Breast Pump Cushions Versus Flange Inserts

Pumping mothers have more options available to them today than ever before. From manual pumps all the way to hands free wearable pumps, sizing aids to breast pump accessories, there is now a whole industry around lactation and expressing breast milk. This many options might sound like a positive for pumping moms. However, it can make learning to pump and finding what you need not only difficult, but expensive. For example, let’s take a look at our BeauGen Breast Pump Cushions versus Flange Inserts. 

Breast Pump Flange Inserts

Flange inserts are growing in popularity because they are a quick and easy way to make the flanges that come with your flange work for your body. But they aren’t always as great as they first appear to be. In this post, we’re going to walk through some of the downsides to using flange inserts compared to our versatile Breast Pump Cushions.

Are BeauGen Breast Pump Cushions flange inserts? While yes, you do insert your cushions into your flange, most breast pump flange inserts are specifically designed to be sizing aids. Our cushions do actively reduce the amount of available space inside the tunnel of your breast pump flange, that is actually a secondary benefit. More on this in a moment.

Friction

One of the most common causes of pain for pumping mothers is due to friction. Breast pump flanges are made from a hard plastic cone. Our bodies conform to this conical shape. There are two areas or ways in which friction can cause a mother pain. 

The first is a hard ridge that is formed where the cone of the flange meets the tunnel. In some flanges this is more pronounced. When your skin repeatedly moves across this ridge it can cause friction or irritation. 

The second is in the actual tunnel of the breast pump flange itself. Not properly aligning your nipples in the tunnel, or using the wrong size flange can cause your nipple tissue to rub against the plastic wall of the tunnel. Over time this can cause pain, irritated skin, and even bleeding. 

Being made of the same hard plastic means that these sizing inserts may increase the number of hard angles in proximity to your sensitive skin, causing further irritation and pain. 

Movement

Being made of the same plastic as the flange means that there is a possibility that your flange inserts can shift or move as you pump. Any movement at all means that your skin can get caught between them and the breast pump flange. 

An Insert for Every Flange

Many flange inserts are designed to solve the sizing of a specific brand of breast pump flange. Moms who pump typically try different types of pumps. Others have had different insurances or changes in their insurance plans which lead to different pumps being covered. If you have two different types of pumps, that means you typically need two different types of flange inserts. BeauGen Breast Pump Cushions are compatible with almost all major breast pump brands. You can take one pair of cushions and use them with your double electric pump at home and in your hands free wearable pump at work. 

Imagine being at work, or at an event, and you need to pump. You open your breast pump bag and your heart sinks. You’ve grabbed the wrong combination of flange and sizing inserts. Now you’re stuck trying to make it work or pumping with an improper fit. 

BeauGen Breast Pump Cushions

Farewell Friction

Our patent pending Breast Pump Cushions are specifically designed to reduce painful friction. The soft and stretchy material of the cushions moves with your skin and creates a dreamy barrier between it and the hard plastic of the flange. 

Proper Alignment

The cushions are clear in color to help mothers achieve proper alignment with their breast pump flanges. If you desire even more visibility, you can rub a bit of coconut oil onto the cushions. Some moms find placing the cushion directly onto their breast makes achieving proper alignment easier than inserting it into the flange and then bringing the flange to their breast. 

Compatibility

You don’t need a different cushion for your various breast pump flanges. Our cushions work with most major pumps. Simply pop them out of one flange, clean them, and insert them into a different flange. If you need to, you can even use them in conjunction with the breast pump flange inserts. Just remember that the cushions further decrease your overall flange size by 2 millimeters.