Breast pumps hold the important task of expressing milk from your breasts to use to feed your baby and to help to stimulate milk production and maintain a healthy supply. When you are new to using a breast pump, the whole experience can seem intimidating. What size flange do you use? What is the letdown mode and how do you use it? There are a lot of questions. This post is designed to introduce you to the various parts of your pump and help you know when to replace them.
If you are looking for information on the differences between manual and electric breast pumps, this blog is a great resource. If you are researching silicone pumps, click here.
The Different Parts of an Electric Breast Pump:
Motor
While these are shrinking in size over the years, the pump motor is often the largest part of your breast pump. This is often the base of the pump, where the buttons and various settings are located.
Tubing
The tubing is the simple clear plastic pipe or tube that connects the flanges to the pump motor. No milk will get into this tubing but over time you might get condensation build up here. Many pumps come with backup tubing, and offer additional tubing to purchase as you need it.
Flanges
Flanges are also known as breast shields. They are cone-shaped, plastic horns which fit over the breast, with the nipple in the center. Most pumps will come with a few flanges in different sizes, and offer a wider range for purchase. Using the right sized flange makes all the difference in your pumping journey. We have a complete flange guide that gives loads of helpful information and a free tool to make sure that you have accurate sizing information.
Valves
The valve is a small plastic piece or pieces which sit at the bottom of the flange, fitted in with a membrane. The membrane lets pumped milk fall into the storage bottle. These are specific to your pump so be sure to remember which pump you have before you purchase additional valves.
Membranes
The membrane is a flexible little piece of plastic that is attached to the valve. It helps to create suction, and it is the part of the pump which will need replacing the most. A worn out membrane can negatively affect the performance and effectiveness of your pump, and can even cause you to pump less. Like valves, most pumps use unique membranes.
Milk Collection Bottles
Milk storage bottles connect to the flanges. They collect milk as you pump. There are multiple solutions for collection bottles. Your pump will likely come with a set of small bottles. And most major pump brands offer additional bottles for purchase. You can find stand alone storage solution that are freezer safe and remove one more step from the pumping process.
Storage Solutions
disposable plastic bags, reusable silicone bags, bottles, pitchers and other solutions can be used to refrigerate and freeze breast milk for storage after pumping.
Some items in an electric breast pump are fixed, but there are others that would need to be replaced regularly.
Tubing
The tubing that connects the pump to the flanges and provides suction. It should be replaced every once in a while.
What Parts Need Replaced and When:
Bottles, Flanges, and Tubing
These larger pump parts generally will wear out over time but not frequently. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on them to watch for cracks, weak spots, or other general signs of wear. When you see that a part is getting older, replace it so that your pumping journey isn’t halted or interrupted.
Having extras on hand allows you to swap out a set of flanges or bottles and continue to pump without having to wash them before each session. This will also extend their life as you are sharing the amount of use each one gets.
Valves and Membranes
These need to be replaced quite often, depending on how frequently you pump. If they do start to wear down, they will directly affect how much milk you express by decreasing suction. They are also quite hard to wash, so it is best to replace them for hygienic purposes as well.
Your Pump
Breast pumps have small motors. You might need to replace your pump if it starts to wear out over the course of your breastfeeding journey. This is more the case for exclusive pumpers or moms who use wearable pumps with smaller motors. Pumps might also need replaced between kids. If you have a pump from your first pregnancy and heavily relied upon it, you might need to look into getting a new one if you plan to have another pregnancy.
Breast Pump Accessories
You are not destined to use your pump as it comes straight out of the box. There are a number of accessories that can help make pumping easier or more comfortable. Some of these accessories are lights that help make middle of the night (MOTN) pumps easier. Others might help you achieve a better fit with your flange by decreasing the size of the tunnel.
BeauGen Breast Pump Cushions
Our cushions check multiple boxes. These comfortably reduce the size of the flange tunnel which help moms get a better fit with their flanges. They also place a protective barrier between your sensitive skin and the hard plastic of the flange. Yes, our cushions eliminate the painful friction you feel when pumping. They form to your body’s shape and move with your skin so that you are protected from irritation that can be caused by imperfections in the plastic as well.
Cleaning Your Breast Pump
It is so incredibly important to properly wash and sterilize your breast pump after each use. This stops the spread of germs and cleans leftover or residue milk from different parts of the breast pump.
You should clean every part of your breast pump, especially those that come into contact with your breast or milk. This includes breast shields, bottle lids, valves, membranes, connectors, and breast milk bottles. You only need to wash the tubing when there is visible residue or condensation. It’s a good idea to wipe down the outside of your pump or pump motor with a cloth or wipe to keep it clean as well. If you use a bag or cooler for storing pump parts, or breast milk in between pumps, you’ll want to clean this as well.
You can wash your breast pump either in a sink or in the dishwasher. If you are placing the parts and bottles in the sink until you wash them, or washing them by hand in the sink, try to keep the parts away from other dishes and try not to let them touch the sink if possible. Having a plastic tub on hand makes this a lot easier. For when and how to clean your breast pump parts check out this blog post.
Knowing Your Breast Pump
Not too long ago, moms went with whatever breast pump was covered by their insurance, if they had one covered by insurance. However, the options available to moms have grown in number and type of pump. Now moms are choosing from double electric to wearable breast pumps. No matter what pump you chose, it’s important to do a bit of research and read the manual. Many pump brands have great FAQ sections on their websites complete with videos so that you can learn how to use your pump effectively.