What Breast Pump To Buy?
A breast pump or pump is a breastfeeding product that you will most likely use at some point during this period. Breast pumps can be electric or manual and their function, as the name suggests, is to extract breast milk from the breast so that it can be stored and offered to the baby at any other time.
Pumping takes practice. At first you may see little amount of milk, but little by little you will see that the extractions have greater volume.
It is important to emphasize that the milk that is expressed with a pump does not indicate the amount of milk that is produced. No pump will be similar to a baby’s suction.
So, below we explain the differences between manual and electric breast pumps. Take note of everything!
Manual breast pumps
Manual breast pumps are the simplest and cheapest. They work through the action of your hand with the lever, which will be in charge of pumping over the chest.
They are especially recommended for specific extractions, since they are somewhat slower than electric ones and it can also be tiring to be pumping manually every day, at different times of the day. You can find countless brands of manual breast pumps, but they all tend to have very similar characteristics.
Simple extraction electric breast pumps
They are more expensive than manual pumps, but are more comfortable to use. These pumps contain a motor that, either by current or by batteries, is the part that performs the suction force to extract the milk, so you just have to put it on the breast without the need to be pumping it by hand.
The extractions are usually faster and more effective, since they also allow to regulate the speed and intensity of the suction.
They are recommended when they are going to be used continuously and fairly frequently or for the convenience of not having to be pumping by hand and for the greater speed and efficiency compared to a manual one.
Medela is the brand that has most perfected the extraction of milk with its electric breast pump, although in the market you can find other very good alternatives such as the Avent brand, from Philips.
There are also some recent cordless electric breast pumps, such as those from Elvie Pump, which are a very new idea in the world of breast pumps. They have an ergonomic design, small, light and silent to place between the breast and the bra, free of cables, to be able to express milk without being noticed anywhere or at any time.
The novelty of this type of breast pump is that they are wireless, therefore, you should take into account if, in your case, you are going to extract yourself at any place or time so that it is worth paying for a breast pump of this type, since its price it is quite high and the operation is the same as other electric breast pump.
Double pump electric breast pump
They are the most expensive that can be found in the market for their effectiveness and for their optimal results. The operation is the same as a simple electric extraction, but with the peculiarity of being able to stimulate both breasts at the same time, so that the extraction time is shorter and with fast and super effective results.
The fact that they are more effective and time is saved at the moment of the extraction does not mean that it is the one that every mother needs. They are especially recommended in cases in which the extractions must be very frequent and periodic. For example, when you need to pump for preterm delivery or for multiple breastfeeding.
Therefore, you will have to take stock of whether a breast pump of this type compensates you financially for the use that you are going to give it, since they are usually quite expensive.
Manual extraction
Manual expression is known as the technique of expressing milk from the breast manually, without any type of breast pump. The extraction is carried out by placing the hand under the chest in such a way that the thumb is above the chest and the index and heart, below, in the shape of a C.
You have to place your fingers about 3 centimeters away from the nipple and push towards the chest wall. The fingers are then compressed towards the nipple without sliding across the skin.
It may be a bit complicated at first, but it is a matter of time and practice to get it done. When you learn this technique, it is usually truly effective. In fact, many mothers report that once they have learned this technique, they even prefer it to a breast pump. The biggest advantage is that it is free and you do not have to wash any utensil before or after each extraction.
What must be taken into account when buying a breast pump?
When buying a breast pump, you should also stop to look at the size of the funnel (the part that fits to the breast) that each one needs. Not all nipples are the same size, and using the wrong size (either large or small) can make it difficult to remove as well as injure the nipple.
For this reason, it is important to make sure that the breast pump you buy has the option to change the funnels, since not all have this possibility and come with a standard funnel without the alternative of changing the size.
In short, we hope that this article has been of interest to you and of help to discover which is the breast pump that best suits you and your needs.
