So you’re considering using a breast pump? Your pregnancy is progressing well, and you want to prepare for breastfeeding before your baby’s arrival. Or perhaps you’ve recently given birth and are wondering if purchasing a breast pump is worthwhile. It’s a good question, and navigating this decision can be challenging.
Breastfeeding your baby is wonderful! You treasure those precious moments, but there are times you could do with a good tool to help you extract your milk and feel more comfortable. A mom may wake up engorged at night while the baby is sleeping or she may enjoy an evening out, come home and need to express milk. She may wish to keep some in reserve or to express regularly to build up her supply so she’ll have more to express afterwards. Some new mothers nurse twins, some give birth prematurely, others return to work soon after delivery or go back to class, occasionally a dad may give his baby a bottle… There are many reasons why parents consider purchasing a breast pump. Every new mom has her own personal needs that a breast pump must meet. The pump must suit the mother.
I’ve seen moms hand‑express, easily extracting enough milk for their baby. But usually, a breast pump makes it much easier and far less time consuming to express milk. Customers can choose from so many types and models of pumps on the market that finding the most suitable one isn’t easy. There are models for personal use like manual breast pumps, battery‑driven breast pumps, and single or double electric breast pumps. There also are professional‑grade pumps for rental. Of course, with a rental pump, a mother has to use her own personal tubing since breast milk is a biological fluid just like blood or saliva and can become contaminated as well.
First identify your needs: why do you want to express your milk? Then someone can help guide your purchase.
There are a number of types of breast pumps:
- Manual;
- Single electric;
- Double electric;
- Professional‑grade electric (rental breast pump).
Each category has its advantages and limitations.
Base your choice on the goals you set and the number of bottles you plan to give in a week. A breast pump must suit the woman using it. The breast shield should fit a new mom’s nipple, gently adhering to her breast to maintain maximum seal for better suction.
Manual Breast Pumps
Is your baby breastfed full time and you want to give them three bottles or less per week? Have you noticed that they have a good sucking capacity and your milk production is excellent? In these circumstances, a good manual breast pump will be perfect to meet your needs.
When you pump your milk, you have to do it at the right time. In fact, when a baby feeds from one breast, often the other will flow into the bra compress at the same time. Why not collect this milk? You can use the one-handed manual breast pump, a silicone recipient, a shield or buy a product in a specialised store designed for this purpose.
You can also pump the milk if the baby sleeps more extended periods at night. You wake up, and they are sleeping! They wake up after six or seven hours, and your breasts are engorged. Why not pump your milk before breastfeeding to disgorge? The baby will still get enough milk!
If the baby gets enough milk from one breast and doesn’t really feed on the second, why not pump a bit each time? It easy to build up milk reserves this way.
If the baby regularly breastfeeds and your milk production is satisfactory, but there is nothing left to pump after, you have to increase breast stimulation so that the production is higher than the baby’s needs. As you know, your breasts produce on demand, and the higher the demand, the higher the supply. To do this, you can pump your milk three times a day, 90 minutes after your baby breastfeeds. At the start, you won’t get much. You have to keep repeating the message to the brain to increase production. Over time, after a couple of days, the few drops will change into ounces of milk for storage. With this breast pump, the baby is responsible for maintaining milk production and needs to be breastfed full-time to make this possible.
The benefits of a manual breast pump:
The mother controls the suction power, so in principle, she should set her own pace based on her sensitivity. This model is also compact and easy to transport, clean and is practical for pumping several ounces when on outings away from home.
Maintenance
Whatever the type of breast pump, you always have to disinfect the parts before using it for the first time.
Because the breast pump is in direct contact with only breast milk, you should expect the presence of antibodies (white blood cells) contained in the milk to prevent bacterial infections. However, you need to clean the device daily. After each use:
- Rinse the parts with cold water to eliminate milk residues
- Then wash with soapy water
- Then rinse with the hottest tap water
- Cover and dry on the counter
Manufacturers often suggest disinfecting the breast pump once a day or several times a week using a microwaveable bag or in a steriliser. Don’t use the dishwasher because it can damage the rubber or silicone parts over time. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for optimal use.
