Pumping Pro Tips

"I wonder if humans will ever invent a machine that removes milk as well as you, baby."

People might be surprised to learn how much time I spend helping mothers with pumping. After all, I'm a lactation consultant, so isn't my job all about helping moms and babies with positioning and latch? Sure, we work on those things, but based on personal experience and observation, a lot of the mechanics of breastfeeding get ironed out as mom and baby get to know each other. I like to tell moms that there are no rules when it comes to positioning as long as everyone is comfortable and baby is feeding well.

Pumping is a different story. It involves a machine that operates one way, with the same assembly and basic function for all users. Not everyone responds the same way to every pump, though, and thus some tweaking is often helpful to make pumping more effective and efficient. At consults, I'm able to assess a mom and baby's unique needs and tailor my suggestions accordingly. However, there are several tips that all breast pump users should know.

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• ​Make sure that your pump is in good working order. If you inherited a pump from someone else, it may be worn out, but even a brand-new pump can be defective. I have a pressure gauge that measures the vacuum of pumps, and many stores that sell pumps will do a vacuum test for free as well.
• Regularly inspect your pump kit. I'm talking about the flanges, membranes, bottles, tubing, and other plastic bits that you assemble and attach to your pump. Anything that is chipped, cracked, or worn has the potential to negatively affect the whole system and needs to be replaced.
• Make sure you are assembling your kit correctly. Is everything screwed on straight and pushed in tightly? This makes a difference! I know a mom who discovered that her pump worked much better when she pushed the tubing flush into the pump. Another mom removed the little white membranes from her Medela Pump in Style because she thought they were part of the packaging. Turns out, they're essential for the pump to work!
• Wash your pump kit just once a day! This is music to the ears of moms who exclusively pump or work outside the home. After you pump and store your milk, put your pump kit into a gallon zippered bag and stick it in the fridge. Wash everything at the end of the day.

I had the good fortune to attend a talk at UCSF last week by Jessica Shortall, author of Work. Pump. Repeat. I highly recommend this book to anyone going back to work. Jessica includes a number of awesome pumping hacks that she's discovered over the years, and her book also addresses the emotional issues faced by working parents.

For those of you with pumping experience, what pearls of wisdom can you share?

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