Types of Breast Pumps

The breast pump has come in handy to many moms around the world. For working moms who cannot be constantly present for her baby or for those quick trips to the store and the baby is left with a sitter, a breast pump serves to provide the baby the necessary breast milk whenever he or she needs it.

Importance of Breast Pumps

Lactating moms may have the uncomfortable feeling of fullness or tenderness. This is the time wherein there’s the need to relieve the breast of the overflowing milk to give comfort to the mother. To avoid wasting precious breast milk that the baby can have for his or her essential nutrients, a breast pump can be used to collect breast milk and stored for feeding the baby at a later time. Make sure you are following the proper ways to keep breast milk fresh and unspoiled for the baby’s feeding time.

Manual Pumps

The manual breast pumps are the most basic type used by many mothers. This is ideal if there’s always enough breast milk and no problem releasing milk through manual means. Otherwise, it would be exhausting to pump manually for longer periods of time with just a shortage of milk being released. A mother’s hand can feel strained after using manual pumps so there’s the option to use other types that are more convenient to use. The manual breast pumps, however, are cheaper and more portable.

Battery-operated Breast Pump

Supply of milk can be more or less, depending on the cycle speed of the brand of breast pump you are using. While this is portable like a manual pump and easy to use like an electric pump, some professionals do not recommend the use of battery-operated pumps. This is due to the possibility of the slowing down the cycle speed as the battery slowly runs out of power. The tendency in this case is the decrease in drop of milk supply. Frequent battery replacements may not always be convenient for a busy mother.

Electric Breast Pumps

If you can spend more for more expensive nursing and feeding products, you can consider buying an electric breast pump. This may cost around $200-$300 but the convenience, ease of use, and good quality of such products will be worth the extra cost. The cycle speed is similar to the sucking pattern of the baby which would sustain the regular and steady supply of breast milk from the mother.

Whichever type of breast pump you choose to buy, make sure you are buying the most reliable and well-recognized brands in nursing and feeding products. This will ensure the durability and effectiveness of expressing breast milk and bottle feeding at the same time. Brands like Avent, Ameda, Bailey, Hygeia and Medela are some of the common names in breast pump and feeding products. You can look over their products, prices, and other offerings to see which fits your budget and requirements. You may also consider searching through shopping comparison sites to get good bargains on baby products and accessories.