Electric Breast Pumps
If you want to increase or maintain your production and are having difficulty, don’t want to use a manual breast pump, want extraction to be easier (and fastier: takes half of the time), or give bottles regularly (more than 3-4 per week) or if you want to stock your milk to give over time , choose an electric breast pump.
Single Electric Breast Pump (one breast at a time)
This can be an option if you want to pump milk or give bottles occasionally. The power of this kind of breast pump does not allow you to maintain and significantly increase milk production over the medium and long term. When it comes to stimulating the brain to produce more milk, we know that pulling both breasts at the same time gives more results than pulling one breast after another. Therefore, when a baby is not able to suckle and start production initially, the new mother may be suggested to use a double electric breast pump to start lactation. It’s the baby who will be responsible for maintaining their mother’s milk production.
The benefits of a single electric breast pump:
This kind of pump is compact and easy to use. Its power and frequency are controlled by the mother, so it is faster and less tiring than a manual breast pump.
Double Electric Breast Pump (either: one breast or both breasts at the same time)
It is designed to maintain or increase the mother’s milk production. The extraction time is shorter, between 10-15 minutes (max 20 minutes). Given its traction strength, the mother can expect to pump more milk than with a single electric breast pump. The breast stimulation obtained can, in a way, imitate the baby’s sucking.
Among its characteristics, we can note:
- Technologies that allow you to have control over the setting of the sucking and relaxation rhythm that more closely mimics a baby’s breastfeeding,
- movements in detached phases, like stimulation and expression afterwards,
- micro-vibrations technology to further stimulate the milk cavity,
- and have a nipple shield that is adapted to the morphology of the breast of the woman who is expressing her milk in order to maximize the effectiveness of the breast pump.
The benefits of double electric breast pumps:
A double electric breast pump also allows you to extract milk from the deeper part of the mother’s breast, which increases the breast draining quality with a higher energy content for the baby. It also helps maintain production at the same time. However, make sure the suction is not too strong and too long, because this can damage the mother’s nipples.
It is also convenient. For example, if a mother gives birth to twins, she doesn’t have a lot of time, and we want the best stimulation possible to help follow her babies’ pace. The double breast pump cuts the time needed for stimulation and extraction in half (it should never be more than 20-30 minutes).
A premature baby who has difficulty sucking will not stimulate their mother in the same way as a term baby, whose suction will be stronger. In this instance, the double electric breast pump can substitute or complement the baby’s sucking for a time, and it will also stimulate more milk production for her baby.
Some mothers don’t want to have a baby latched to their breast but want to give them their milk. In this instance, a double breast pump is necessary, because the baby will not stimulate and maintain production.
Some double electric breast pumps are more compact, portable, easier to use, lighter and more powerful than others. The latest models also allow you to recharge lithium batteries (like a cellphone), store programs, function hands-free and have digital screens. Everything for technologically advanced parents!
Maintenance:
You have to follow the manufacturer’s instructions since each model is different.
Professional Grade Electric Breast Pumps (Rentals)
When a mother needs to start her milk production, or she needs more stimulation than that offered by store-bought breast pumps, she can rent a professional grade double electric breast pump. This breast pump is used in hospitals to start the lactation process in case of premature births or when the baby is not able to breastfeed at all. These breast pumps are costly to buy, and that is why they are rented or loaned from maternity wards. Some parents can get a loaned pump from community organisations or will have to rent them for the required about of time to promote milk production.
The information provided covers the different types of breast pumps and addresses questions that may arise when choosing the right model.
Be careful, because a poor quality breast pump labelled “electric” may not necessarily pump better than good quality manual breast pumps. If you pump your milk and nothing happens, make sure you have the right tool. Often, it’s not your production that is the problem, but rather the breast pump you are using doesn’t work. Don’t forget that a poor quality breast pump can also injure the mother and compromise her breastfeeding rather than help it.
Used Breast Pumps
Health Canada considers breast pumps as a medical device for personal use. They are not designed to be shared between mothers. Only professional grade breast pumps are designed in this way, as long as the mother has her own tubing. Breast milk is a body fluid that can be contaminated, just like blood or vaginal fluids can. For these reasons, it is recommended to not share your breast pump.
To learn more in video form, please watch Choosing your Breast Pump (French only).
Marie Fortier
The Baby Expert
Updated article on January 3th, 2022.
