Do you need a breastpump?

[SunSparkle]

So, like many people, I'm hoping to breastfeed. I'm not naive and know that sometimes it doesn't work out for a wide variety of reasons.

I've seen lots of recommendations for Haaka style silicon ones to help catch let down which I get.

Do you need a manual or electric pump in the early days when you're still trying to see if it works for you? Will I end up wishing I had one on the first day my milk comes in?

Is it something you bought later on e.g. after 6 weeks or so?

They vary in price so much it seems a lot of money to spend if for some reason breastfeeding is short lived, but if they are essential to make breastfeeding a success then it's clearly well spent.

If you think a pump is essential, which one did you have?

I don’t think you need to buy a breast pump. You might never use it. If you’ve got some money to spend and are keen to bf, you could hire a lactation consultant?

It probably isn't essential, especially not at first. However, if something doesn't quite work out (baby isn't feeding well, or perhaps if baby has to go to NICU), then you may need to express. It's not very likely, and it is far more likely that you won't want or need to express until you're ready to go out without the baby. I suppose another alternative scenario is that if you get very sore nipples, you might want to try expressing to give yourself a break, but this isn't really a break, it's just a different type of pressure!

If you do get one, don't get a hand one - they make your hands ache and don't work very well. The electric ones are much easier to use, although much more expensive.

I had a hand one with DD, and as she was jaundiced and not gaining weight quickly I was asked to pump into a cup and syringe feed her for the first week. However, the midwife showed me how to milk myself with my hand (exactly like a cow!) so they didn't expect me to have a pump. I tried the pump and it just made a mess and was easy to knock over.

When DD was a bit older I tried pumping when I went back to work (she was 10 months). It took me ages to get a bottle of milk and then when I arrived at the nursery I found that I hadn't put the lid on properly and it had all spilt into DD's clean change of clothes. I gave up at that point and just fed her directly when she was with me.

With DS I bought an electric pump and it did work much better but I hardly needed to use it at all. I gave it away when he was weaned and I had honestly only used it about 3 times in a year.

So really, I would wait - they're readily available online or in Boots if you do find you need one.

Nope - EBF for 9 months now and I've never felt the need for a proper pump.

I have a Hakka pump (cost about £15) to take off the excess when I've not been feeding so much for whatever reason, but I've only used it about 3 times.

I had a hand one and an electric one. I sometimes found the hand one easier to express into but as they were the same make I could start with one and swap.

I didn't buy one as I planned to breastfeed. Unfortunately it didn't work out - DS was in the NICU and the hospital had them on hand and then just got one next day delivery from John Lewis when we got home. I think maybe wait and see as you can always send someone to the shops to grab one for you if you need it urgently.

I have bf-d both my dc and never needed a breast pump. No harm researching them so if you do find you need/want one you can get it ordered asap, but I'd hold off buying it for now.

I wouldn't buy one straight away, wait and see how it goes first. If you need help bringing milk in or increasing supply many hospitals will let you rent a hospital grade pump for a few weeks for free (worth checking with your trust though as it does very)
If you do end up using one I've always got on well with the medela swing although it is noisy. I have a haaka which is great but won't really help with building supply much, it just catches the excess

For me a pump was essential because i wanted to leave my baby for a few hours at a time, to go and ride my horse, or see a friend. those few hours away can really give you some sanity!

You can express without a pump, but there's a knack, and it can be a tad messy!

I exclusively BF for 6 months, and expressed from months 3-6

Vitally, it also meant that my DH or someone could do a late feed, and I could get an extended sleep occasionally!

I did lots of research and bought an Ardo Calypso - it was very good and much, much quieter than most. I heard the Medula is very noisy for example. But the Ardo is expensive, so maybe wait until baby arrives and you'll know how you feel about everything

im now pregant with DC2 and have bought an elvie in advance... it's super expensive but the hands-free nature of it really appeals... we'll see how I get on!

Personally I found pumps quite useful when BFing.

The hacka pump was good for during the night. I found that the boob I wasn’t currently feeding off leaked so it was useful for collecting milk and not letting it go to waste.

I also have an Elvie which I also used as soon as I got home from hospital. I found it very useful when I had nipple trauma and feeding directly was too painful, when I wanted to “pump and dump” while I was on medication I didn’t want passing into my milk and when I just wanted a bottle of milk that my partner could give to the baby on occasion. I liked that the Elvie was a nice gentle pump as my baby was anything but gentle with my nipples!

Personally I would get one. I had latching issues with ds so had to bottle feed him expressed milk. That was from day 3 until we got sorted with the latch. I ebf for a year and it got plenty of use in that time.

Nope, exclusively bf three children, including a period when I was working full time so (hand) expressed milk. I did try a pump then but found hand expressing easier and more efficient.

Baby was 8weeks when I started working/hand expressing. But she was my third so I was reasonably confident, wouldn't have managed that first time.

