Whatever your reason for expressing, there's a pump that's right for you.
Many breastfeeding mums will express their breastmilk at some stage. Sometimes it can be confusing to know which type of pump will best suit your needs.
What are your needs?
Before you buy or hire a breast pump, the first things to consider are your reasons for expressing and how often you plan to pump.
A hospital grade pump is recommended if:
your baby is unable to breastfeed yet, e.g. a premature or sick baby
you are exclusively expressing
you are returning to work and need to pump often each day
you are trying to greatly increase your supply
you are relactating or inducing lactation.
For many mums who are expressing less often or only on occasions to have some breast milk on hand, a personal electric pump or hand pump will be adequate.
You will get the most benefit from a pump that closely matches your personal circumstances.
Helping you choose a pump
To help you with your decision, we have rated your pump options based upon:
- the length of time you might need to use a pump, e.g. days or weeks
- how frequently you might need to use a pump.
We have used these definitions:
Short term - less than 4 weeks
Long term - 4 weeks or more
Occasional use - once a day or less
Frequent use - more than once a day
The key to our star ranking:
*** Best option
** Good option
* OK option
X Not recommended
If you would like more information on choosing a breast pump, talk to your local breastfeeding volunteer. Become a member of ABA to hire a pump for half price.
Short term, occasional use ***
Short term, frequent use *
Long term, occasional use **
Long term, frequent use *
Exclusive expressing X
(not recommended)
Example Pumps:
- Ardo Amaryll Start
- Ameda One-hand manual
Short term, occasional use ***
Short term, frequent use*
Long term, occasional use ***
Long term, frequent use *
Exclusive expressing **
(once supply is established)
Example Pumps:
- Ardo Calypso Single
- Ameda Purely Yours
Short term, occasional use *
Short term, frequent use***
Long term, occasional use *
Long term, frequent use ***
Exclusive expressing **
(once supply is established)
Example Pumps:
- Ardo Calypso Double Plus
- Ardo Alyssa Double
- Ameda Purely Yours Ultra
Short term, occasional use *
Short term, frequent use***
Long term, occasional use *
Long term, frequent use ***
Exclusive expressing ***
(especially when expressing to maintain/establish a full milk supply)
Example Pumps:
- Ardo Carum
- Ameda Platinum
Wearable pumps
Some new pumps are designed to be fully wearable. These are small pumps that fit inside your bra and allow you to move about freely. They may not always remove the milk well enough to maintain your supply unless you are also breastfeeding your baby directly or using another good-quality pump. For this reason, they may be best used once you have a good milk supply.
Breast shield size
A breast shield, also known as a breast pump flange, is the clear plastic piece that fits directly over your nipple to form a seal around the areola. This creates a vacuum that gently draws your nipple into the tunnel to extract the milk.
Breast shields come in different sizes. It’s important to choose the correct size so pumping is comfortable and you can express the most milk. One way to check your size is to measure the width of the base of your nipple and choose shields the same size or 1 to 2mm bigger. The width of your nipples may change over time.
- If your nipple rubs against the sides, the breast shield is too small. Pumping may be painful and cause nipple soreness or damage.
- If your areola is pulled into the tunnel with your nipple, the breast shield is too large. This may cause pain at the base of the nipple. Milk leaking from the bottom of the breast shield is another sign it is too large.
© Australian Breastfeeding Association November 2024
