I'm breaking down breast pumps in the most practical, no-fluff way I can, because I think this is one of the most confusing topics in the whole postpartum conversation, and you deserve to actually feel informed. We're talking about the two big categories of pumps - manual and electric - and then we're going deep on all the different types of electric pumps, from your classic double electric to hospital-grade pumps, portables, and wearables.

Whether you're a first-time mom who doesn't even know where to start, someone heading back to work who needs to pump multiple times a day, or you're planning to exclusively pump - I want this episode to be the foundation that makes every other pumping conversation make sense. We also get into how to actually choose the right pump for your situation, what your insurance likely covers, when a wearable might not be your best friend, and what to do with your pump before baby even arrives. Because I promise you - the most expensive pump is not always the best pump, and what worked for your best friend might not be what works for you.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Listen to episode #28: Oversupply, Exclusive Pumping & Neurodivergent Lactation with The Oversupply Mama
• Listen to episode #53: The Truth About Low Milk Supply: What Everyone Needs to Know Before Baby is Born

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Which Pump Should You Get?
• 04:14 Manual Pumps Explained
• 06:33 Electric Pumps Basics
• 08:17 Single vs Double Electric Pumps
• 10:49 Hospital-Grade Pumps
• 13:58 Portable vs Wearable Pumps
• 17:06 Wearable Tradeoffs
• 20:27 Choosing Your Pump
• 24:07 Prep and Flange Fit
• 26:36 Reuse and Replace Parts

About your host:

🩺🤰🏻Lo Mansfield, MSN, RNC-OB, CLC is a registered nurse, mama of 4, and a birth, baby, and motherhood enthusiast. She is both the host of the Lo & Behold podcast and the founder of The Labor Mama.

For more education, support and “me too” from Lo, please visit her website and check out her online courses and digital guides for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum/newborns. You can also follow @thelabormama and @loandbehold_thepodcast on Instagram and join her email list here.

For more pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood conversation each week, be sure to subscribe to The Lo & Behold podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to listen!

👉🏼 A request: If this episode meant something to you, would you consider a 5 star rating and leaving us a review? Yes, we read them, and yes, they help keep L & B going! ♥️

Connect with Lo more on: INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | PINTEREST | FACEBOOK

Disclaimer

Opinions shared by guests of this show are their own, and do not always reflect those of The Labor Mama platform. Additionally, the information you hear on this podcast or that you receive via any linked resources should not be considered medical advice. Please see our full disclaimer here.

Additionally, we may make a small commission from some of the links shared with you. Please know, this comes at no additional cost to you, supports our small biz, and is a way for us to share brands and products with you that we genuinely love.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

Mentioned in this episode:

TBB 20% off ad link

There are hundreds of pump options.

There are social media recommendations.

There are recs from your best friend or your favorite nurse or your favorite influencer.

There are insurance options and choices that we have to consider, and there are wearables everywhere, right?

So I want to break it down, and this is going to feel like a really brief but very practical 101

Motherhood is all-consuming.

Having babies, nursing, feeling the fear of loving someone that much.

Then there's this baby on your chest, and boom, your entire life has changed.

It's a privilege of being your child's safest space and watching your heart walk around outside of your body.

The truth is, I can be having the best time being a mom one minute, and then the next, I'm questioning all my life choices.

I'm Lo Mansfield, your host of the Lo and Behold podcast, mama of four littles, former labor and postpartum RN, CLC, and your new best friend in the messy middle space of all the choices you are making in pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.

If there is one thing I know after years of delivering babies at the bedside, and then having, and now raising those four of my own, it is that there is no such thing as a best way to do any of this, and we're leaning into that truth here.

With a mix of real life and what the textbook says, expert insights, and practical applications, each week we're making our way towards stories that we participate in, stories that we are honest about, and stories that are ours.

This is the Lo and Behold podcast.

All right, I got to be honest with you.

I just recorded this whole episode on breast pumps, and then I thought, " You know what?

I need to preface this a little better, and I want to do a little intro." So conversation today, all things breast pumps.

Think a bit of like a breast pump 101.

The reason I think we should have this is because I feel like so often people are having conversation about breast pumps and we, you, the listener, you don't even know the myriad of choices that you have.

