Electric Breast Pumps
There are small, compact, battery operated and electric breast pumps as well as larger pumps available for purchase. The one that suits you best will depend what you are expressing for.
If you are spending a few hours a week expressing breast milk, you may like to try a small battery operated pump. These usually come with adapters so that you can plug them in too. If you are using them frequently or for a long period of time you might find that they are not that durable, I guess this is where lots of research, talking to other mums and your health professional can help.
The medium — large size electric breast pumps may be more suited to you if you are going back to work. These are designed for frequent use and may give you the option of double pumping so that you can express from both breasts at the same time.
The larger pumps can also double pump but they are generally made for hospitals and for hire. They can be expensive to buy but they are designed to last for years under constant use. Most medium to large electric breast pumps are able to convert to a hand or manual pump too. Lots of mums find that hiring a hospital grade pump is a good option for them and it's certainly something you can look into.
Double pumping with an electric pump is great as it saves you time and allows you to take advantage of the let-down reflex by using the milk flow in both breasts to maximize collection.
Double pumps are mostly used by new mums in hospital when they are trying to bring their milk in, or if their baby is premature, or unable to feed directly from mum's breast. If you are expressing for twins or just needing to express large quantities of milk, you may be interested in trying a double pump.
Another advantage of an electric breast pump is that it lets you pump from one breast while your baby is feeding from the other...some skillful expresser's are also able to do this with a hand pump too. The awesome thing about this is that your baby has helped your milk to flow naturally and this can make removing milk from the breast they are not using a lot easier.
Like a manual pump, you can also vary the suction rate on their electric counterparts to mimic your baby's sucking rhythm.
The only real issue with an electric pump is that many of them are noisy and too bulky to be easily portable. Some mums find the noise distracting and uncomfortable...and when you are expressing it helps to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
You also probably wouldn't use it for a few minutes at a time after setting it all up. So I find that most mums use it to express whole feeds, rather than expressing for shorter time frames.
As you can see electric pumps have their advantages and disadvantages. Once you decide if you are in fact after an electric pump you can have a look at specific brand reviews to help you in your search for one.
Please always remember to consult your health professional to find out information that is relevant to your specific situation.
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