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A breast pump is a way of reconciling breastfeeding with bottle-feeding, by feeding your baby (or those of others!) with your own breast milk. To use a breast pump, you'll need a machine more commonly known as a breast pump 😉
In this article, we'll give you 4 tips to help you get the most out of your breast pump!
Why use a breast pump?
- For women who are uncomfortable with breastfeeding, a breast pump is an excellent way to feed your baby breast milk, via a container, without having to drink powdered milk or heads.
- Pumping milk also allows moms to free themselves upfor other daily tasks, to enjoy their hobbies, or to get back to work. Pumped milk can be stored in a fridge for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 4 months, providing milk reserves for the child in the event of the mother's absence.
- Last but not least, the breast pump also makes it possible to donate breastmilk to a Lactarium. The needs are currently very great; donation campaigns are regularly organized by the State and maternity hospitals.
To find out where to donate your milk, consult the map created by the Association des Lactariums de France.
1. Find an electric breast pump to make breast pumping sessions less tiring
The first step to a successful breast pump is to look for a machine powerful enough to reduce milk expression time.
Hand expression, or manual breast pump, is tricky to set up
- It's worth noting that you can also express your milk manually. This method is sometimes difficult to set up, and does not allow you to collect large quantities of milk in a short space of time.
- It requires a certain amount of practice, and not all women are able to express milk by hand, without the aid of a pump, simply by squeezing the breast with their fingers and performing an evacuation action from the inside out.
Renting a breast pump can be covered by a prescription
- The cost of rental may be covered by your health insurance, provided you have a prescription from your GP or paediatrician.
- It is possible to renew prescriptions as many times as needed! A good thing if you plan to breastfeed your baby and use a breast pump for a long time. 😉
- The machine can be rented from pharmacies.
Which electric breast pump to choose?
Several brands of breast pump are available on the market. Some breast pumps are single-expression, while others are double-expression. This means you can extract milk from one or both breasts at the same time!
The most powerful machines are equipped with a stimulation mode which precedes the expression mode.
- The simulation mode reproduces the sucking action of a baby. Your breast then receives the signal to produce milk in the same way as if you had recorded yourself breastfeeding your child. This pattern is therefore more natural.
- The expression mode is adjustable, allowing you to express your milk more or less quickly. The higher the extraction power, the longer and stronger the milk will gush out. Your nipples will be put under greater strain, which can be painful for some women. It's best to adjust your electric breast pump according to your sensitivity.
The Kitett brand offers both options. As its purchase price is rather high, the first step is to approach a retailer to rent it out. 🙋♀️
2. Invest in a portable manual breast pump
Electric breast pumps aren't the only thing you can use to make breast pumping easier. Manual breast pumps, like the one offered by Philips Avent, allow you to pump your milk manually without the need for a poweroutlet.
- Manual breast pumps are generally smaller in size, so they're easier to carry around. You can slip them into your handbag and take them out as soon as your milk comes in (or your baby calls for a drink).
- It's important to have a water source nearby so you can always clean your breast pump after use. Be sure to disassemble each component of your breast pump before washing the unit, to ensure that the next breast pumping session does not incorporate bacteria to your little one's health into the storage jar.
❔ Did you know that there are breastpumps breast pumps compatible with certain feeding bottles ? An adaptor ring holds the two objects together. This means that the milk collected falls straight to the bottom of the bottle, with no need for transfer! From a hygiene point of view, this is a real plus... The number of times the milk is handled is reduced.
3. Enforce your rights with your employer
To be successful with your breast pump, it's not enough to be well equipped! You also need to be able to use this equipment in all circumstances. Most French people spend 75% of their time at work ! This inevitably means pumping your milk away from home.
- Inform your employer of your wish to express milk at work before you return to work. Legislation requires employers to provide an extra hour's break per day for breastfeeding mothers.
- A room must also be provided where they can express their milk in complete privacy. The room must be secure and perfectly clean!
- It is possible to split this time. For example, you can pump twice a day for half an hour, enabling you to maintain effective lactation even when you're away from your baby.
Tip You can, of course, divide your time into 3 twenty-minute breaks, or four fifteen-minute breaks (especially if you have a time-saving double-expression machine).
Bear in mind, however, that your breast pump will need to be cleaned at the end of the pump, and that time flies...⏳ Always keep to the time defined by law to avoid getting into trouble, or negotiate with your employer for extra time if your reports allow it. 😊
The more regularly you express milk, the more efficient, regular and abundant your lactation will be!
4. Be kind to yourself during breast pumping sessions
In fact, expressing your milk should never be seen as a challenge 😉 It's important to be fully relaxed so that the milk comes out well and lactation is maintained for a long time. A large part of breastfeeding is also psychological.
If you're afraid of being in pain, you risk slowing down production. If, however, your milk seems less abundant on certain days, don't panic! You may pump 200 ml on Monday morning and 150 ml the next day...
On this subject, it's worth pointing out that milk production is often highest in the morning when you wake up and tends to decline as the day progresses. So it's not uncommon to find your milk supply halved by the end of the afternoon - but don't let this worry you too much.
Things to remember
Successful breast pumping requires good operating conditions! For this, the choice of equipment is fundamental. At Elhée, we don't sell breast pumps. But we are happy to support women in their mixed breastfeeding project, if they so wish!
→ If you've chosen to pump, but aren't yet sure which bottle you'll give your child, we suggest you take a look at our boutique. All our bottles are made from medical-grade silicone. 🍼
Note: Medical-grade silicone features healthy characteristics for babies. It also reproduces the texture of the mother's breast to optimize the experience of bottle-fed babies to the max!
