Double Pumping
There are times when expressing breastmilk really matters - if you have a premature or sick baby, your baby is still learning how to latch, you need to boost milk production or you are exclusively expressing milk for your baby - then you need to make the most of what you’ve got. And double pumping is the best way to go.
A hospital-grade electric breast pump with two milk collection kits allows you to maximise your output by collecting milk from both breasts at the same time. When your let-down kicks in, both breasts respond and milk start to flow and with double pumping, you can collect that milk more quickly. And, as research has shown, collect more milk over-all, compared to pumping one breast at a time.
Some mothers modify a bra to hold the pump in place, allowing them to be hands-free. Others buy purposed-designed bras to do the same job. Going hands-free allows you to combine double pumping with breast compressions, in a technique known as “hands-on pumping”, which will further increase the volume of milk you can collect.
But what can you do if you don’t have access to a double breast pump?
Creative people have worked out ways to apply the benefits of double pumping in situations where it isn’t an option. You can pump or collect milk from the second breast while direct feeding or use two single pumps at the same time. Some mothers hand-express one breast while the baby feeds from the other or catch the dripping milk in a cup or storage bag while their baby feeds.
Probably the most popular option is to apply a type of milk collector which uses direct suction to catch milk from the “resting” breast while feeding or pumping the “active” breast. (The original brand is Hakka). Indeed, this can be so effective some mothers end up with an oversupply if it is used too early or too often in the early weeks! Caution should be taken to only do this occasionally unless you are working to stimulate a low supply. Speak to your IBCLC or breastfeeding counsellor if you are considering this technique.