You don't even know the difference between all these types of pumps, right?

And so in episode 28, I have a great conversation about oversupply.

In episode 53 with Kaya, I have a great conversation about low supply.

Both of those are excellent listens for you.

And in those, and in upcoming episodes and upcoming conversations I'm going to have, we talk a lot about pumps.

We throw around pump terms or types of pumps, and all I can think is maybe you have no idea, particularly if you've not had a baby yet or this is first pregnancy or you're coming up on first pregnancy, you have no idea what all these different types of pumps are.

So this episode can really and should be just a foundation for you so you understand types of pumps.

Yeah, we're going to get into what can help you make choices for your own pump.

But also, I want you to have that foundation so that when you're listening to these other conversations, you just feel educated, empowered, informed about what exactly it is we're talking about when we take these conversations and we go past just basic pumping etiquette or rules, and we start to talk about supply issues and routines and schedules.

I want you guys to have this foundation.

So that is what this conversation is intended to be for you today

I want to talk to you about a topic today that I think can be one of the most confusing when it comes to that whole postpartum and life after baby conversation, and that is breast pumps.

There are hundreds of pump options.

There are social media recommendations.

There are recs from your best friend or your favorite nurse or your favorite influencer.

There are insurance options and choices that we have to consider, and there are wearables everywhere, right?

Even from the time I had my first baby years ago to the time I then had my fourth baby years later, there were so many changes to kind of, let's say, the breast pump environment and what was available and what was, you know, maybe air quotes, quote, unquote, "best for you."

So I want to break it down, and this is going to feel like a really brief but very practical 101.

So my hope would be that anyone who's never gotten a breast pump or used a breast pump, you're going to listen to this and you're going to walk away and you're going to say, " Okay Now I understand what the different types are, now I know what they're each for, and now I know how to choose what's best for me.

So that's the goal.

This should be, like, short, sweet, and to the point, but I really want you to have that information so it doesn't feel as complicated as maybe it feels for you right now.

So the first thing to know about breast pumps is that there's really kind of two categories of breast pumps, breast pumps, if you will.

So we're gonna start really broad with this idea of what are those two.

We have manual pumps, and then we have electric pumps.

So when we're talking about manual pumps, there are kind of different types of pumps, of course, that fall into this category.

manual is essentially gonna mean there's no motor, there's no battery, nothing like that attached.

They're gonna be powered by your hand.

They're usually going to be one breast at a time.

So for example, we have hand collectors or manual collectors like, you know, like a Medela or a Lansinoh.

Lots of companies make these, and if you can picture it, it's got kind of the bottle that collects the milk attached to this kind of hand pump where you use your hand.

I know you can't all see me except for those of you watching this on YouTube right now.

But you use your hand, and you're kind of pulling down, and it's pulling through that flange, suctioning, and you're kind of pumping down on this little plastic handle, and it's pulling, and we're-- you're pumping in that way.

So that's like a manual hand-powered pump.

I'm sure you guys have seen these before, or you will very soon.

I also think they're actually really great, so don't discredit their value . Okay?

So that's one kind of type of manual pump.

No motor, powered by the hand.

What also falls in this category are milk collectors, particularly if they have suction.

So that's what puts them in this category as well as a manual pump.

that would be something like the Haakaa.

That's really popular.

A lot of people know about that because what you do when you apply the Haakaa, when you put it on a breast, is you squeeze it, and then that suction is pulling from the breast actively, just like a pump would.

Now, we could have conversations about should you be using milk collectors, or what does it mean to use them passively versus with suction.

But in general, what I want you to hear is within this manual pump conversation, any of these milk collectors to collect letdown, if they have suction and you're utilizing that suction to actively pull milk from the breast that you're, let's say, not nursing on, if you're using it in that way with suction, this is a pump.

Okay?

This is working like a manual pump.

So you have those manual pumps where we can kind of use the hand, and we're pumping down on the handle to pull, and then we also have these suction forward collectors like a Haakaa.

A Boon Trove can use suction.

There's an Elvie.

There's a lot of options.

If those are using suction, those fall in this manual pump category as well.

So that's the first category.

Remember, big picture, we have that manual one, and then we're talking about- electric pumps as well.

