There are a variety of reasons women choose to pump their breasts, including:

•	Mother and baby are separated at feeding times (such as when you return to work).
•	Baby has difficulty grasping the nipple due to engorgement. (Pump a little milk to soften your nipple and areola.)
•	Baby has trouble breastfeeding because of mother’s flat or inverted nipples. (Pumping for a few minutes will help draw them out.)
•	Baby is premature or too ill to breastfeed (both fairly rare occurrences).
•	Mother needs to increase her low milk supply.