How to choose a breast pump…

The first thing we need to know when choosing a breast pump is “why do we need one?”

If you are still pregnant and it’s another thing to tick off your list of things to buy, may I suggest you hold off until we know “why”?  So what’s the difference???

  • Hospital Grade Electric Pumps:

If you know you’ll be heading back to work, have a risk or previous history of low supply, and want to be able to offer expressed milk in a bottle regularly or have an unwell or premie babe then a rented hospital-grade electric breast pump is probably the right choice for you.  A hospital-grade electric pump is gold standard with regular expressing and is regularly used to help establish a breast milk supply in the early days of life where there is reduced stimulation at the breast such as greater than 8% weight loss, a sleepy or mucousy babe that won’t latch, damaged nipples, a baby in the NICU or SCN, or a history of a low supply.

These pumps can mimic the early breastfeeding with a stimulation cycle followed by longer drawing suction.  They can interchange between 60-120 cycles per minute and create a suction of 50-150 mm Hg.  These settings enable multiple let-downs during a pumping session increasing the amount of milk you can collect.  These pumps are regularly found on maternity wards and retail for $2000+.  They are fairly readily available to rent if needed.

  • Personal Use Pumps:

A personal use pump is great to maintain or boost a supply, or to express to ensure some breast milk storage is achieved.  Brands such as Medela pump in-style Advance, Medela Freestyle, and the Spectra S2 or S1 fit into this category.  They are much more affordable and more compact- some are even advertised for on the go, however, are best used plugged into electricity to ensure the best suction is achieved.   These pumps retail for $300-$600.

  • Battery Operated/ Small Semi-Electric Pumps:

Tend to have inadequate suction and slower cycles but can be used for occasional pumping- if you have one available to use give it a try and see how it works for you.  Brands include Medela Swing and Baily Medical- First Years Expressions.

  • Manually Operated Pumps

The suction and cycles per minute are dependent on the operator but again these pumps can be beneficial for occasional pumping, they are portable and affordable with many available on the market.

The latest craze for breastfeeding mums is a Letdown Pump or cup.  These are comfortable all-silicon canisters that gently suction onto the breast and collect any letdowns while feeding on the other side, all hands-free.  The cups are great as they are not as bulky and you could use them throughout the day even when not feeding.  The larger canisters with a flange to suction onto the breast can help stimulate and then collect a let down increasing the amount of breast milk you can then store.  These will stimulate more supply so be wary of using too often if an oversupply is an issue.  The Haakaa Gen 1 and 2 silicon breast pump is one of the first designs and quite popular, with the Medela Mumasil very similar in shape and use.

Unless you know you’re wanting to regularly express breast milk I do suggest you hold off on purchasing anything too expensive, maybe get a silicon letdown cup and see how you go.

If you have any questions or want some guidance, don’t hesitate to contact us,

~ The Postnatal Midwife