Author Name:
Carly Silver

Biography:
Carly Silver co-founded Express Yourself Mums in 2004 and is one of the managing directors today.

Article:
When a mum comes to us looking for advice, the first question we always ask is, "Why do you need to pump?" Many healthcare professionals advise against pumping in the first 6 weeks, unless for medical reasons, whilst the breastmilk supply establishes itself. The best way for this to occur is through feeding on demand. If your baby or babies are premature or sick, or for whatever reason are unable to breastfeed, we would always recommend using a hospital-grade double breastpump, which can be hired or purchased. The best pumps on the market are those that mimic the baby's sucking action, starting off with a faster, lighter suction to stimulate the let-down reflex, and switching over to a slower, stronger sucking rhythm to extract as much milk as possible.
If you are looking to go back to work, and/or will be pumping several times a day, look for a pump which is highly efficient, easy to transport and relatively quiet. Again, the pumps we would recommend would be those which specifically mimic the baby's suckling rhythm, as these are the ones which extract the most milk, as quickly as possible. Some women prefer a single breastpump as these are very light, and small enough to slip inside your handbag, and some women prefer the double pumps as these tend to be quicker (as you would expect if pumping both sides at once) and the better pumps come with their own backpack and cooling elements, so it's very easy to transport not only the pump but the breastmilk too.

Finally, if you are looking for very occasional pumping, we would recommend either a manual breastpump (again, look for the variety which gives you an element of control over the suction strength) or one of the less fancy electric models - the disadvantage of these is that they are quite noisy, and not as efficient in extracting milk - but this is reflected in the price point, which some people will find appealing.

Finally, it is a little-known fact that many women use a breastpump with the incorrectly-fitted breast shield. This can cause friction and nipple damage, and if the shield is too small, it can occlude the milk ducts and prevent the flow of milk. For this reason, always consult your retailer about the size of breastshields, and make sure that if the size provided as standard doesn't fit, that you purchase the correct size before pumping. It is important to note that manual breastpumps usually cannot be used with different size breastshields.