Pumping tips
Time to read: 4 min.
If you need to express breast milk regularly, hands-free pumping allows you to get on with other things at the same time. Here’s how to do it quickly, easily and efficiently
Whether you’re expressing for a premature baby or building up a supply of milk, double pumping is a great way to fit it into your busy life. You can express 18% more milk on average in half as much time as pumping from each breast in turn, and the milk collected has a higher calorie content.1 But because you have to hold two breast shields (the parts of the pump set that you put on your breasts) in place while double pumping, it means you don’t have a free hand to do anything else. This is when a hands-free pumping bra can come in very useful!
Using a hands-free pumping bra means you can collect milk for your baby while you’re on your phone or laptop, reading, having a snack, or playing with an older child. It also makes it much easier to operate the breast pump controls and deal with your bottles or bags of expressed milk.
“A hands-free pumping bra and easy-access clothes save me time and allow me to multitask at work. I book a mums’ room and find I’m able to work and pump at the same time,” says Natalie, mum of one, US.
The Medela Easy Expression bustier has the added benefit of a strap-free design, which means you can pop it on quickly and easily when you need to pump and remove it without fuss when you’ve finished.
“Double pumping using a bustier saved my shoulders from aching and allowed me to get stuff done (or at least eat and have a cup of tea!) while expressing – something I was doing constantly as mum to a premature baby in NICU for six weeks,” says Suzanne, mum of one, UK.
The Medela Easy Expression Bustier holds the two breast shields of your double breast pump gently in place while you express, and is easy to wear and use – just follow these instructions:
Step 1
Put the Medela Easy Expression Bustier on and fasten the hook at the top – this is designed to make it easier to zip up from the bottom.
Step 2
Zip up the bustier.
Step 3
Insert a breast shield on each breast under the bustier. The bustier material is very stretchy, allowing space for you to do this, but you can also unfasten the zip temporarily if this helps. Your nipple should be centred in the breast shield tunnel, which fits through the hole in each side.
Step 4
Attach a connector to each breast shield, and you’re ready to pump hands-free.
Like all aspects of breastfeeding, it can take a little time to become proficient at hands-free expressing. Follow these tips to keep yourself comfortable and maximise your milk flow:
1 Prime DK et al. Simultaneous breast expression in breastfeeding women is more efficacious than sequential breast expression. Breastfeed Med. 2012;7(6):442-447.
2 Kent JC et al. Importance of vacuum for breastmilk expression. Breastfeed Med. 2008;3(1):11-19.
3 Geddes DT. Inside the lactating breast: the latest anatomy research. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2007;52(6):556-563.
4 Morton J et al. Combining hand techniques with electric pumping increases milk production in mothers of preterm infants. J Perinatol. 2009;29(11):757.
Articles that may be of interest