Which is the best breast pump, and how do you choose the right one?

The breast pump, or milk extractor, is undoubtedly one of the main tools during the breastfeeding stage. Breast milk has many benefits for your baby, whether you breastfeed or use a breast pump and offer the milk in your Happymami bottle.

There are countless reasons that can lead you to use one, and on the market you can find all types and all prices. That is why our midwives have prepared the following post for you: so that you know everything about breast pumps and we can help you make the best decision and use yours in the most suitable way.

What does a breast pump do?

A breast pump is a device that can extract breast milk from your breasts, because if for any reason you need to express your milk, you have the option of extracting your breast milk, storing it and offering it to your baby when needed. What is more, in cases of low breast milk production, the pumping or suction performed by the breast pump will also help your breast to produce more breast milk.

Remember that, in order to prevent the teat-nipple confusion factor in the newborn and to protect your breastfeeding, using a generic bottle makes 1 out of every 2 breastfeeding journeys fail, so our recommendation is to use your custom-made Happymami bottle, and to prevent this confusion in your baby.

When is it advisable to use a breast pump?

A breast pump allows you to extract breast milk from your body for later use, as well as to stimulate your body to carry on producing or to increase your supply, so the reasons that may lead you to use a breast pump would be:

• To send a signal to your breasts to produce breast milk if you cannot breastfeed after birth (for example, if your baby is ill or separated from you)
• To tell your breasts to produce more breast milk if your production is low (for example, by expressing breast milk after or between feeds)
• To maintain your breast milk supply when you are away from your baby (for example, when returning to work)
• To provide breast milk if you decide to feed your baby with your Happymami bottle instead of feeding directly at the breast, or so that your partner (or another support person) can feed the baby.

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Which is the best breast pump?

There are different types of breast pump and it is advisable to choose the right one depending on the reason why you will need the breast pump and how often you are going to use it, as well as the cost, so here is what you can find:

Hospital-grade electric breast pumps

Hospital-grade electric breast pumps are, as their name suggests, the ones we find in hospital. These breast pumps are recommended for people who need to establish and maintain their breast milk production over long periods of time, for example if your baby is born premature or has an illness that requires admission and cannot be breastfed directly.

This type of hospital-grade breast pump is more efficient and achieves the best results when it comes to maintaining a breast milk supply suited to the complete nutritional needs of your baby.

They also allow you to express from both sides at once (expressing milk from both breasts at the same time) as well as a single expression from just one breast. The time it takes to empty both breasts can vary, but it is usually between 10 and 15 minutes after the "let-down" of breast milk.

By "let-down" of breast milk we mean the time it can take from when you start to stimulate your breast with the breast pump until the breast milk comes out into the container. This "let-down" happens because the breast milk has to travel from the mammary glands through the milk ducts.

The "let-down" of breast milk is usually triggered when the baby sucks at the breast and stimulates the release of a hormone called oxytocin in the mother's brain. This causes the cells of the breast to release the breast milk. Some mums experience the "let-down" of milk at other times, for example simply by thinking about their baby or hearing them cry. There are even mums who use the breast pump exclusively to stimulate their breast, and simply hearing the breast pump can trigger this "let-down" of breast milk.

The "let-down" of breast milk usually happens in the first or second minute after breastfeeding or expressing milk. Some people feel heaviness or tingling in their breasts during the let-down, while others do not feel it at all.

These hospital-grade breast milk extractors can be used safely by more than one mum in a hospital, and they can also be hired for home use.

Personal electric breast pumps

Personal electric breast pumps are smaller than hospital breast pumps, but they can also collect breast milk quickly. Some models also include a carry case. They are a good option for people who are breastfeeding and occasionally need to express breast milk, for example during working hours.

These personal electric breast pumps are designed for a mum to use up to several times a day. They are intended mainly for mums who breastfeed directly or who need to express milk from time to time, such as when returning to work or going on a trip.

Most models allow you to express breast milk from one or both breasts at the same time, with an average lifespan of around one to two years, depending on how much you use it.

