How To Choose A Breast Pump?

Posted by basshopper on September 1st, 2019

Many expectant mothers want to buy a breast pump in preparation for breastfeeding. This accessory seems often essential, while many women will never need it.

What are the different types of breast pumps?

We can group them into 3 categories:

The manuals, which are actuated by a repetitive motion of the hand (for occasional extraction).

The electric "domestic", with an engine that does the job (for regular but not systematic extraction).

The "hospital grade" electric, bigger, more efficient. These are rented in pharmacy. Some breastfeeding self-help groups own and lend them to their clients (for daily and systematic extraction),get more information.

Each breast pump has different needs. That is why it is essential to check the client's needs in order to direct them to the right product.

Why use a breast pump?

There are several situations that can cause a woman to want, or have to use, a breast pump.

We see, at first, situations that concern the baby:

The baby does not go to the breast, the mother must draw her milk to be able to feed it;
The baby does not take his weight properly, it must be supplemented primarily with the milk of his mother.

Sometimes, these are situations that the mother is experiencing that require the use of a breast pump:

The mother must be absent for a more or less long period, the baby will have to be nourished otherwise than in the breast;

The mother has to stop breastfeeding temporarily (because of surgery or contraindicated medication);

The mother has a low milk production and wants to increase it.

Which breast pump to choose?

The basic principle to remember is that the more often the mother has to draw milk, the more she will need a high-performance breast pump. This will allow him to draw more milk in less time and to stimulate more adequately his milk production. A high-performance breast pump reproduces 40 to 60 suction cycles per minute.

Depending on the needs and situations, the mother may prefer one brand over another. It would be good for the pharmacist to find out which brand is used at the nearest hospital to sell the corresponding accessories, because moms often prefer to continue with the same brand and because the accessories are not compatible. one brand to another.

When to buy a breast pump?

It is not recommended to buy a prenatal breast pump. If it is urgent to have one at birth, it will rather be a "hospital grade" breast pump that will be needed. Otherwise, the mother may take her time later to choose the pump according to her needs, especially since this product can not be returned to the store.

It is good to know that for some women, manual removal will be more comfortable and more effective than using a breast pump.

No breast pump exactly reproduces the sucking of a baby. The quantity extracted is therefore, at no time, representative of the actual production of milk. It is important to emphasize this because many mothers rely on the amount of milk extracted to judge their production capacity, while sometimes they will be able to draw more milk manually than with a breast pump.

It is also not recommended to buy a used breast pump, due to possible contamination risks. Only "hospital grade" breast pumps are made to have multiple users.

Tips

Whether it is to increase the milk production or to draw regularly, the mother will have better results if she pulls both sides simultaneously. Having double tubing in a pharmacy is therefore very useful.

There are also free-standing breast pads. These headbands hold the breast pump in place on the breasts, allowing you to do something else at the same time.

Cleaning

It is recommended to clean all the parts in contact with the milk separately, after each use, with warm water and soapy water.