And so that's probably where most of our brains go when we think, I need a breast pump.

We're thinking about these electric ones.

So they are powered by some sort of motor, right?

They usually have a stimulation mode and an expression mode.

So that's a term you might hear or could see on a box or in marketing is that these are biphasic.

They have two different phases that are meant to emulate or also kind of copy what a baby would do at the breast, right?

Which they have this kind of stimulation mode and they express where the baby sucks in different ways before the milk lets down, and then their, their sucks and their pulls and the frequency of that changes, and this would be more like the express mode.

So has a motor, some sort of kind of biphasic setup.

They may have other features like heating or vibration.

You know, I mentioned things changed a lot between my first baby and then my fourth baby.

All of these things were just these new changes as these pumps continue to change.

And typically, these milks are gonna move milk more efficiently, let's say, than a manual pump, and certainly in a pattern that is- mimics more of a baby at the breast.

So those manual pumps, especially one like a Haakaa, those are just continually sucking, right?

That's… If you apply suction, that thing is just pulling.

That is nothing like the pattern of a baby at the breast.

However, a hand pump you can mimic the breast a little bit more.

But these electric pumps, they're intended to mimic what your baby is going to do at the breast as well.

So those are two, like, big picture, that's our broad categories.

We have those manual pumps that I just broke down, and then we have electric pumps.

So we're gonna deep dive into the electric pump conversation now because that, I think, is where a lot of confusion happens because there are a lot of different types of electric pumps, and it can be hard to figure out, okay, still, like, what is the right one for me and my scenario?

So first thing we have to talk about is actually a single electric pump.

These aren't super common, and I say that meaning most of you aren't gonna choose to buy a single electric.

Essentially what it is, is it's just buying one of these electric pumps, and it only has the setup for one side.

So what many would do if they needed to pump both sides is they would pump, you know, for the 15 minutes on one side and then go ahead and move over and pump for the 15 minutes on the other side, and that's how you would get that complete pumping session if you were to need it for both breasts.

So these are just not that common, I think, because it's just not very efficient, right?

And, and they can be more affordable because in theory it's like you're kind of only buying half of that, you know, e- double electric machine.

But of course, it's gonna take longer if you're someone who needs to be pumping both sides and you only have the single electric pump.

But it's biphasic.

It works like all the other ones.

If you look at brand options, some of them are gonna offer that classic double electric, and then they'll have a single electric option as well, which again only has kind of that one flange set up for output.

Okay, so double electrics are going to be what you are probably most familiar with, and we're gonna break down the options within the double electric category.

So these are gonna pump both of your breasts at the same time, right?

So that's more efficient, right?

It saves time.

Usually, these pumps are going to be covered by insurance.

the classic ones that you might think of, they're gonna come from, I mean, a ton of different brands, but maybe Spectra, Medela, Motif, Lansinoh, Aré, Ameda All of these kind of, if you, if you're picturing a pump in your head, maybe it plugs into the wall, maybe like a little bit of square or a round larger sized box or home base if you will, that the tubing plugs into and then you have the flanges and the whole milk collection set up connected to each of the two tubes, right?

So you're pumping both breasts at the same time.

These often plug into the wall.

They could have a battery pack or be a little bit more mobile, but these are not portable, okay?

These are just this kind of classic standard workhorse pump that you might be thinking of.

That's kind of this standard double electric.

So that's the first type of double electric that I want you to hear about.

Typically, these are covered by insurance.

You're going to have lots of options to choose one of these, and this could for many end up being just your primick, primary.

Primick.

Your primary double electric pump, okay?

So that is the first type I want you to hear about is that classic that you might be thinking of, widely available through insurance, typically 100% covered.

That's type number one And then I think this is where the confusion happens because there are other types of double electric pumps as well.

So we have the one we just talked about, and then we also have this idea of a hospital-grade pump.

So this question of what makes a hospital-grade pump different, what is that about?

So a true hospital-grade pump is going to be double electric.

That's why we're talking about it in this category, right?

It has a closed system which allows for it to be multi-user.

That is one of the biggest differences in these pumps, and that's important for you to know because the hospital-grade pump term, it gets thrown away.

There's no regulation tied to that, so it gets thrown around and put on all kinds of pumps, and I think we can assume that means this pump is better, this pump is worth more money.

