Breast Pump

Breastpump Basics

The new age mother is far removed from an earlier era where moms were tied to the duties of a wedded life - looking after the domestic duties of the household and rearing children full-time. Today's mom is a very busy being, and has to balance work-place and career demands with the home. Breastpumps are an answer to the needs of such moms, with infants between the age of zero to a few years.

Breastpumps are an answer also for children who cannot nurse at the breast for various reasons; it might be simply that they not have picked up the naturally efficient technique of sucking at the breast to get their food. Since mother's milk is the best food that the child will ever get, and no amount of formula milk can substitute it, it would indeed be a waste for the family if, despite the mother being able to express, the milk does not reach the child. The market today is flooded with breastpumps that come in all hues, each tailormade for breastfeeding mothers in one or the other situation.

After having made up one's mind to give the child nothing but breast milk, and at the same time deciding to cope with long working hours and time away from the little one, prudence demands awareness about the different options available in the market for breastpumps. It would be thoughtless to go ahead and buy the first one that comes in sight; and a proper evaluation of which breastpump will suit your particular situation the most is called for.

What type of breastpump suits best for you, depends on a host of factors; the current age of your child, the amount of time in terms of the number of hours and days you are away from the child, and the frequency of pumping that you anticipate. When you are with the child, whether you would prefer nursing to feeding from the expressed milk bottle also will determine the frequency of pumping, and hence the quality of the instrument that you should be using.

Let's take a look at the basics of the breastpump. A breastpump mimics the technique that the
child naturally adopts for nursing - there is a suction at the nipples, followed by a release, and then there is relaxation. This pattern is followed by the child naturally between forty and sixty times in a minute, till a stomach-full is obtained. The breasts respond to this rhythm quite naturally, and let down usually occurs smoothly.

Breastpumps come in very sleek and compact discreet handbags these days. So, you may carry them with you while travelling, as well as to work.

Breastpumps come in two broad categories - manual and electric/battery operated. Manual devices require pumping action to be carried out by the mother. These devices are usually hand-operated, though a few models are pedal-driven; that is, they can be operated by the foot, also. Electricity-driven breastpumps come with powersupply cable and an adapter. Battery-operated ones are usually single-battery devices. Hybrids - with both electricity as well as battery operation - are available too. If you intend to carry it to the office, an electric-operated machine will require a plug point close to your desk, or some convenient place where the expression can be carried out with a degree of privacy that you are comfortable with.

There are a few broad parameters which the breastpumps are technically appraised on. One of them is the cycle time at which the pattern of sucking-releasing-relaxing-sucking, discussed
above, is repeated. Pumps that come closer to the 50 to 60 cycle are the optimal ones. Anything less or more might cause a problem - either there will be a pain in the breast or the tissues might get damaged. Some electric/battery -pumps cycle automatically; with some models having a switch setting for low to high cycles. It is advisable to start with a low setting, and gradually increase the cycles to bring to a level where the comfort level is highest. Quite a few models are not automatic, and come with a hole on the instrument, which the mother is supposed to cover and uncover periodically with her finger or some other inbuilt mechanism, in order to regulate the cycle. Automatically cycling devices definitely have an edge here. Purely battery-driven pumps have a tendency to cycle at slower speed, as compared to electric ones, especially when the batteries go weak over a period of time.

Another parameter worth considering is the size of the breastshield. An optimum breastshield is one which snuggles the nipple and enough of breast tissue quite conveniently. This could be a problem with moms having both larger-than-"standard", and smaller-than-"standard" breasts and nipples. Companies that have recognized this as an issue have come out with optional sizes along with the regular stock sizes and when shopping for the ideal device, such companies' models need to be given a closer look.

Whether you can pump from one engorged breast at one time, or both the breasts alternatively, or both the breasts simultaneously; will have an impact on the speed with which you can complete the expression activity. Pumping one breast at a time would be ideal when the mom is really not pressed for time, or she's a stay-at-home person. The frequency of expression in such a case may be once, or atmost twice a day.

Alternating double suction pumps work by creating a suction on one side, and performing a release on the other. These pumps stimulate the body's milk-generating mechanism in a better way, and the volume of milk has been found to increase by their usage.

Simultaneous double pumps are also known in trade parlance as Hospital-grade or professional- grade pumps. These pumps attach to both the breasts simultaneously, and pump both the breasts at the same time. Studies have shown a better supply of milk over longer periods of time being achieved, using the double pump technology.

In situations where electric- or battery-operated breastpumps are being favored over the manual ones, a vital criterion that should be borne in mind is the warranty being offered. Usually, the parts that are prone to wear out or be damaged do so, when the warranty is just getting over - companies usually callibrate their warranty periods thus! This means that the frequency of usage of the breastpump - how many times per day, or per week it is going to be used will determine how soon the machine might wear out. If the intention is to make use of it for about three to four times a day, then sets with more rugged and durable motors may be purchased.

One last basic feature about breastpumps that we shall discuss here is their periodic cleansing. It is ideal to sterilize individual components of the device by placing them in boiling water for about ten minutes. The salesman's advice should be followed in what components cannot be sterilized thus; and if so, what the alternatives are, to ensure that such components are hygienic and not harmful. Some sort of periodic schedule needs to be built up in our calendar - say, weekly or fortnightly - to carry out the cleansing process without fail.

The internet has a lot of messageboards these days where one can post queries about breastpump and other postpartum issues; and get them resolved from mothers who have gone through similar experiences. The breastpump can surely never replace the heavenly joy of directly nursing your bundle of joy! But it surely comes close!