Milk Diva

by Tess Hodgins
owner of Milk Diva
Lactation Professional

How to choose a breast pump is a very common question and it’s a good question as there are many things to consider. How often will you be using the breast pump? How much time do you have each time you pump? How portable do you need the breastpump to be? How quiet do you need the breast pump to be? And, of course, how much money do you have to spend on a breast pump?

Most women don’t need a breastpump until 6 weeks post-partum, unless you have a baby that is not feeding at the breast and then you, probably, need the power of a hospital-grade breast pump, which is normally rented. So don’t go rushing to buy a breastpump before you give birth to the baby. You have some time.

Next decide which style of breastpump you need. There is a chart below to help you decide. A dual electric breastpump, a single electric, a manual, etc. The larger more powerful pumps generally cost more than the smaller less powerful. And features make a big difference on cost too. Be sure to buy a good brand. The best breastpumps are manufactured by breastpump companies, not toy or bottle companies that have added a breast pump onto their line of products. Buy a decent brand! The not-so-great brands can cause serious tissue damage to the breast and can hurt while you’re using it. Expressing milk from the breast should not hurt. If it does hurt then you need to make a change in the breast pump, the power level or the breast flange (that’s the cone shaped piece the goes right onto the breast).

Most women do not need a hospital-grade breast pump if they have a babe feeding well at the breast. If you do not have a baby that is feeding well at the breast or possibly not at all at the breast then a hospital-grade pump offers the most suction. Keep in mind with a hospital-grade pump you are generally renting only the motor part of the breast pump and buying the kit that goes with it. The kit has all the plastic parts that the milk touches. The hospital-grade pump is large, cumbersome and noisy but it has a ton of suction. They cost a fortune to buy outright which is why most people rent them.

The next breast pump in regards to suction is the dual electric breastpump. The dual electric breastpump is aptly named because you pump both breasts at once. As opposed to a manual or single electric that pumps only one side at a time. There are many brands of dual electric breastpumps on the market with a wide variety of prices. My advice is to buy a great brand. Ameda and Medela are the top two breast pump companies in the world. They are very competitive and have been around for many years. These 2 companies have put a ton of research into making their breast pumps work extremely well. Medela’s dual electric breastpumps are the FreeStyle and the Pump-in-Style. The Medela FreeStyle is a fairly new breastpump. It’s small, compact and wireless. The Medela Pump-in-Style Breastpump has been around for many years. It’s a very reliable one-button breast pump. My favourite dual electric is the Ameda Purely Yours Breastpump. It comes in four versions, depending on accessories, but the breast pump itself is identical amongst all the Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pumps.