Don't Be Hating on the Pump!

I've come across some breastfeeding sites that have been totally anti-pumping.  And I gotta say, "why?"

They  make these outrageous claims about how inefficient pumps are and how they don't really work.  I don't know where they get this info, or if they just plain make it up, but it is wrong.

Pumps take some getting used to, but I'm sorry, it's not really reality that a mother isn't going to be away from her baby until he's weaned.  And there are mothers out there who exclusively pump.  Meaning their baby gets only breast milk that has been pumped.  Not to mention all the women who go back to work full time when their baby is 6 or 12 weeks old or more and keep up their breastfeeding just fine.

Pumps work, if you get the right pump.

DO NOT use a used pump!  Don't take the one from your friend who used it with her baby a year ago.  Get yourself your own, brand new, double electric pump.  Pumps can be contaminated and motors wear out.  I learned today that you should actually get a new pump with every kid, unless you've bought a hospital grade one, which you probably didn't because they are like $1000.  They are not meant to be passed down.

Mine was paid for 100% by my health insurance.  Pretty awesome.  And I believe new legislation requires health insurance to cover them 100% in 2013 or possibly this year.  So don't let expense keep you from getting a new pump.   

Pumps are awesome.  You can leave your baby with someone else and go do things!  I would have lost my mind long ago if it weren't for my pump.  Even before I went back to work, I used my pump so that I could get away.  Moms need breaks from breastfeeding.  Moms need breaks from baby-care.  Condemning pumps is just as bad as telling a mom to use formula if she needs a break. 

To me, being anti-pump is being anti-breastfeeding.  It's giving out misinformation about a device that makes breastfeeding possible for mothers who want or need to be away from their babies.  If you want mothers to spend more time with their babies attack the lack of maternity leave, not the pump. 

Pumps are not inefficient!  I can easily get 4-7 ounces of breast milk out in about 10 minutes of pumping with my double electric pump, some moms do even better than this.  I do breathing exercises, look at pictures of my baby, think milk, imagine my baby breastfeeding, and the milk flows.  It takes some practice, but it works.  I worked a 12 hour shift and was away from my baby for about 14 hours and was able to do it in two pumping sessions about 6 hours apart.  I had to pump a little longer, but I easily got out about 15 ounces total from both sessions.  My breasts were very full, but it totally worked.  Even the craziest work schedule, I believe, is manageable.  I should have done 3 pumping sessions, but I simply didn't want to. 

If your pump isn't working, you might need different sized flanges, new parts, a better pump, or a newer pump.  Mine once wasn't working and it turned out I had a ripped valve I needed to replace (HINT: Keep replacement parts in your pump bag). 

So can we please stop hating on the breast pumps?  They are sometimes the only reason a mother is able to breastfeed.  I personally have never met a breastfeeding mother who has told me she never pumps.