It is worth pointing out that there are high-quality personal extractors that are self-contained, offering a hands-free option that can be very useful. Unlike hospital-grade models, these breast pumps are intended to be used by a single mum, so sharing or reselling a personal breast pump is not recommended.

Manual breast pumps

These are breast pumps that you operate by hand. They work perfectly well, but they collect breast milk more slowly than electric breast pumps, and you have to keep pumping manually. This option can be very appealing for mums who only need to express breast milk on very specific, occasional times. They are not recommended, however, if you need to maintain your milk supply while you work or for a premature baby. Bear in mind that expressing milk from both breasts with manual breast pumps can take an approximate time of between 20 and 30 minutes.

How do you use a breast pump?

We have to bear in mind that every breast pump has its own instructions. There are, however, some basic rules for all breast milk extractors:

Cleaning before using the breast pump

• You must wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before using the breast pump. If you are not near a sink, you can use hand gel with at least 60% alcohol. There is no need to wash your breasts or your nipples.
• Clean the buttons of the breast pump and the nearby surfaces.
• Make sure that all the parts of the breast pump and the containers for storing the expressed milk are clean. Washing them with hot soapy water is enough. There is no need to sterilise the breast pump or the bottles when you express milk for a healthy baby.
• Do not leave the parts of the breast pump soaking in water between uses; it is better to rinse them and let them dry. And do not clean the breast pump tubing, because it cannot dry easily. If you see moisture or milk in the tubing, contact the manufacturer to find the best solution, as you may need to buy new tubing.
• For a deeper clean that removes more germs, you can disinfect the parts of the breast pump (except the tubing) once a day with steam, boiling water or a dishwasher with a disinfection cycle.

Using the breast pump

• You can do it in whichever position is most comfortable for you; most mums prefer to sit down while they express milk.
• If you use an electric breast pump, adjust the suction strength of the breast pump to a comfortable level. Pumping should not hurt. On some breast pump models, the cycle speed (the number of suction cycles per minute) can be adjusted to suit your personal preferences; some people start with a fast cycle speed and then slow it down when the milk starts flowing steadily.
• Use a suitable size that fits your breast and nipple, so that you can choose the part that fits your nipple in such a way that it does not rub.
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• When suctioning, your nipples should not rub against the tunnels of the funnel. It may be necessary to buy larger funnels so that you can pump comfortably and help your breasts produce more breast milk.
• Make sure you buy parts for the breast pump that are from the same brand as the breast pump itself. Parts from different manufacturers should not be swapped.
• Some breast pump models offer a bra as an accessory that keeps the extractors in place; this will let you keep your hands free while you express milk. There are even hands-free models that fit inside your bra.
• Generally, after stimulating the breast with the breast pump, a short interval of time will pass before you see the breast milk flowing into the collector, which is known as the "let-down".

Some people have difficulty with the "let-down" of milk while expressing. When this happens, you only see drops of milk instead of streams of milk flowing from your nipples. Bear in mind that in the first few days you only have colostrum, which is a small amount and is enough to feed your baby. If this happens to you, you can try the following things to help encourage the "let-down" of breast milk:

• Massage your breast beforehand, before expressing milk.
• Place a warm, damp cloth on your breast before expressing the milk.
• Express the milk in a calm, dark room.
• You can look at photos of your baby while stimulating your breasts.
• Warm the breast pump teat with water or wrap it in a warm compress.

Conclusion: which is the best breast pump?

To maintain an abundant milk supply, the two most important factors are stimulating the breast and expressing milk from the breasts. A milk extractor is a device that allows you to extract (take out) the milk from the breasts when it is not possible to breastfeed. Choosing the right one will depend on each individual case, and there are many options available.

Bibliography

The Happymami project is based on scientific evidence. We are aware that science evolves every day, so if you have scientific evidence that is more up to date than ours, we would be delighted to receive it. We work every day to offer the very best and most up-to-date information to our mums.

1. Patient education: Pumping breast milk . Uptodate.com. . Available at: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/pumping-breast-milk-the-basics?search=extractor%20leche%20materna&source=search_result&selectedTitle=2~97&usage_type=default&display_rank=2