dustinthewind1
New member
Do we need a breast pump? What do we need to know? What are the different types of breast pumps and what are they best for? I didn’t know. Now I think I do. Hope this is helpful to some of you.
A breast pump is a device that lactating women use to extract milk from their breasts.
No. Not everyone needs a breast pump. If breastfeeding is going to plan and you’re unlikely to be away from your baby, it may not be essential. But, there are reasons they could be helpful. Even if everything is going great.
If you are exclusively breastfeeding, you might not need a breast pump. Even if you need to remove additional breast milk, you can do that by hand expressing. There is a handy section on hand expressing in this NHS article. Picture milking a cow. But never call a lactating woman a cow. They don’t like it.
It is worth knowing that you may need a breast pump suddenly. Breastfeeding can be complicated. Circumstances can change in the blink of an eye and suddenly you need a pump. Hand expressing isn’t enough to relieve pressure for everyone. Just be prepared that you could need one at short notice, no matter how well things have been going.
MANUAL PUMP
Works by squeezing a lever to draw milk from the breast by suction. They are generally cheaper and quieter. But, they can be hard work.
SILICONE BREAST PUMP
Silicone breast pumps work by using suction to draw the milk out of your breast. They are designed to be used while you are breastfeeding. To use one, simply apply the pump while your baby is nursing on the other breast, and it will collect your breast milk.
This is a little hard to describe. So, here is a video explaining how they work.
SINGLE ELECTRIC BREAST PUMP
An electric pump that saves on manual effort. The single pump option requires you to pump each breast separately.
DOUBLE ELECTRIC BREAST PUMP
Just like the single electric breast pump, but there are two of them. So, you can pump both breasts at the same time.
HOSPITAL-GRADE ELECTRIC BREAST PUMP
Hospital-grade pumps and personal pumps differ because hospital-grade pumps are made for use by multiple users. Each user must have their own accessory kit for hygiene reasons. They are generally more powerful and durable.
WEARABLE BREAST PUMP
A wearable breast pump fits inside a nursing bra and can be used hands-free. Although they are expensive, they do seem convenient and pretty cool. Or, at least as cool and breast pumping gets.
IF THE BABY IS NOT ABLE TO BREASTFEED
By pumping, you can still give your baby breast milk if they aren’t latching on.
SORE BREASTS
Sometimes, if you can’t breastfeed for an extended period of time, your breast can become sore. A breast pump can relieve this feeling by expressing the built-up milk.
IF YOU'LL BE SEPARATED FROM YOUR BABY REGULARLY
When you can’t always be there, you may still need to produce milk for your baby to drink from a bottle. You may also be separated for a short time due to health issues (even minor ones) or the events of day-to-day life. You might need a pump simply to maintain your supply.
IF YOU HAVE FLAT OR INVERTED NIPPLES
A breast pump can stimulate your nipples. This can make them easier for your baby to latch on.
COST
Breastfeeding is free. So, if you’re going to buy a breast pump, it will surely cost more than your free boobs.
CLEANING
The parts will need to be thoroughly cleaned and sterilised.
HYGIENE CONCERNS
Unless cleaned properly and regularly, the tubes and parts can get dirty over time and grow mould.
OVERPRODUCTION
Too much unnecessary pumping can increase milk supply. This can cause soreness. Matching your supply to your babies needs is complicated by so many factors and pumping for the sake of just stocking up can be a real pain.
REDUCING MILK SUPPLY
I’ve seen some claims that exclusively pumping can reduce the supply of milk over time. But I’ve found very little official information about this.
NIPPLE PREFERENCE
Your baby could prefer your nipple or a bottle (or even certain types of bottle teats). This could be positive or negative depending on your circumstances and preferences. However, complications can arise from the baby getting used to a bottle teat if you plan to return to breastfeeding.
MALFUNCTIONING BREAST PUMPS
You may come to depend on that pump. So, if it breaks, it could create some problems.
Partners feeding their babies breastmilk can have a number of benefits. It can give mum a break. You can split the night feeds. But the partner can also get a chance to bond with the baby that they couldn’t otherwise.
If you and your partner know that routine is one of your priorities in parenting, a breast pump could help. Routines will always be interrupted with newborns and any plans may have to go out the window. Although establishing a routine through breastfeeding is very much achievable, flexibility could plug a few gaps. Because the ability to breastfeed or bottle feed gives a little more freedom, a developing routine could avoid a few extra interruptions.
Just remember that switching can cause your baby to be less interested in your breast. That’s can be a crushing blow if you’ve had a tough road to successful breastfeeding.
If it’s a hospital-grade pump, then yes. You can replace any parts that could be a hygiene concern. Beyond that, I think the answer is “it’s not worth it”. The FDA warn against used pumps and there will always be concerns of reliability and bacteria. You can sterilise the parts, but “it will probably be fine” doesn’t seem good enough for your baby.
What We’ve Decided
We are planning to breastfeed. But, because we want the flexibility we mentioned earlier, we are going to get a pump. We just might wait.
When we first heard about wearable pumps, we loved the idea. The Elvie seems to be the market leader. But after seeing the price and reading the reviews, we completely lost interest. It’s a cool idea. Maybe by the time we have our second child, someone will have made a wearable pump that is a viable option.
If we were planning to pump significantly more, we would be quite keen to get a hospital-grade pump. This option from Spectra looks great and ticks a lot of boxes for us. But we’d like to get something cheaper as a backup and see how we get on. It helps that we can have a new breast pump delivered the following day. So, we’re likely to pick up a simple solution like this Haakaa manual breast pump. If we need something more substantial on short notice. There are decent manual pumps available for same-day pickup from Argos for about £15.
What Is a Breast Pump?
A breast pump is a device that lactating women use to extract milk from their breasts.