Nope, breast fed dc1 for 18 months never purchased one. I did however have one for dt just so I could express and bottle feed when out (for dignity). If you do decide to get a pump I'd definitely recommend an electric one (I tried a hand pump one first and it was not very effective).

I didn't buy a single bottle, pump, tin of formula etc. Thankfully, I didn't need any. 10 months on, I haven't bought anything or used anything.

I bought one before DD was born and then my milk never came in so it was a complete waste. I'd personally get one of the cheap things to catch milk while you feed and then IF it works for you, invest in a proper breast pump

My DD is a month old and has taken to breastfeeding really well. I bought a cheap Haakaa pump before I gave birth and I've used it a few times to help relieve the pressure which has been so needed since my milk came in. Sometimes my milk has come out so fast that it's been too much for my DD and I've used it then too.

I want my DH to be able to give her a bottle. Partly for bonding and partly so that I can go to bed for the late feed and have a longer sleep before the 4am one. I've ordered the Elvie knowing my milk supply is very good in the hope it works for me. It's expensive but I'm hoping it will be a good investment for us for any future children we hopefully have too.

I also bought lansinoh nipple cream and put it on from the first evening I fed my DD after labour (it was in my hospital bag). I put it on after most feeds to protect my nipples from getting sore and after a few days I put it on once a day. It's helped to protect my nipples and so far they haven't got sore or cracked.

I was told not to pump until breastfeeding was properly established (4-6 weeks), so that your supply matches babies needs. If you pump to early you may end up over engorged, which is uncomfortable and can lead to mastitis.

Obviously if you have trouble getting feeding established then you will be advised to follow a feeding & pumping schedule, but if that happens you will probably be lent a hospital grade one, and could have your own delivered off Amazon the next day anyway.

With both my DC used my pump a lot from around 6 weeks in, really surprised actually how many here say they didn't use it! For me and the mums I know, we all used our (electric) pumps fairly regularly, if you plan to exclusively breastfeed for a while/if it works out -then being able to pump can allow you to be much more flexible. It also means you'll encourage baby to get used to a bottle earlier than if you don't feed from a bottle until you plan to introduce formula- which can then be problematic if you leaver it longer.

You don’t need to buy one in the early days unless you plan to leave your baby with someone else. I didn’t buy one until around 8 weeks when I went out for dinner with my husband without the baby. I only used it with the first child and when I was actually away from the baby, it’s a faff and not something I’d bother with unless I wasn’t physically there to feed. My second child was a bottle refuser so it didn’t even come out with him, I just couldn’t leave him!

I wouldn’t go buying one until you are sure you actually need it, a friend of mine bought a really expensive pump during pregnancy and had given up breastfeeding a week in. She really regretted buying one so soon.

I have a haakaa style silicone pump. It was useful in the early days to take the edge off engorgement - I only took off a few ml of milk just enough for the breast to have a little give.
Since ~3 weeks I've used it to express about 1 bottles worth a week so my partner can do a morning feed at the weekend. This was my midwife's suggestion as she was happy that we were settled bf, the guidelines do say not to introduce a bottle until 6 weeks though.

I didn't bother until breastfeeding was fully established at around six weeks.

I bought a cheap hand one so I had it if needed. The mistake I made was not upgrading to an electric one when I realised I was expressing regularly. I had a lot of milk so often had to pump off some excess before feeding which I then froze for when I was out without baby. Using that squeaky hand pump was chronic. As soon as you think you are going to need it-get the electric one!

I wouldn’t bother before you need it. As pp said they are easily bought if you need one urgently. And SCBU will lend you a decent one if you need one and you have to stay in hospital for any reason.

Wait and see how you take to breastfeeding and how your child is before you spend any money. I had great plans about leaving dc1 but he was so colicky that no-one would take him until he was 6mo so I just fed him from the breast.

Currently 15 weeks into bfing.

I didn’t buy one before because 1) didn’t know if I could/would enjoy it. 2) what type of frequency I’d want to express and 3) whether baby would take to a bottle.

At 6 weeks I used the haaka to get a bit off, DC took to bottle straight away and went back to nipple no probs. I knew I wanted to pump often because I want time away and for DP to feed sometimes too.

Bought a spectra s1, it’s absolutely fantastic, 12 suction settings and 5 stimulation settings and 4-5 different suction frequencies. Essential you can get it so it mimics the baby, draining up to 200ml (personally) if pumping in the morning from
Both breast. That’s more than enough for a feed or two.

Extra sleep. Hot bath. Nights away. Lunch out with a friend. What ever you want to do without being attached to your baby. I say that and I cry every time I’m not with him, so it’s never very long but having the option is sanity saving. Just wait until it’s established to try it out.

I only used it to build up enough of a supply so that DC1 could be left for a few hours when he was a few months old and I could go to a hen do.

With DC2 I had no fixed plans so I couldn't be arsed getting her to take a bottle and never bothered with any expressing.

Quite an expensive bit of kit to but if you don't know for sure you're going to use it.