Guide to Choosing a Breast Pump
Some women who breastfeed may decide to buy a breast pump so that they can express their breast milk. This can be for a variety of reasons such as, they have trouble latching so want to express to ensure their baby is getting enough breast milk, or perhaps they are going back to work and need to express so that someone else can give the milk to the baby in a bottle during the day.
Different mums will have different needs and there are a variety of breast pumps on the market to meet these needs. Looking at all the options can be daunting and confusing so this guide will give you a quick overview of the different options available.
Manual Breast Pumps:
Manual pumps are generally the cheapest option for pumping and can be purchased from around £25 upwards.
With a manual pump you will receive a funnel or cup that you place over the nipple and you then manually pump the handle which creates a vacuum that mimics the sucking of a baby and stimulates milk flow.
The milk is collected in the attached container attached and this can then be stored or can be fed straight to your baby.
The pumping action can be tiring on your hand and can take a while (depending on milk flow) to collect the desired amount of milk.
Manual Pumps available from NCT Shop include the Medela Harmony Pump (£31.99).
Electric Breast Pumps:
Electric pumps are faster and easier to use then manual pumps. You set it up as you would with a manual, with the funnel/cup over the nipple and then turn it on. The milk is then automatically pumped and most allow for you to change the pace to mimic that of a newborns suck rate.
Most electric pumps on the market are mains operated but some will be battery powered which are great if you are pumping while away from home.
The differences between the pumps are quite vast and you can pick up a basic electric pump for around £60 up to the high range pumps which can cost up to £250.
Spectra 3 Electric Breast Pump (£45.00)
Medela Mini Electric Breast Pump (£69.00)
Calypso Electric Breast Pump (£99.00)
Medela Swing Electric Breast Pump (£129.00)
Double Pumping:
Some pumps come with the option to double pump. This means they will come with two funnels instead of one so that you can pump simultaneously from each breast.
Double pumping benefits mothers by saving time as you are pumping twice the amount of milk at one time but research has suggested that it also increases the amount of milk output from the mother.
There are pumps that come with this feature but many others that don’t may have upgrade sets available to purchase separately so you can turn them into a double pumping breast pump.
Lansinoh Affinity Double Electric Breastpump (£149.99)
Ameda Lactaline Dual Elhttps://nct-shop.myshopify.com/collections/breast-pumps/products/2006ectric Breastpump (£119.99)
Hospital Grade Pumps:
Hospital grade pumps can be hired from NCT Shop – these will be larger than your shop bought pump, usually a double pump and much more powerful.
Our NCT volunteer agents are trained to provide information on how to use the products and will ensure that you fully understand how to use it and will be on hand to advise and guide you.
For more information on breast pump hire please contact NCT Enquiries on 0300 3300 700, who will provide you with your local agent’s phone number.