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Breast feeding is a noble task and a requirement for the baby’s wellness and maternal bonding. However, mothers sometimes find it a challenge to continually breastfeed their babies especially when they shuffle between their job, household chores, and breastfeeding. These demands put a lot of strain on the mothers’ energies thus denying the baby much needed attention and feeding.
The easiest and safest way to balance these demands is to find a way of giving the baby the maternal breast milk without compromising her other duties. The solution is found in expressed breast milk. Expressed breast milk gives the baby all the nutrients he would have gotten from the mother by direct breastfeeding. Expressing breast milk can be done either by using a machine, manual or electric breast pumps, or by just milking the breasts directly using bare hands. The use of bare hands has a number of disadvantages and to alleviate the avoidable downsides, we will discuss the different types of breast pumps, how to use them and their advantages.
This way, mothers will be able to make their babies comfortable as they also continue with their duties without being interrupted by the demand of baby care. To be precise, we are going to talk about breast pumps that suit small breasts. This is because the majority of mothers who find breastfeeding and expressing breast milk a challenge are those who have small breasts. Having a small breast should no longer be a problem in getting your baby the much needed breast milk because there are several breast pumps in the market that suit small breasts and we have explained them here below.
Best breast pumps for small breasts
1. ?Lansinoh Signature Pro Double ElectricBreast Pump
Lansinoh signature pro double electric breast pump comes with an LCD screen, portable breast pump, hygienic closed system design, 8 adjustable suction levels, and 3 pumping styles for maximum milk production. It designed to match mothers breastfeeding patterns and maximize your milk production and comfort. It pumps milk directly to the storage bags for convenience. It also has a hygienic closed system designed to guarantee the purity of the breast milk and thus prevent the multiplication of bacteria and the growth of molds. Its design is one that was meant to make expressing breast milk a comfortable and enjoyable session. To fulfill this comfort, it has breast cups with soft rims for easy pumping, storage, and feeding. This type can be used both as single or double breast pump
- Mimics the baby’s sucking style there the mother feels more comfortable
- It is adjustable to fit in the size of your breast
- Easy to use and portable
- Very hygienic. Prevents the growth of bacteria and molds
- Is safe and clean
- Like any other electric device, it needs careful attention to prevent electric shock
- Assembling of the accessories may pose a challenge to new users
2. Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump
MadelaHarmony breast pump is a manual breast pump that has incorporated the newest technology making it one of the easiest to use breast pumps in the market. Its soft ergonomic swivel handle makes manual pumping comfortable.
- Easy to use
- Light in weight and portable
- Easy to assemble
- Comfortable to the mother
- Manual pumping can be time-wasting and tedious
- Your hands may get tired
- Since it is a manual breast pump, it requires meticulous hygiene management to keep bacteria and mold at bay
- You can only pump one breast at a time
3. NatureBond Silicon Manual Breast Pump
Nature bond silicon manual breast pump will give you value for your money. It relieves breast engorgement using pure natural suction pressure. It is designed to pump and prevent milk backflow. It is one of the safest breast pumps in the market, soft and comfortable.
- Easy to use
- Low Price
- Light and portable. Perfect for traveling mothers
- Can perfectly fit into any handbag or diaper bag
- It is not as efficient as the electrical breast pumps
4. LansinohSmartPump Double electric Breast Pump
LansinohSmartPump Double electric Breast Pumps a special one. It is a double breast pump that is compatible to breast pump bra and has hygienic Closed System, adjustable Suction & Pumping levels for mothers’ comfort.It is a smart breast pump that connects the lansinoh baby app via Bluetooth to attachbreast pump and breastfeeding sessions, track baby’sactivities, and more, with tips and resources to simplify byour breast feeding pump routine. It also pumpsdirectly to the lansinoh storage bags and has hygienic closed system breast pump. Like the other lansinoh model, it has breast cups with soft rims that ensure mothers’ comfort during pumping.
