Breast Pump Advice

When mothers cannot be with their infants during feeding time, they can use a breast pump to gather breast milk for later use. The device can also help to alleviate the pressure that nursing women feel when their breasts are full as well as stimulate breast milk production, which can be beneficial if they have a premature baby. A number of mothers find the device to be convenient, but first-time users may have some problems when choosing and using their breast pump.

Types

There are a number of different types of breast pumps, including hand operated and electric models. There are also breast pumps that attach to one or both breasts. When choosing a breast pump, consider how often you will be using it. If you will only be using it occasionally, get a small hand pump. If you work long hours and expect to be away from your infant most of the day, get an electric pump. This type of pump is considered to be more effective because it more completely empties the breast of milk.

When purchasing a breast pump, consider how easy it is to assemble. You will want to be able to easily remove parts of the pump that come in contact with your breast and breast milk to clean them. To sterilize your breast pump, put it in hot dishwasher or boiling water for between 10 and 20 minutes. Also look at the suction, noise level and heaviness of the pump. It is important to have a breast pump that will not disturb others, that allows you to control its suction and that is lightweight enough so that you can carry it, especially if you are taking it with you outside of the home. Make sure that the suction cup is not too small for your breast because standard size suction cups will likely not fit over large breasts. If you have large nipples or nipples that engorge during breastfeeding, look at the size of the breast shield on breast pumps because many companies design shields for women with smaller nipples.

Use

Usually it takes between 10 and 15 minutes to pump milk out of each breast. Manual pumps can take up to 45 minutes to pump both breasts. A breast pump with two suction cups pumps both breasts at once. Use your pump about eight times a day, once every two to three hours. Breast pumps that have a cycle of 25 times per minute and a pressure of between 200 and 230 mm Hg have been found to be most effective. When using an electric pump, put your breast inside the cup and turn the machine on. When using a manual breast pump, you will use a squeezing or plunger mechanism to extract milk from your breast.

Make sure that your breast is positioned correctly within the suction cup and the suction and speed levels are not too high so your nipple does not get pinched. If your breast pump is only gathering a small amount of breast milk, you may need to adjust the suction or cycling pressure on your device. If your breast pump does not have a storage device, put the milk in a plastic or glass bottle and refrigerate it within 72 hours of collecting it to keep it fresh.