New Breast Pumps?
What are these new pumps? Jessica and Barbara talked about two types of pumps currently on the market. We wanted to make sure that these pumps were reliable before we gave our thoughts. In the pump market, it takes 2-3 years! The first few thousand families who buy these pumps are essentially paying for the privilege of being testers!
The Haakaa Style Silicone Breast Pump
This pump has been on the market for a few years now and has many copycat products. It is a little hand pump that you put on your breast with a little squeeze, and it stays on with suction. Many families have trouble, especially in the beginning, with leaking, and this product is great for catching that extra breastmilk. It is low-cost and fairly easy to clean and use.
We created a survey about this type of pump to learn more about its uses and how people feel about it. See the results here.
Here are some links to videos that show you how to use it:
Hands Free Wearable Pumps
The next two new breast pumps we’ll talk about are wearable pumps.
You tuck them into your nursing bras, turn them on, and track what is happening on your phone. The benefits are literally hands-free pumping.
We prefer one over the other for two reasons. The first is that you have to lean back and let the Willow create suction on your breast to start, and repeat this to finish. Not a big deal, but still. It makes us wonder about losing suction while pumping. The second is the one that used only bags, not a container. They now have containers, but clearly, they were not thinking of the environment from the beginning.
One flaw for both pumps is that, if you have a slow flow or a low breastmilk supply, the pump will not shift into expression mode. Another is the cost—around $500. Most insurance companies do not cover this as an option.
The final problem we see is the breast shield fit size. We have already talked elsewhere about this trend toward smaller and smaller breast shield sizes, but these pumps only go up to a 27 mm or 28 mm breast shield. If you know you need a bigger shield size, this is most likely not the pump for you.
Anyway, take a listen and see what you think of these breast pumps!
If you work with breastfeeding/chestfeeding families and are passionate about lactation support, or if you want to turn your passion for nursing into professional practice, visit us at LactaLearning.com and consider following us on social media!
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