- Very hygienic. Helps to prevents bacteria and mold build up
- Is comfortable to the breast. It has breast cups with soft rims that ensures your comfort
- Quiet not noisy
- Easy to use and faster
- Light and portable
- Comes with bottle adapter
- Easy to assemble
- Has anti backflow flanges design
- Requires special attention to avoid electrical mishaps
- Assembling of the accessories may pose a phalange to new users
5. Bellema Euphoria pro double breast pump
Bellema Euphoria pro double electric breast pump is an innovative 3D pumping system that imitates the baby’s feeding, i.e. it massages, squeeze, and suck just like the infant. It is a highly safe closed system hospital grade breast pump designed for milk not to enter the tubes and the motor to avoid contamination. It has an independent dual vacuum control for the Left and Right Pump. It Powers up to 250mmHg and has a built in rechargeable battery system that runs up to 2 hours with memory system features that remembers the preferred settings. . It also has an adjustable vacuum levels which you can select either left, right or dual separately. One of its peculiar comfort features is the unique soft silicon cushions for gentle massaging and comfortable pumping.
- Easy to use
- Mimics baby’s feeding behavior making it comfortable to the mother.
- Comfortable pumping.
- Adjustable andQuiet. Not noisy
- Easy to use faster
- Light and portable.
- Comes with bottle adapter
- Has anti backflow flanges design
- Needs extra care with use of electricity
- Assembling of accessories may be a challenge to new users
6. Ameda Purely Yours Double Electric Breast Pump
Ameda Purely Yours Double Electric Breast Pump White comes with a Breast Pump, Dual Hygiene-Kit System, Shoulder Bag, Cool’N Carry Milk Tote, AC Power Adapter, Milk Storage Bottles, and Ice Packs. It is light in weight and portable. A double Electric Breast Pump featuring adjustable speed & suction, making it easy to set the pump to perfectly fit your comfort, time & milk expressing needs. It has convenient shoulder bag for travel.
- Easy to use and convenient
- Comes with cool and carry tote
- Comes with pumping accessories for ease of replacements
- Very light and easy to carry
- Have adjustable speed and suction
- Comes with dual hygiene-kit milk collection system
- Super quiet
- Lightweight and portable
- Adjustable speed and suction
- Adaptable for single or double pumping
- Needs extra care with use of electricity
- Assembling accessories may be a challenge to new users
7. Megna Double Electric Breast Pump
Megna Double Electric Breast Pump is a Portable dual digital breast pump, small in size, just approximately 5.5” by 3”, and made from a durable manufacture material. The small size makes it convenient for the mothers and easy to carry. It comes with an easy to read LCD display that gives the user a demonstration on how to use the device. It is a hands-free breast pump that gives you comfort and save you from the hassle and bustle of manual breast milk suction. It has 14 levels of frequency and strength (5levels of massage and 9 levels of expression) to suit every mother’s needs. You caneasily adjust it to suit the size f your breast, and also has built in anti-back flow. This is a premium quality product that gives you value for your money.
- It is Portable and easily adjustable
- It give you the benefit of double breast pump
- It is adjustable so it will easily fit in the size of your breast
- It is cool to use
- No noise during pumping sessions.
- The use of electricity makes it risky for electric shock. The user needs to be extra careful with electric circuits.
Why you need breast pumps
- Breast pumps stimulate the breasts to produce milk, hence increasingmilk supply for your baby. Majority of the mothers with small breasts sometimes lack the capacity to produce enough breast milk for the infant. Using a breast pump is one way in which you can scale up the milk production for your baby.
- Breast pumpshelp mothers to collect milk to feed premature infants. In a case where the baby is born before due dates, the infant has not developed enough sucking reflex to help in sucking. The baby is also still too weak and lack energy to suck by itself. Expressed breast milk will benefits both he mother and the baby, the mother being relieved from breast engorgement while the baby get enough breast milk for his consumption.