I should pay more for it.

But a true hospital-grade pump is a multi-user closed system pump.

So these are the types of pumps that often we're going to see in the hospital.

So maybe like for NICU babies, those of us who are staff nurses and we need to pump, we actually can use the pumps at the hospital, right?

And roll that into our pump room or the break room.

They are going to be sometimes for people who need to rent a really good pump or they don't have a pump, so maybe they're renting through a program like WIC.

It will often be of these hospital-grade multi-user pumps.

They often have, let's say, like a stronger motor.

They can have some more efficient milk removal, specialized programming, kind of like different wavelengths and programming within them that just make them a really good pump.

But I think the big thing for you to know is that they are also multi-user as well.

So if you were to see this idea of hospital-grade pump slapped on the side of some sort of box for some wearable or some portable or a pump you're looking at, that term has not been regulated.

That pump is very, very likely a more classic pump that is a single user pump as most of them are.

This is not a true hospital-grade pump.

Okay?

So I just want you to understand that term.

I would hold it loosely and not necessarily relate it to, "I'm getting a better pump because this is a quote unquote hospital-grade pump." I think that term is used too widely to market to you and try to get you to purchase a pump when it's really not being used in the right ways.

Okay?

But a hospital-grade pump is a specific type of pump.

It's the one you're typically going to see at the bedside if you need to start pumping.

Medela Symphony, Ameda Platinum, Ameda Elite, these are certain brands of these pumps.

I will say they're often a lot bigger than a classic pump you're thinking.

The ones we rented out were… They almost looked like a toolbox, like went home with this.

If people were to rent them, they, they went home with this almost toolbox-looking thing as well.

So they're just typically a true hospital-grade pump is not gonna be what you're envisioning.

But they can be excellent, and they can be great.

And sometimes that is the pump that people need, though it's usually not gonna be the one that you purchase.

It will be something that's more of a rental, like a potential rental opportunity.

It would also not be something that is usually going to be covered by insurance.

So let's just work off the assumption you probably wouldn't need that long-term, so don't worry about or think, "I have to invest in a true hospital-grade pump."

That's not going to be likely for most of you.

All right, so let's move on to the next type of double electric pump.

So if you remember, we talked about that classic standard double electric, right?

Then we just talked about the hospital grade double electric.

Now, this third type is going to be a portable pump, and a portable pump is still the double electric.

We're still in that category.

It's typically going to be battery powered.

You're fully mobile.

That is the intent.

You could walk around your house, you could have this in the car, you can move about your life and still be pumping at the same time.

Now, a portable pump still has tubing.

So you have the flanges connected, and you're portable, and you're walking around, but there's the tubing that runs down to the, to the battery pack.

And so sometimes these battery packs, they hang around your neck, or sometimes you can clip them to your pants or whatever.

So you're mobile, like I said, but you do still have some sort of tubing.

some of the benefits of these portables that people really love is that mobility, of course, that we keep talking about.

They typically have a really good suction, or they are more efficient than wearables, which we're gonna get into next.

So they can be really good for those of you who are working, who you need that mobility.

Like, they still do a really good job, kind of like a classic double electric, that first type we talked about.

But they offer you that portability and mobility that so many of you are going to want or need.

Okay?

So that is the portable brands like Baby Buddha, Pumpables, things like that if you want to pull up a picture and look and see what I'm talking about.

Those are really good examples of the portable double electric pump.

Now, I just mentioned the fourth type as well, and that is going to be more of a wearable pump or a wireless or no tubing pump.

So I call these wearable pumps, and essentially these are the ones where everything fits inside of your bra.

So you have this kind of full, the motor, the flange, everything is kind of this little I don't know how to explain it.

Like a little capsule, right?

And you slide it into your bra, and then you have one on both sides, right?

Although sometimes people do buy those as a single electric option.

But typically you're gonna have both.

And the, and the battery and the collection cup, everything is inside, and so it just sits in there and you can, again, walk around, be mobile.

You have no tubing connected to any sort of battery pack because all of that, again, is the units inside of your bra.

Everything is inside of that one unit.

So people love these because they can be more discreet, although I always laugh a little bit because everyone's like, "Nobody will know you're pumping."

