Why Use A Breast Pump?

Breastfeeding is the recommended way to feed your baby. As part of breastfeeding, most mothers choose to also express their breast milk using a breast pump. Some of the reasons for using a breast pump are as follows:

• your baby may have been born prematurely and is unable to suck well, and you were recommended to feed him/her with breast milk for the baby’s health;
• your baby may have to stay in hospital and you are not able to be there for every feed so you use a breast pump to ensure your baby always has a supply of breast milk;
• you are on antibiotics which may be passed via your milk to your baby. To avoid this, you use a breast pump until you are well again (dumping the unwanted milk).
• your baby does not seem to be able to suck enough milk from the breast;
• your baby cannot latch on or refuses to feed from the breast so you use a breast pump then bottle feed the expressed breast milk;
• you wish to boost your milk supply, so after feeding you use a breast pump to encourage the production of more milk;
• you are in hospital or unavoidably away from your baby and you wish to continue breastfeeding;
• you have returned to your job / college / other commitments after having your baby and wish to continue breastfeeding so you use a breast pump for any feeding times you are away from your baby;
• you wish to go out somewhere (night out, a wedding) and want to leave milk for your baby;
• you wish to have a store of breast milk in your freezer for any of the occasions above;
• your breasts are engorged and you wish to relieve the pressure by using a breast pump then storing any excess milk;
• if your baby is sleeping through the night, you may have more breast milk in the morning than your baby requires for its first feed. Often mothers choose to pump some breast milk then for use later that day, when perhaps you are tired and not producing as much milk;
• you may have a breast infection such as thrust or mastitis and wish to continue breastfeeding but find it too painful. Many mothers finds they can control the speed of a breast pump to minimise any pain, and so can return to feeding their baby at the breast once the infection has passed.
• you wish to involve your partner more in the feeding of your baby so any milk expressed by a breast pump can be fed to your baby by your partner using a bottle;
• you are going somewhere with your baby where you are not comfortable breastfeeding, and wish to have some breast milk in bottles with you;
• you wish to wean your baby off breastfeeding and onto bottles but still wish your baby to have the goodness of breast milk;
• some mothers choose to exclusively use a breast pump as opposed to feeding on the breast itself.

Inhealth stocks a range of both Medula and Avent breast pumps, all of which are delivered the next day from Ireland.

© 2010 Inhealth Ireland