How to choose the right breast pump

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The choice of choosing the right breast pump depends very much on your needs as a breastfeeding mother. The amount of milk you need to pump every day, your baby’s feeding habits and your personal schedule. Thus, one of the things you should look for when choosing the best breast pump is the power source that is handling the suction, how much suction will it develop, details about the suction and release cycle and how many of these cycles it can produce per minute. We will talk about the performance each type of breast pump can provide.

The details can make a difference

The hand pump is entirely controlled by you, so you will have complete power over regulating the suction. You either squeeze a pump, move a cylinder, and some even allow control by foot. The only inconvenient is that when you need to pump milk every day, for several times during the day, the process can be tiring and time-consuming. So breast pumps are not that efficient when you want to breastfeed exclusively and during extended periods.

For electric pumps, the suction gets better because it is activated by a motor. The majority of the models will allow you to control the power of the suction, making the milk pumping process more comfortable for you. But by far, the best electric pumps are the ones that develop the most suction and release cycles per minute. You might be tempted to think that a slow rate of suction and release cycles will be gentler on your breasts, but you are wrong. The cycling rates that are slower are rather hard on your nipples, because it keeps them in the suction position longer than necessary, producing a discomfort if frequently used. The upper-quality breast pumps will be able to develop 60 complete cycles every minute, which is great for your comfort and time.

Deciding on the quality of the pump

We all are tempted to believe that a higher quality pump will help up extract a bigger quantity of milk. The truth is that in some cases, regardless if you use an expensive pump or a cheap pump, the mother might get the same amount of milk per pumping session. Why? Sometimes it depends on the anatomic features and the ability of the body to produce milk. The only difference would be for the time, as a high-quality pump will shorten the pumping time considerably. Although, don’t get scared about this aspect, because a large number of women will obtain higher milk quantities if they use quality pumps. Therefore, it is good to get a reliable pump, first for your comfort and time, and then for the amount of the milk as an additional benefit.

Mostly, what you need to do with a breast pump should be the deciding factor when it comes to quality. If you just want to pump occasionally, for small quantities of milk or just to store the milk in the fridge, you don’t need a top notch pump. If you want to enhance or maintain the quantity of your breast milk for a newborn that has not yet been taught feeding at the breast or cannot nurse yet very efficiently, then a quality pump will help you do that. With a low-quality pump, you may risk of not getting the best milk supply you need.

For a working mother that wishes to breastfeed her baby, even if she is away during the day, a quality pump will make a difference. They pump fast and efficient, shortening the time of the process, and allowing her to resume her activities. If the pumping process is comfortable and practical at the same time, it will help to provide the strength to deal with both being a mother and going back to work. So it may be a good investment. Or do you plan on having a second baby? Or more? Then acquiring a top quality pump is also good in these cases. You will be able to enjoy pumping milk for each child.

Also, you should think about the places you will want to use the pump. If you need to carry the pump around, choose a lighter and smaller model, which operates on batteries. Although, the inconvenient about batteries is that they get used up pretty quickly. A plug adapter for the pump would be great because some bathrooms have outlets. Or if you can enjoy some privacy in your working office, you can pump even there. So it depends very much on your lifestyle.

Other aspects to consider

Besides the quality, you should also be careful of other elements when choosing your breast pump. Cleaning the most important parts of the pump is essential for hygiene and keeping your baby safe. The components that come in contact with your milk or breasts should have the possibility of being dismantled and washed with hot water and soap. Also, these parts must be sterilized as well, for the maximum protection of your child. Either by boiling them, washing them in the dishwasher at a temperature of 140 degrees or just using a sterilizer – they must end up being germs free.

Borrowing or using a used pump can be tempting, due to low prices, but the risk you and your baby are exposing to are too big. Severe viruses like hepatitis and HIV can be transmitted through breast pump parts. In this case your health and your baby’s well-being are more important than a few dollars.

About the author:

This guest post provided by Shaffizan from Blog About Her, http://blogabouther.com/ to support women who need solutions for breastfeeding, breast pumps and baby health.

Photo: flic.kr/p/5i9S9p