Choosing a breast pump: what do you need to know?

Modern life has extra demands that didn’t exist in the past. While most women didn’t need to pump their breastmilk 20 or 30 years ago, today’s mothers assume expressing will be part of their breastfeeding experience. There are many reasons you might need or want to express your breastmilk:

• Establishing and maintaining your milk supply - if a baby is still learning to effectively remove milk from the breast, expressing can be important in both feeding the baby and protecting your milk supply. This might mean hand expressing for a day or two or regularly pumping for several weeks while issues like tongue tie are resolved.

• Resting painful nipples while they heal - while typical nipple soreness in the early days is not a barrier to breastfeeding, extensive cracking or infection can become unbearable. Expressing breastmilk can allow the skin to heal more quickly. This is usually a short-term situation for 24 hours or so.

• Planned separation of mother and baby - when mothers do not have access to leave from paid work or study and they do not have onsite childcare available, expressing breastmilk will be necessary to protect the milk supply, provide breastmilk for the baby and reduce risks of mastitis.

• Unexpected separation of mother and baby - although rare, many parents worry about being caught in traffic, appointments running late etc and not getting back to their breastfed baby in time for a feed. Spare milk in the freezer reassures them.

• Occasional separation of mother and baby - time out at the hairdresser, regular gym or yoga class, sports or a special event: breastfeeding doesn’t have to mean you can’t take a break.

• Exclusive expressed breastmilk feeding - through circumstances or choice, some babies are fed expressed breastmilk on an ongoing basis, exclusively or alongside donor breastmilk and/or infant formula.

• Shared care - some families value infant care, including feeding, being shared equally between parents or supported by extended family. Expressed breastmilk can be part of that plan.

Like direct feeding at the breast, expressing by hand or using a breast pump is a learned skill. It is normal to feel overwhelmed at the start and find the process of collecting and storing your milk an extra demand on your time. If your baby isn’t needing expressed breastmilk in the early days, delaying the addition of pumping into your routine is a good idea. There is plenty of time in the weeks and months ahead to build a supply in your freezer if needed.

Types of breast pumps

The most gentle and effective way to express your breastmilk is hand expressing. For short-term, occasional or unexpected situations it is the most simple solution.

Manual or hand-pumps are the least expensive option. Designed for occasional use these single-user products work on one breast at a time.

Personal use powered pumps use batteries and/or mains power and can give the option of single or double pumping, depending on the product. These compact units are great if you are out and about in the car, need to carry your pump on public transport or pop in your backpack to take to school or university. Some of these products are designed to be used hands-free while you are mobile.

Hospital-grade electric breast pumps are the optimal product when you are pumping for a sick or premature baby, to establish or boost your milk supply due to ineffective breastfeeding, spend long periods away from your baby or are exclusively pumping due to medical or other reasons.

Suction-type milk collectors should not be confused with a breast pump. While they can be effective in collecting milk they do not actively stimulate milk production in the same way as a pump or hand expressing, so shouldn’t be relied on for increasing milk supply.

What NOT to buy!

While some countries consider breast pumps medical devices and regulate accordingly, others have no standards in place. With online shopping a very popular option, buyers need to do a risk assessment before making a purchase. Poor quality, cheaply manufactured products can be promoted alongside high-quality, food safe brands.

There are styles of breast pump which are not only ineffective but can lead to damaged nipples. due to their design. Out-dated technology can lead to poor output and cause unecessary concern about milk supply.

Avoid these rubber-bulb suction pumps, which belong in a museum yet still appear for sale at “too good to be true” prices

Buying v hiring

Hospital-grade breast pumps are not generally available to buy. They are designed to be used by multiple people over many years. Smaller personal use pumps are not generally intended for that kind of use and are considered single user products. These are the kind of pumps you will see advertised online and instore. Organisations like the Australian Breastfeeding Association, professionals like midwives and IBCLC lactation consultants and some hospitals and pharmacies hire and sell breast pumps and are the most reliable sources of quality products. They will be able to advise on the best options for your situation.

Buying second-hand.

When you hire a breast pump, you purchase your own milk-collection kit. These are the parts of the pump which come into contact with your breast and breastmilk. These are single-user equipment and should come to you brand new, sealed in packaging.

Using a breast pump or milk collection kit previously used by another person has a small risk of cross infection. Some viruses can be transmitted through breastmilk and potentially survive on surfaces despite domestic disinfection processes. Even in hospital settings, mothers should be given their own disposable milk-collection kit designed to be used for a few days before discarding.

The possible risk of using a breast pump purchased second-hand or handed down from a friend or family member is extremely low and there is no evidence of actual, proven risk available. No infant feeding method is risk free and the risks of infant formula are much higher in comparison. Each family need to weigh up their own situation including financial barriers to purchasing new.

You can read more about using a second-hand breast pump What should I know about buying a new or used breastpump? Kellymom.com