- By Patricia Le Caroff -
When I was pregnant I had not yet decided whether I was going to breastfeed her or not. I thought: I'll decide, as soon as I have her in my arms.
That being said, my pregnancy did not go as planned. It was at only 29 weeks that I had to make this decision and given the circumstances (premature birth and high risk of death), I offered my daughter my breast milk to help increase her chances of survival.Â
There I was in Ste-Justine, in my hospital room, after the cesarean section. To the right of my bed is the big turquoise machine we call a breast pump. The breast pump you find in a hospital has little to do with those you can buy in a store. They are impressive industrial machines. I was lucky to be accompanied by compassionate and patient nurses during my first time and fortunately, I got results quickly and was able to feed my son with my breast milk.
Once I returned home, I had to continue pumping milk. The hospital offered to lend me the equipment while I had time to purchase what I needed (renting is also an option if you don't want to buy). I started buying breast pumps. Wow! Look at all those options!
There are manual, electric, single and double breast pumps. It was already overwhelming me at that point, but then came the accessories. One step at a time!
In this case, since I had to pump constantly and not just once in a while, I opted for a double electric model: I wasn't kidding. When You are pumping milk every three hours for months on end, you have to be efficient.Â
Electric pumps are more efficient than manual pumps; they often offer much more power than those activated by your hand. It is also possible to adjust the force and the speed of the pumping. This option might seem unimportant, but it is not. The baby drinks from a breast at their rhythm: first to pull the milk, then activate the flow, and then to drink it. Electric pumps offer more natural adjustments, comparable to how babies drink.
That said, electric pumps tend to be larger and more expensive than manual pumps. It is very easy to slip a manual breast pump into your diaper bag or purse during nighttime outings with the girls, which is not the case with manual breast pumps. While traveling, I opted for a small manual pump to manage a couple of times when I wasn’t with my son. It was also very easy to carry in our baggage when we were in transit. I was, however, pretty happy to only use it in the case of an emergency; I wouldn’t have wanted to do this every time my son wanted to drink.Â
It’s also possible to choose between a single or double electric pump. Once again, for efficiency’s sake, I opted for the double. I’m not the type of person who likes to stay in one place for very long. Having to spend 20 minutes attached to a pump was already more than enough, I wasn’t going to spend 40 minutes in place to do one session after the other. That said if you’re already nursing your child on one breast, a single pump could conveniently decongest the other breast at the same time, promoting healthy lactation.Â
The most important thing here is to make sure you have the right size cup. That’s right, breasts are not all the same! Some have smaller nipples, others have larger or longer ones. To avoid hurting yourself and to pump the most milk possible, your pump’s cup size must be adjusted to the shape of your breast. Most come with a variety of cup sizes that fit most women. However, it could be that you’ll have to reduce or increase the size of your cups. You’ll have no trouble finding these accessories in-store.
The most popular breast pump brands are Medela, Avent, and Ameda. I highly recommend opting for a well-known brand, it will be much easier to find accessories this way.Â
Some sets are nearly complete and transport easily, such as the Medela Pump in Style Double, which comes with a tote bag (this is what I had). What’s more, this model also comes with extra bottles and a small cooler.Â
Avent offers a similar kit, which even includes ready-to-use baby bottles (Look Philips Avent Electric Double product). It’s also possible to buy bags to save your milk. When you pump your breasts as frequently as I did with my daughter, it makes sense to save some of your milk in the refrigerator for later use. The bags allow you to maximize space in your refrigerator.Â
Finally, if you simply don’t know if you’ll need a breast pump or not, opt for a single manual pump that can take care of the job efficiently: Medela Breast Pump.Â
My last word of advice: don’t stress out too much about this whole business of whether you should nurse or not. You are the best mother for your child and you’ll know how to make the right decisions for them. Don’t let anyone make you doubt your capacity to take care of your baby.Â
Â
