A New Beginning

Breast Pumps and Hands-On Pumping

There are many types of breast pumps. What works best for one woman may not work for you in the same way. Northside Hospital sells and rents breast pumps through the Lactation Department. Our lactation consultants can teach you how to assemble and use the pump. It is important to find the right breast pump for you. Effective hand pumps or battery-operated single breast pumps can be useful for short, occasional absences from the baby. The automatic double electric pump is recommended for longer or regular separation of mother and baby, such as returning to work. Electric breast pumps mimic the suck quality and pattern of a breastfeeding baby and provide the added benefit of double pumping, which means pumping both breasts at the same time. Efficient breast stimulation creates optimal milk production and milk removal, all of which are accomplished in a 15-minute pumping session. This is particularly useful for working mothers.

PRE-OWNED BREAST PUMPS For safety, non-hospital grade breast pumps should never be shared, resold, or lent among mothers. Some pumps have an internal diaphragm that cannot be removed, replaced, or fully sterilized. So, the risk of cross-contamination can’t be totally dismissed if you use a previously owned pump, and optimum performance can’t be guaranteed. According to the Food and Drug Administration, if a breast pump is labeled a single user or single patient device, it cannot legally be resold. Therefore, the Northside Hospital Lactation Center is not authorized to provide parts for multi-use of a single user breast pump.

FREQUENCY OF EXPRESSING To begin collection and storage of breast milk for a future feeding, make sure that breastfeeding is well established, which typically occurs around 3 weeks. Breastfeed your baby as usual and follow with a 5- to 10-minute pumping session no more than 1 to 2 times a day, preferably in the morning. If you have just breastfed your baby, you should not expect to pump enough breast milk for a full feeding. Most women need several pumping sessions, which may occur over several days, to obtain enough breast milk for a full feeding.

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A New Beginning