03.12.2024

What is a breast pump

The fact that breastfeeding is priceless for a baby should not be doubted. Mother’s milk is the basis of the immunity and healthy development of the baby.

The mammary glands constantly produce milk and, so that there is no stagnation, its residues are strongly recommended to decant. In the old days, due to the lack of an alternative, women expressed milk manually. Today, breast pumps have appeared, thanks to which the pumping process has become much easier and faster. Therefore, the question of how to use a breast pump, young mothers ask in the hospital.

Manual or mechanical breast pumps are popular with young mothers. Among them, the following types can be distinguished: breast pump with pear, piston, vacuum, syringe. In order not to harm your health, it is important to know how to use the breast pump correctly.

What is a breast pump?

Breast pump is a special device that helps to express or empty the mammary glands. He can become an ideal assistant to a young mother, contributing to a longer maintenance of lactation and healthy breasts. Modern manufacturers offer a wide range of breast pumps.

All of them have the same principle of action: the nozzle is placed on the nipple, and the mechanical or electrical part of the device forms a vacuum in it, which contributes to the release of milk. Different types of breast pumps differ in technical and price characteristics.

Types of manual breast pumps, their pros and cons

Manual (aka mechanical) breast pump can be presented in several forms:

  1. Piston breast pump  – easy to handle, silent during operation. The kit includes a bottle for decantation and a silicone nozzle that simulates the process of breastfeeding. Piston devices allow you to adjust the power of pumping, which is most important for beginner young mothers. Cons – hands get tired quickly, fragile construction, more often subject to damage.
  2. The syringe breast pump  has two cylinders in its structure, which are located one in the other. The cylinder located inside should be placed on the nipple, the external cylinder performs forward and backward movements. The result is a vacuum that activates the release of milk from the breast. There are pressure regulators in the syringe pump with which you can select the desired pumping speed. Cons are the same as in the previous case.
  3. The pump breast pump is the  easiest to use compared to other mechanical devices. Its design is elementary – a nozzle on the chest, pump and bottle. Cons – you can’t sterilize parts, there is no mimicking suction nozzle – this can contribute to the formation of cracks and subsequent inflammation.
  4. The pear pump  is as easy to use as the pump pump. A nozzle on the chest in the form of a plastic horn and the presence of a rubber bulb are the whole device of this device. An existing valve allows you to control the pressure. How to use a pear breast pump? It is recommended to do this not often.
Basic rules for using a manual breast pump

If you learn how to use a manual breast pump correctly, using an electric model will seem an elementary occupation for a young mother. Therefore, it is better to start training with mechanical models.

So, before you start using an ordinary breast pump (for example, Kurnosiki), you need to carefully sterilize all its parts that need it. Detailed information can be found in the device manual. Then you need to wash your hands with soap, dry them and collect a breast pump for further work with it. If the pumping procedure is performed for the first time, you need to relax and stock up on time and patience, otherwise it will be difficult to understand how to use a manual or mechanical breast pump correctly.

What a young mother should know about using a manual breast pump:

  1. The breast nipple must be inserted into the middle of the flange so that it does not get pinched or rub the skin during pumping. Lock the mammary gland in the selected position.
  2. A manual breast pump equipped with a piston requires a few careful presses on it. Gradually, the desired rhythm and strength of optimal pressure on the chest will be determined. Having got used to new sensations, in the future it remains only to rhythmically drive the lever up and down.
  3. Breast pump with pear works on the same principle. The nipple is placed in the flange, the hand presses the pump several times. In the first minutes you need to press rhythmically and not at full strength, then as milk is produced, you can make great efforts.
  4. Initially, milk is excreted in the form of drops. Then, as the rhythm of exposure increases, a thin stream appears, after which it can pour with a real stream.
  5. Complete pumping should be after the breast becomes soft and decreases in volume, and milk ceases to stand out from the nipple. When working with a mechanical breast pump, it takes 15 minutes on average for one pumping procedure.

After decanting, you need to sterilize the device again, and then dry it thoroughly and leave it until the next time. The container with expressed milk must be carefully closed, write the date and time of pumping on it and put in the freezer.

Advantages and disadvantages of the most famous brands

Medela company produces various types of breast pumps – piston, pump, electric. Young mothers trust this brand. Medela milk pumps are compact and easy to assemble, easy to use. Various types of devices can operate on mains and on batteries. The Medela bottle is made from a safe material that does not emit toxins.

Many women, having learned how to use the Medela breast pump, appreciate the possibility of correcting the speed of pumping and a convenient stand for the bottle, with the help of which there is no need to keep it during the procedure. The disadvantages of Medela breast pumps are their increased noise in operation, insufficient speed in electronic and electric models, the price is about 5 thousand rubles.

At Avent, a piston breast pump is popular. Young mothers are attracted to this design and compactness. The structure of the device allows you not to lean specifically so that the milk is poured into the bottle. The presence of a soft massage nozzle provides a tighter fit to the mammary gland and massage stimulating lactation.

A minimum of parts makes this breast pump easy to assemble and disinfect. Having learned how to use the Avent breast pump correctly, many women are satisfied with its choice. But someone is sure that for such a high cost for a piston breast pump (in the region of 3 thousand rubles), you can purchase an electric model of another manufacturer that will work much faster.

What to consider when using a breast pump?

Since feeding a baby is a rather delicate and serious process, it is important to observe special sanitary standards and caution when using a breast pump.

So, before using the device for the first time, it must be disinfected in boiling water. After each use, the device should be washed with soap and dried thoroughly.

Immediately before the pumping procedure, the breast is washed with boiled water, and the hands are always washed with soap. Before expressing, a woman should be calm and relaxed, a warm compress or a cup of tea will help better secretion of the mammary glands.

The funnel of the breast pump should be fixed on the chest so that the nipple is located strictly in its center. In addition, it is important to regulate the pressure in the device so that it does not provoke the development of pain in a woman.

Each breast should be emptied in full. You can not pay more attention to one breast and forget about the other. Frequent change of position of the breast pump allows you to collect more breast milk and better influence its subsequent production.

How to achieve efficiency in decantation?

To increase the effectiveness of the breast pump, you need to use the following tricks:

  • the procedure for expressing breast milk with a breast pump should be carried out in the same environment and in a warm room, this will help to form a clearer reflex for the production of breast milk, as a result of which it will stand out easier and faster;
  • the sounds of the flowing fluid also improve secretion from the mammary glands: included tap water, showers, sounds of a waterfall, etc.;
  • it is recommended to massage tight and swollen breasts before expressing;
  • if there are cracks on the nipples, then it is advisable to lubricate them with vegetable oil;
  • if milk is excreted poorly, the device should be moved to another breast, then again return to the first;
  • Express milk with an interval of 3 hours;
  • sometimes the secret is allocated very weakly from the filled mammary glands, in this case the problem may be in the breast pump itself – you need to check it for proper functioning.
How to wash a breast pump?

The device must be washed after each use. For this, the breast pump is disassembled in accordance with the attached instructions. Parts of the product in direct contact with the skin of the mammary glands and milk must be washed in hot water with soap. After that, they are thoroughly rinsed with a large amount of running water and left to air dry without using towels.

The question of the need to purchase a breast pump for each woman is individual. But if this device is already available, it is important to properly care for it and learn how to use it. In this case, he will become a reliable assistant, and not a useless trinket.

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