- Breast pumps helps mothers to relieve breast pain due to engorgement of breasts. Whenever the bay is not able to suck for any reason, milk will always accumulate in the breasts. Too much accumulation of this milk causes strain in the breast tissue resulting in pain. Expressing breast milk therefore helps the mother to relieve this pain.
Types of breast pumps
We have different types of breast pumps classified in terms of their usability. They can be classified as:
- Manual or electrical breast pumps: Manual breast pumps are the types that are used to express breast milk by using hands. They require meticulous hygiene because any contamination would lead to serious infant infections. On the other hand, electrical pumps are the ones fitted with electrical components that make them suck breast milk automatically. These ones in many cases as we are going to see here, come with hygienic package to avoid growth of bacteria and molds. Electrical pumps are advantageous over the manual pumps in that they are easier to use than the manual pumps.
- Single or double breast pumps: Single breast pumps are the ones that are attached to one breast at a time while the double/dual breast pumps are the ones that can be attached to both breasts at ago. Double breast pumps have advantages over single pumps because they are more convenient in terms of saving time. With double breast pumps, Instead of expressing milk from one breast then turn to the other side, you just suction both breast at the same time.
How to use breast pumps
As we have seen, you can either use a manual breast pump or electrical breast pump depending on your taste and preferences. Either way, expressing breast milk is a simple process that takes just a few minutes, between 10 to 15 minutes but electrical breast pumps are a bit faster, more efficient, and easy to use than the manual ones.
The breast pumps normally come with accessories that are fitted for the purpose of expressing breast milk. These include a container for collecting the expressed breast milk, a shield for both the manual and electrical pumps, and plunger for manual breast pumps.
For electrical pumps, Cover your nipples with the shield and turn on the machine. Let the machine suck the milk out into the container. If you are using a manual pump, you also cover the nipple with the shield, also called phalange, pull the plunger in a pull and release manner. This way you are creating a vacuum and the difference in pressure levels between the breast and the collecting container help the manual pump to suck breast milk out into the container.
Things you need to consider before buying a breast pump
Because there are several kinds of breast pumps in the market and it can be confusing for new mothers to know exactly the kind of breast pump that suits them, in this list we are going to give a hint on what you should consider before going to your purchase store to buy your breast pump.
Consider:
- The type of breast pump you want, whether it is a manual or an electric breast pump.
- The usability of the breast pump. Whether theaccessories are easier o assemble and replace or whether it will require you to call an expert to fix it for you.
- Whether the breast pump has a user warranty. The user warranty is meant to help you fix any problem that may arise during the warranty period. You don’t have to purchase a new devise in case the one you have become faulty. The warranty will cater for it and save you money
- The portability of the breast pump. Whether the breast pump is Portable and easy to carry around or it will require you to put it in a fix position. You need a breast pump that you can easily move around with without much inconvenience.
- The hygiene factor of the beast pump. Is it easier to clean or it is one that will promote growth of bacteria and molds?
- The Comfort of the breast pump to the user. Avoid breast pumps that cause discomfort during suctioning. You don’t want an inflammation to occur in your breast. The breast pump should be comfortable for you throughout. This will ensure steady supply of breast milk to your baby.
- What are its sound levels? Is it noisy or cool?
How to keep your expressed breast milk
The duration of time in which you will store your milk will depend on a number of factors. These includes whether you plan to keep it for use in the next several hours or days. Expressed breast milk can be stored in a cool box for up to 24 hours. But if you want to keep it for some days, then you can store it in a refrigerator or a freezer.
In the refrigerator or freezer, ensure that you keep the expressed breads milk at the back. Otherwise it will become warm or defrost in case it was in a frozen.
Conclusion
We have discussed different types of breast pumps, both manual and electrical. The breast pumps we have discussed here are prove to be the most satisfying to nursing mothers interns of efficiency, comfort, and ease of use. You have a wide variety of products to choose from as per the list we have given you. We hope this list has served its right purpose and has enlightened you enough. Make the right choice and good luck with your beast pump experience.