And I have never worn a wearable where you could not very much tell that I was pumping.

But I think for some people, they are hidden a little bit better, and it is more discreet 'cause you don't have tubing and all this stuff going on.

So you can slide them in, and that part is really great.

But when people say, "You can't tell," I'd just be a little leery of that.

I think you can usually tell if you're paying attention.

And of course, it does make some sound.

They're often quieter, as is a portable.

Some of them can be pretty quiet.

But they do make some sound as well.

But of course, these are really convenient.

They're really travel-friendly.

They're really work-friendly.

Like, there's a lot about them That feels very, very attractive, right?

So that's this wearable, no tubing, battery powered.

Some of them last, you know, for many, many hours.

So again, that traveling or the work, if you're working, like it can be really, really helpful for that.

Some of them come now with charging cases, and so the actual case can charge the pumps when you plug them back in.

So just some really cool features about the wearables.

Not surprisingly, you're you're going to see them everywhere because they have some really cool features, and they, they can be really helpful in your pumping story.

Okay, so quick, conversation about kind of a trade-off between a wearable and a portable or a classic double electric, and I want you guys to hear this because this is going to be true for a lot of you.

Okay, so mobility is often, you know, really nice.

It's one of the big marketing strategies.

You can be mobile.

These wearables are so great.

Like, you can do anything.

You can go to yoga, whatever.

So we have the wearable, and then we also have that portable, which also allows for mobility, as you know, and then you have your classic double electric.

Now, typically, the wearable, that fourth one that I talked about, that last one I spoke about, is not going to be as efficient for removing milk, and it's important for you guys to hear that because if you are thinking, "This is so cool.

One of those is gonna be a primary pump for me," and then particularly if you're gonna be someone who ends up pumping frequently or three or four times a day at work, it is very likely that a wearable pump, that fourth option, is not going to be the right choice for you because many moms complain of or report less milk output with these and less effective milk emptying.

So it's not that they don't work at all, and I am a lover of these, if we're being honest.

I have had many and tried many and really, really like having those be a part of my story.

But to consistently pump with these multiple times a day, for most, you're going to find that it's just not as efficient as a good portable or that classic double electric.

So wanted you guys to hear that.

Might not be true for you.

If we are being 100% honest, wearables, actually for me, I get out just as much with a wearable as I do with a portable or a double electric pump.

But I have also never been an exclusive pumper pumping multiple times a day.

So for me, using a wearable once a day was more than okay and more than appropriate for me.

But it would not be my choice for my all-day, everyday type of pump.

So I just wanted you guys to hear that.

Wearables are typically not going to be the best choice for a primary pump if you are going to be someone who is pumping very often.

But we're gonna get into more of that in a little bit.

Okay, quick pause for a second.

I just wanna talk to you about breastfeeding.

If this is something you are really hoping works out for the two of you, but you are also kind of low-key wondering why so many moms say it was so much harder than expected, this is for you.

I created The Breastfeeding Blueprint because I saw too many patients with a new baby on their chest and zero breastfeeding education to support the two of them in what was coming next.

This is not something that you wanna walk into without information, resources, and a place to go to when you hit those inevitable bumps in the road.

Successful breastfeeding stories start before birth, and good education means you walk into those first hours, those early days, and all the weeks and months that you are wanting to follow aware of what's normal, best steps, what's next, and how to handle challenges that might come your way.

This course will help you understand your body, your baby's body, how the two of you work together, and what to do, look for, or change when things are just not right.

Milk supply, latching routines, pumping, sore nipples, clogged ducts, bottles, it's all in here, and so much more.

If you want clarity, confidence, and education and support that will stick with you and your baby through all of it, The Breastfeeding Blueprint is it.

Head to thelabormama.com/breastfeeding, it's also linked in your show notes, and use the code podcast at checkout to save 20% and get started right now.

All right, let's get you back to your episode

So this idea of which pump should I choose, great segue, right?

This is where everyone wants that practical help.

And I don't know that anyone can tell you a specific answer, but they can just give you tips like the one I just shared, right?

So one question you can consider first is what is your insurance cover, right?

Most people in the US now have insurance that covers a breast pump every single time you have a baby, which is actually interesting, 'cause if you have multiple babies, you could potentially get a different pump, you know, with a second or a third.

