Kiddipedia
Which Medela breast pump should I use, should I purchase one before I have my baby and do, I even need one? They are great questions which we hear all the time at Medela, so we wanted to help you to make an informed choice when it comes to buying your breast pump. We hope this article helps you to choose the perfect pump for you!
There may be very different reasons that a mother may choose or need to use a breast pump. For some, it is a way to continue giving baby breastmilk when they return to work. Other mums, may be completely reliant on a breast pump to initiate, build and maintain their supply due to their baby being unwell or separated from them for medical care. Some mothers may need a pump for a short period, to get them through a breastfeeding challenge, and others may find that they are completely reliant on a breast pump to feed their baby. Whatever situation that you are in it is important to purchase with the knowledge that your pump will meet your needs.
What Are You Looking for in a Medela Breast Pump?
Your reason for using a breast pump makes a difference on which pump you need. At Medela we like to advise that all mums to wait until after their baby is born to buy a pump so that you choose the right pump for your circumstances at the time.
When your baby is born, the breasts and the cells that make the milk within them have to “switch on,” this is known as “initiation.” This happens efficiently when a baby is breastfeeding well and frequently, and most mums will notice that their “milk comes in” around day three after birth.
Not all babies can feed well from birth; this may be due to the type of birth you and baby have had or the medicines used in your labour. Both of these reasons can make your baby quite sleepy and not yet ready to breastfeed for the first few days. In this instance, regular expressing and stimulation will assist in switching on your supply and help to bring your milk in.
Some babies are born too soon (before 37 weeks gestation of pregnancy) and need to spend some time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Care Unit (SCN). Babies who are born before 34-35 weeks of gestation often need more time to grow and develop before they can effectively breastfeed. They may be having a go at breastfeeding but may need the support of receiving some feeds through a nasogastric tube. If they have been born very early, then it may be several weeks before they start to breastfeed.
Over the first month, the milk-making cells are increasing the volume of milk your breasts can make. They are working out how much milk your baby needs and will keep building your supply accordingly.
From months 2-6, your breasts will have laid down all the foundations to make a good enough milk supply. This is known as established lactation.
From now on the actual milk volume, your baby drinks every day remains pretty consistent, even though your baby continues to gain weight really well! Most babies will double their birth weight within four months of being born but continue to drink the same amount of milk in a 24 hour period!
So, Which Pump Should I Use?
“My baby was able to breastfeed really well in the first month and I established a good milk supply…”
If your baby was able to feed effectively and your supply is established a personal use pump will be suitable for your needs.
Which type of personal use pump you choose will depend on how often you intend to use it. A manual pump (Harmony) or a single electric pump (Swing) is ideal for brief separations; daily or occasional use. Double electric pumps (Swing maxi or Freestyle) can be used for longer separations; regular or daily use. You can find a list of all our personal use pumps here.
“My baby needed some help at the beginning to get breastfeeding off to a good start…”
If babies are not able to fully breastfeed straight after birth or feed less than eight times daily, it is important to initiate (switch on the milk cells) with a hospital grade pump (Symphony). The Symphony pump contains a special program, that is backed up by research, to help bring your milk in. Several pieces of scientific research have now been published showing that Medela’s Symphony Initiation technology can help mums to initiate their milk supply.
Once the milk supply “foundations” have been laid in that first month, and mums are achieving good milk volumes as well as breastfeeding, it would then be suitable to move on to a personal use pump for expressing.
Then choosing the right pump depends on how many breastfeeds you want to replace each day by expressing. A manual pump (Harmony) or a single electric pump (Swing) is ideal for brief separations; daily or occasional use. Double electric pumps (Swing maxi or Freestyle Flex) can be used for longer separations; regular or daily use. You can find a list of all our personal use pumps here.
“My baby is unable to breastfeed to initiate, build or maintain my milk supply…”
If your baby is not yet able to breastfeed or cannot breastfeed then it is vital to initiate (switch on the milk cells), build and maintain your milk supply until your milk comes in or your baby is able to breastfeed. If babies are still not able to fully breastfeed in the first month when you are building supply, it is has been shown in the scientific research that mums should continue expressing with a hospital grade pump.
The Symphony pump has both Initiation technology, and 2-Phase technology, which can help can help mums achieve the full benefit of having started with the Initiation technology. This way, the mother can maintain an effective milk supply even when the baby is not able to be fed directly from the breast.
Have a look at our infographic to help explain this a little more. For more information on the pumps and expressing, please have a look here.
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