How to Pick the Right Breast Pump for You

For mother who plans to work soon, it is actually devastating to choose a breast pump after her baby is born, or who must pump for medical reasons (for a baby who is premature or hospitalized). There are many different pumps are available in the market. Choosing the right pump can be intimidating. There will be a lot of questions you are questioning yourself. This article will give you some tips on how to pick the right breast pump for you.

In fact, all breast pumps work on the same principle to get milk from the breast into a container. The differences are the power source behind the suction, how much suction the pump produces, how the suction-and-release cycle is controlled, and how many suction-and-release cycles the pump is able to produce each minute.

Picking a Breast Pump Tips

There are two types of breast pumps, the manual and electric. Manual breast pumps are using hands as its suction-and-release controller. While the electric breast pump, the suction-and-release cycle is controlled by the pump, the suction level and the speed can even be adjusted. So, which one is the right one for you? Here are the tips.

There are some considerations you need to think of before buying breast pump:

1. Decide how often you’ll need to pump. Will you be away from your baby for 2 hours each day, or will you be working a 6- or 8-hour shift?

If you just need to pump occasionally, it is better to use a manual pump. It is not recommended for mothers who must pump frequently because they are harder to use. Or consider a small motorized pump as it is not expensive and is portable. If you will be away from your baby for a long time, buy a full-size automatic electric pump. This pump is more expensive, but it is very effective. It allows you to “double pump” and your milk supply will finely maintain. If there is no refrigerator available to store your milk in, better to purchase a pump with insulated cooler bags and “blue ice” packs.

2.  It is important to know whether you need to pump as quickly as possible or not.

Usually it takes about 10 to 15 minutes for a typical pumping session a breast. If you will pump at work or in other time-crunched situations, it is better to use the electric breast pump. Electronic breast pumps let you to pump both breasts at once. These kinds of pumps help to stimulate milk production while reducing pumping time by half.

3.  Determine your budget. How much money will you spend on the pump? The prices of the breast pumps are various.
You can buy breast pumps from most drugstores and medical supply stores and baby stores, and also many discount department stores. The prices between the manual and electric are different in quite wide range. For less than $50 you might get the manual pumps, while the electric pumps might cost up to $250 or more. Don’t borrow or buy a second hand breast pump because there is a small risk of contamination.

Breastfeeding and Pumping Schedule
Breastfeeding and Pumping Schedule

You might think you don’t need a breast pump for a long time because you choose to feed your baby expressed milk rather than breast-feed your baby, then you can consider of renting a hospital-grade electric breast pump. You can rent it from a hospital or medical supply store. If you are renting a pump, you will need to buy the equipment that attaches your breast to the pump.

Based on your budget, there are three categories of breast pumps you can consider of choosing it. Consumer-grade electric breast pumps, these are costing between $200 and $300, these are the pumps you usually see at baby stores. They usually come in discreet black carrying cases and feature everything you need to start pumping, including flanges (to put over your nipple), tubes, and storage bags and a few bottles.

Smaller electric or battery-powered breast pumps, these smaller pumps use electricity or battery power as its power source. It costs less than $50. They are fine for occasionally breast pumping, but not for everyday use. Manual breast pumps, it costs about $30. These manual breast pumps work as good as the electric pumps. You need to use your hand to pump it. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on electric pumps, then the high quality manual breast pumps are enough for you.

These are the tips of how to pick the right breast pump for you, but in the end you are the decision maker. Make sure to think from many different sides before you start to buy the breast pump for you.

References:

  • Tips on Picking the Right Breast Pump for You. askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding/while-working/tips-picking-right-breast-pump-you
  • How to Choose a Breast Pump. ehow.com/how_4248_choose-breast-pump.html
  • Breast Pumps for Nursing Moms. webmd.com/parenting/baby/breastfeeding-9/breast-pump
  • Breast-feeding: Choosing a breast pump. mayoclinic.com/health/breast-feeding/PR00002
  • Images: nursingangel.com.au

Article publié pour la première fois le 28/11/2014