never enough for your baby.
so while there are minute changes between your breast milk expressed via pump and your milk baby may nurse directly at the breast — this is not reason enough to completely STOP feeding breast milk completely and opt for formula.
and omg pleaseeee hear me — formula is an incredible tool if you make the ultimate decision to cease pumping or nursing for whatever reason. that decision is yours alone!!! BUT we cannot ignore the fact that your own breast milk impacts your baby biologically in a powerful way.
we find that quite literally ANY volume of breast milk can support your baby. you hand expressed a few drops? or “only” pumped an ounce? your baby nursed for 7 minutes contently? OMG we loooove all of this!!!
my professional opinion? feed breast milk in whatever is within your capacity. i know if you’re a low supply producer, this can be so so hard to weigh: like what is the work vs the benefit. and only YOU can make that decision.
related blog posts that i think you’ll seriously love —
what have you heard about pumped breast milk vs directly nursing from breast breast milk?
xoxo, Bethany | Certified Lactation Counselor | The Oversupply Mama
