Do I have to buy a breast pump?

This is a frequent question that I get asked by expecting parents.  The answer is …it depends!  Breast pumps are handy tools in many circumstances but are not always needed.  

Below are some common reasons why you may need a breast pump.

Preterm baby

Sometimes preterm and near-term babies may be separated from their parents for observation or for necessary medical intervention.  For these parents, it is important to start working on their breast milk supply. They can start this by hand expressing colostrum to immediately give it to the baby and then use a breast pump to start stimulating their breasts. This early stimulation will help with their milk supply later.  It is important to note that there are rental breast pumps available in most hospitals.  So you don’t necessarily have to buy a pump for the off chance that you have a preterm birth.

Interruption of breastfeeding

There may be several reasons that the breastfeeding parent and their baby may be separated from each other, such as medical treatment, appointments, events, return to work. In these cases, it is important that the breast milk supply is maintained.  This means that the parent should pump to drain their breasts whenever their baby would have been breastfeeding.

Low milk supply

This can happen for multiple reasons, such as a challenging start to breastfeeding, breast refusal, having a tongue tied baby, previous breast surgeries, insufficient breast changes in pregnancy, excessive supplementation.  Once your breast milk comes in, it is important to remember that it is a supply and demand relationship, meaning the more milk that you remove from the breast, the more milk your body will make.

The most important thing is to address why there is low milk supply in the first place, but pumping after breastfeeding, as many times as you can manage throughout the day is signaling to your body that it should be making more. This should only be a temporary solution as you find solutions to the low milk supply.

Nipples

For some parents having inverted or flatter nipples may create difficulties with breastfeeding.  In these cases, pumping the breast for a minute before breastfeeding may help to evert the nipple so that latching the baby is less challenging.

For other parents, nipple damage and sore nipples is enough to want to stop breastfeeding altogether.  Before taking drastic measures, I recommend pumping to maintain or build the supply while investigating why the sore, damaged nipples are happening in the first place.  It allows the parent to take a break from the pain or discomfort while maintaining their milk supply, as well as giving them time for a timely assessment with an IBCLC.

Parent’s choice

Some parents know right away that they want to exclusively pump and offer their breast milk with a bottle.  In these cases, I recommend a double electric pump. The parent would have to pump frequently, every time the baby feeds, to build the supply to match their baby’s needs.

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Mélanie Jacobson ND IBCLC is a Toronto-based Naturopathic Doctor and Lactation Consultant. She focuses on breastfeeding education, and supporting families with breastfeeding, bottle feeding, combo feeding as well as solid food introduction. She is available for home, clinic and virtual visits. You can book your free 15 min meet and greet consultation right here to discuss her services and approach.