So I would start there with what your insurance covers so you're not spending money unnecessarily, so you're not buying A pump that costs more or more than insurance will cover when it's really not even the right pump you need.

So insurance pump websites, you guys probably know there's lots of companies now that put you together with a pump, get it sent to you, and also do offer upgrade options if you're in the market for that, where you want something more than insurance offers, then that would likely be available to you as well.

So that leads into this second kind of consideration of are you willing to pay extra?

Is that necessary because you want a certain type of pump?

Wearables, portables, typically those are not going to be fully covered by insurance, or they… It just depends on the brand or the type.

But often they're not going to be fully covered, and so some people choose to go ahead and invest in a wearable or maybe a portable, and what they get, what you will find is the insurance will apply a certain amount to that, and then you have to cover the difference.

So just something to think about if you are, are at a place where you know you want one that is not fully covered by insurance, can you still utilize your insurance process and then get that upgrade and pay for that upgrade?

Simultaneously, I also want you considering how often do you think you're going to pump, and this might not be a question that you can answer right now when you're pregnant, and that's totally okay.

But if you're planning on exclusively breastfeeding, you know, I don't know that I would invest in multiple pumps right now.

I would take advantage of one that's fully covered by insurance, likely a standard, like, double electric pump, and then have some sort of manual pump like that hand pump I talked about.

And then if you are mostly nursing and that's the plan and that's how it plays out for you, you have a great pump.

If you should need one or find you want to use one once a day or, or whatever, those are whole conversations about why you might want to do that.

You have your manual pump if you should need that as well, and then you haven't spent anything extra, right?

Great scenario for everyone.

If you know you're gonna return to work and you're going to be frequently pumping or you're gonna be pumping four times a day per your work schedule, whatever that might look like, you might benefit from a portable.

You also could certainly use that standard classic double electric.

It's just not quite as portable, right?

And so that conversation for you I think also plays into cost and upgrades and what you think you might need.

But you might not want to necessarily jump straight to a wearable since so many, like I mentioned, report that those are not the best option for someone who's going to be pumping multiple times a day.

So that brings us the idea of I'm exclusively pumping.

Let's say you already know that, that's what you're gonna do.

Again, you're probably not going to want a wearable as your primary pump.

But maybe that or a portable as a backup, and you choose to invest or utilize insurance for that kind of standard classic workhorse double electric pump.

So again, there's no real way to say what's best, but it's kind of a scenario-based decision, financial-based decision, multiple considerations.

The last consideration I would tell you to, to think about is that of just what are the moms and those around you saying, right?

Word of mouth is valuable.

That's kind of how some of this information of, " These don't work that great," how that, that comes into play, right?

Is 'cause people are just giving feedback.

And then knowing that everybody's body does respond differently, and like I shared personally, I do really, quote-unquote, well with wearables, but I also don't exclusively pump and never had to use them in that way.

So it's kind of like you're taking everybody's advice You know, with a grain of salt, but also understanding that word of mouth can be valuable in helping, helping you choose.

Okay, last thing I would just mention is once you've chosen and once you've decided kind of how to, to make this choice, and most are gonna make it during pregnancy and have the pump and have that ready and available to you.

Most insurances kind of allow for that, where you can get it, you know, with a doctor's note or physician's note saying you're pregnant and you need this breast pump.

So let's say you have it, you're eight months pregnant, what do, what, what should you be doing with this?

So I highly suggest open that box before the baby arrives.

Do not leave it sealed until it's 2:00 AM and you're eight days postpartum, and you need to pump 'cause you need to triple feed or, or whatever might lead you to that place, right?

So I would assemble it, take it out, look at the parts, look at the buttons, learn the settings, figure out how to use it so you feel relatively efficient using it before baby is in your arms or you're at home or you're needing that pump right away.

Know that your flange size matters a lot more than you might realize.

So a lot of pumps come with a standard flange size, maybe one or two.

These might not be the right sizes for you.

So you may find that when you order your pump and you've chosen one, that you can pick the flange size you need and/or you may find that when the pump's in front of you and you open the box, whatever insurance has sent you or you've chosen, that then you need to purchase or figure out a different flange size that will be the right for you.