Is a Breast Pump An Essential Purchase?
No. Not everyone needs a breast pump. If breastfeeding is going to plan and you’re unlikely to be away from your baby, it may not be essential. But, there are reasons they could be helpful. Even if everything is going great.
Do I Need a Breast Pump If I Am Only Planning To Breastfeed?
If you are exclusively breastfeeding, you might not need a breast pump. Even if you need to remove additional breast milk, you can do that by hand expressing. There is a handy section on hand expressing in this NHS article. Picture milking a cow. But never call a lactating woman a cow. They don’t like it.
It is worth knowing that you may need a breast pump suddenly. Breastfeeding can be complicated. Circumstances can change in the blink of an eye and suddenly you need a pump. Hand expressing isn’t enough to relieve pressure for everyone. Just be prepared that you could need one at short notice, no matter how well things have been going.
Types Of Breast Pump
MANUAL PUMP
Works by squeezing a lever to draw milk from the breast by suction. They are generally cheaper and quieter. But, they can be hard work.
SILICONE BREAST PUMP
Silicone breast pumps work by using suction to draw the milk out of your breast. They are designed to be used while you are breastfeeding. To use one, simply apply the pump while your baby is nursing on the other breast, and it will collect your breast milk.
This is a little hard to describe. So, here is a video explaining how they work.
SINGLE ELECTRIC BREAST PUMP
An electric pump that saves on manual effort. The single pump option requires you to pump each breast separately.
DOUBLE ELECTRIC BREAST PUMP
Just like the single electric breast pump, but there are two of them. So, you can pump both breasts at the same time.
HOSPITAL-GRADE ELECTRIC BREAST PUMP
Hospital-grade pumps and personal pumps differ because hospital-grade pumps are made for use by multiple users. Each user must have their own accessory kit for hygiene reasons. They are generally more powerful and durable.
WEARABLE BREAST PUMP
A wearable breast pump fits inside a nursing bra and can be used hands-free. Although they are expensive, they do seem convenient and pretty cool. Or, at least as cool and breast pumping gets.
When Might a Breast Pump Be Useful?
IF THE BABY IS NOT ABLE TO BREASTFEED
By pumping, you can still give your baby breast milk if they aren’t latching on.
SORE BREASTS
Sometimes, if you can’t breastfeed for an extended period of time, your breast can become sore. A breast pump can relieve this feeling by expressing the built-up milk.
IF YOU'LL BE SEPARATED FROM YOUR BABY REGULARLY
When you can’t always be there, you may still need to produce milk for your baby to drink from a bottle. You may also be separated for a short time due to health issues (even minor ones) or the events of day-to-day life. You might need a pump simply to maintain your supply.
IF YOU HAVE FLAT OR INVERTED NIPPLES
A breast pump can stimulate your nipples. This can make them easier for your baby to latch on.
Disadvantages To Using a Breast Pump
COST
Breastfeeding is free. So, if you’re going to buy a breast pump, it will surely cost more than your free boobs.
CLEANING
The parts will need to be thoroughly cleaned and sterilised.
HYGIENE CONCERNS
Unless cleaned properly and regularly, the tubes and parts can get dirty over time and grow mould.
OVERPRODUCTION
Too much unnecessary pumping can increase milk supply. This can cause soreness. Matching your supply to your babies needs is complicated by so many factors and pumping for the sake of just stocking up can be a real pain.
REDUCING MILK SUPPLY
I’ve seen some claims that exclusively pumping can reduce the supply of milk over time. But I’ve found very little official information about this.
NIPPLE PREFERENCE
Your baby could prefer your nipple or a bottle (or even certain types of bottle teats). This could be positive or negative depending on your circumstances and preferences. However, complications can arise from the baby getting used to a bottle teat if you plan to return to breastfeeding.
MALFUNCTIONING BREAST PUMPS
You may come to depend on that pump. So, if it breaks, it could create some problems.
Expressing So Your Partner Can Help With Feeds
Partners feeding their babies breastmilk can have a number of benefits. It can give mum a break. You can split the night feeds. But the partner can also get a chance to bond with the baby that they couldn’t otherwise.
Routine
If you and your partner know that routine is one of your priorities in parenting, a breast pump could help. Routines will always be interrupted with newborns and any plans may have to go out the window. Although establishing a routine through breastfeeding is very much achievable, flexibility could plug a few gaps. Because the ability to breastfeed or bottle feed gives a little more freedom, a developing routine could avoid a few extra interruptions.
Just remember that switching can cause your baby to be less interested in your breast. That’s can be a crushing blow if you’ve had a tough road to successful breastfeeding.
Is a Second-Hand Pump Okay?
If it’s a hospital-grade pump, then yes. You can replace any parts that could be a hygiene concern. Beyond that, I think the answer is “it’s not worth it”. The FDA warn against used pumps and there will always be concerns of reliability and bacteria. You can sterilise the parts, but “it will probably be fine” doesn’t seem good enough for your baby.
What We’ve Decided
We are planning to breastfeed. But, because we want the flexibility we mentioned earlier, we are going to get a pump. We just might wait.
When we first heard about wearable pumps, we loved the idea. The Elvie seems to be the market leader. But after seeing the price and reading the reviews, we completely lost interest. It’s a cool idea. Maybe by the time we have our second child, someone will have made a wearable pump that is a viable option.
If we were planning to pump significantly more, we would be quite keen to get a hospital-grade pump. This option from Spectra looks great and ticks a lot of boxes for us. But we’d like to get something cheaper as a backup and see how we get on. It helps that we can have a new breast pump delivered the following day. So, we’re likely to pick up a simple solution like this Haakaa manual breast pump. If we need something more substantial on short notice. There are decent manual pumps available for same-day pickup from Argos for about £15.
