We’ve dug deep into the world of breast pumps and have spoken to International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, Registered Nurses Health Visitors and insurers in order to be able to offer the most useful selection of breast pumps on Baboodle. Below is a list of things you need to be aware of when picking your pump, so you can make a fully informed choice for you and your baby.
First and foremost - hygiene.
The manufacturer will label a breast pump either ’single user’ or ‘multi user’. This is based on two things:
1. Whether it is an ‘open’ or ‘closed’ system.
In an open system it is possible for milk to be drawn up the tubing and into the motor housing, which poses a theoretical risk of cross infection. A closed system means that there is a milk barrier to prevent the milk leaking into the pump mechanism, so the breast milk can never touch the working parts of the pump that are shared.
Whilst there have never been any reported cases of infection passing between mothers via breast pumps, it’s important to note that there is no way to guarantee that the pump can be 100% disinfected between uses by different mothers. Even with a closed system, there is a small possibility that milk particles may have entered the system.
2. The motor mechanism
Multi-user breast pumps have a more powerful, robust, and durable motor, which has been designed to last for years with intensive use. Personal use pumps have a less powerful motor with a shorter lifespan.
So...what do we do to make the pumps we offer as safe and hygienic as possible?
- All of our pumps are closed system pumps
- All of our pump collection kits are sterilised inline with manufacturer guidance to avoid contamination and replaced regularly to ensure there’s no deterioration. We also offer the option to buy these new.
- With all of our personal use pumps we keep a rough log of the number of hours they have been in use. When they’re approaching the end of their expected lifespan we will take them out of circulation to ensure we’re not putting pumps out there with a less effective pumping mechanism.
- All of our pumps are PAT tested annually.
- We offer this multi-user pump for 100% guaranteed hygiene and safety.
What will you be using the pump for?
There’s no two ways about it - pumping (and breastfeeding in general) is a complicated beast, and different pumps serve a different purpose.
It is important to highlight that while the Elvie definitely serves an incredibly useful role by being so discreet and portable, it isn’t a good choice in isolation if you’re just getting started on your breastfeeding journey. It’s designed to be small enough to fit in your bra, but a byproduct of that is that its motor isn’t particularly powerful, and can therefore have an impact on your supply if you’re using it before your supply has been established.
If you’ve already established your supply, or are using it in conjunction with another pump and sometimes need to pump on the go, by all means use the Elvie. It’s the perfect pump if you’re headed back to work, or are away from your baby for chunks of the day.
But early on and for the short term we’d recommend a more powerful pump such as the Spectre.
If you need any help at all in picking the pump that’s right for your, or if you’d like to discuss any questions you have about our cleaning process, get in touch at hello@baboodle.co.uk