Your nipples can be different sizes.

It's possible you could need a different flange size on the two sides.

It's also possible that flange size could change postpartum, and you could need to make a change.

Now, I would say prepare your body, get ready, kind of go through some of this prep as things are right now.

Don't worry too much about flange size changing and, "Oh no, should I just wait?" I would be ready and be prepared.

But just know that if you're pumping later on, you feel like there's some flange sizing issues, then perhaps maybe you need to remeasure or get an LC to help you remeasure, and maybe your flange size has changed.

So I'd prepare as you are right now, but know that it's possible that your flange size could change in the postpartum period.

Signs that your flange size could be wrong, really quickly, something like pain, poor milk output, right?

So the pump just isn't very efficient.

Excessive nipple swelling and rubbing, which you will just feel and you can often see, right?

So someone can help you assess this as well, and then swelling as well.

So some different little signs or signals that maybe you should be addressing that flange size at a later point.

Okay.

So we've talked about, you know, looking, getting your hands on the parts, getting familiar with your pump.

I would also say wash them, sterilize them when you're done with them, and then store them safely so that you are ready to utilize that pump once baby is here.

Last thing that I want to quickly address is can you utilize a pump with a baby number two or three?

Now, you probably noticed that I mentioned most insurances will actually let you get a pump for each child that you have.

So could be a cool time to, you know, get a portable if you already have a great double electric.

Maybe it's not that old, and then you could potentially try something new or add to what you have for a second or a third baby, right?

I would reassess your flange size certainly because your bodies can change like we talked about.

So before a baby two or a three, wherever you're at, kind of reassess some of that.

And then replacing wear and tear parts on a pump.

So usually things like valves, membranes, backflow protectors, tubing, flanges, all of these things are replaceable and interchangeable, right?

So you've likely at this point found something that you liked with that first baby and a setup that worked.

Know that we need to replace these, and there's actually standards for how often to replace these, throughout your pump usage.

So ideally or likely you are already replacing them at different times during your prior postpartum period.

But you would want to go ahead and do that to kind of prepare yourself to potentially use that pump and pump again.

Inside of my breastfeeding course, I do talk about all of this in detail.

We go through different types of pumps.

We talk about replacing parts, what that looks like, all of that.

So you can get more on that there.

But just know that before you're prepping for, you know, a subsequent baby, there's a little bit of TLC that you need to give your pump to get it ready to pump for you again.

Okay, that's all I have for you.

I know that was a little bit kind of dry, right?

And it's a lot easier when you can put your hands on these things and see these things.

But I know you're getting a lot of information right now about a lot of fun, fancy, really pretty pumps, and I've been privileged to try a lot of them.

And I think that, you know, that's really valuable.

That's really cool that I've gotten to try a lot.

But for you, trying to decide just the one to buy it can be pretty overwhelming.

So we have the classic manuals that we talked about, the bit of different types within those, and then we have your electric pumps, right?

And now you know kind of those different qualifications for those.

Typically, most people are going to choose or have some type of manual, and that can be all you need depending on your breastfeeding story.

And then often insurance is going to cover a double electric, and then you can kind of choose does your situation, do your finances require like let's say a specific upgrade or a different type of double electric than that kind of classic workhorse style that so many are so familiar with.

So don't let that pump aisle convince you that you need all the things.

Don't let everyone overwhelm you as you consider all the things.

And know, I would say ultimately like so much in motherhood, the most expensive thing is not always the best thing.

And what works for your best friend or your sister might not be the best thing for you and your situation.

Thank you so much for listening to the Lo and Behold podcast.

I hope there was something for you in today's episode that made you think, made you laugh, or made you feel seen.

For show notes and links to the resources, freebies, or discount codes mentioned in this episode, please head over to loandbeholdpodcast.com.

If you aren't following along yet, make sure to tap subscribe or follow in your podcast app so we can keep hanging out together.

And if you haven't heard it yet today, you're doing a really good job.

A little reminder for you before you go, opinions shared by guests of this show are their own and do not always reflect those of myself and the Labor Mama platform.

Additionally, the information you hear on this podcast or that you receive via any linked resources should not be considered medical advice.

Please see our full disclaimer at the link in your show notes