Breast Pumping Tips
By: johrob
Electric breast pumps are very valuable products to own if you are a mother of an infant. They allow you to extract your breast milk whenever you need it, at your own convenience. Mothers who go back to work soon after the baby is born can still have breast milk available for their baby, which can be fed by a caregiver. Feeding your baby breast milk through a bottle allows others to feed your baby, including dad! Additionally, women who are physically incapable of breastfeeding because of inverted nipples or other problems can still give their babies nourishing breast milk, thanks to electric breast pumps.
1. Check for Return policy. This is helpful in case of manufacturing defects, since it provides assistance in replacement and also tells you what to do in case there is damage during shipment. Most popular brands such as Ameda, Avent and Playtex breast pumps have a one-year warranty. Check for the details of the warranty being offered.
2. Find out if the brands offer parts which fit a standard baby bottle and accessories such as insulated tote carrying bag and freezing gel pouches. Remember, it helps to have a lightweight pump so that you can carry it while you're travelling.
3. However, if instructed by your doctor to sterilize the entire kit each day; that is what you should do.
4. If you have been set up with an electric breast pump; be sure to set the suction level as low as possible, for your comfort.
How often do you plan to use the breast pump? If you will be away from your baby only occasionally, a simple hand pump may be all you need. Hand pumps are generally small and inexpensive. To operate a hand pump you simply squeeze the handle to express the milk. You can choose to pump one breast while your baby nurses on the other breast. An electric pump may be your best investment if you are planning to return to work fulltime or you are planning to be away from your baby for more than a few hours a day. One of the advantages of an electric over the hand pump is that they stimulate the breast more effectively. The more adequate stimulation helps to empty your breasts and protect your milk supply.
Ability - How effective is the pump? How well is it able to draw milk from the breast? As a general rule of thumb, the closer the pump speed (pumps per minute) and suction strength matches a nursing baby the better at expressing milk it will be.
Double of Single Pump? - As the name suggests a single pump lets you pump one breast at a time. Double pumps allow you to express milk from both simultaneously. This helps to stimulate milk production and also shortens the time needed to pump as both breasts are pumped at the same time.
Comfort - The ability to adjust the pump's cycle speed (pumps per minute) and vacuum strength is essential to achieving an acceptable level of comfort while expressing.
About the Author:
Read about babycare and also read about bottle weaning and baby sleep schedule
