Pumpin’ ain’t easy.
It’s a never-ending job that you do out of love for your child, but that
takes time and attention away from the rest of your day. It might be your job that you’re having to
put on a quick time-out, or even time with your child(ren) being
disrupted. Neither is fun!
So, if it’s painful to pump, that makes an already daunting
task even less inviting. The standard
flanges that come with most commercial pumps are not exactly shaped for comfort
– they’re sort of shaped like a megaphone, with the part into which you put
your nipple going straight back. This
isn’t the most efficient – you have to sit straight up for fear of milk dribbling
out the bottom, and since your baby usually isn’t being held directly out in
front of you but down a little ways, it’s not the same angle at which a baby
nursing would suck. That would be at
more of a 45-degree angle downward. This
weird angle can cause chafing and discomfort during the pumping process.
Enter the Pumpin Pal.
(LINK) These are a set of flanges that are designed
to mimic the baby’s mouth. The base of
it is angled downward, which is similar to the angle at which your breast would
be in a nursing baby’s mouth. Here is a
side-by-side comparison of the two flanges:
You get three different pairs of flanges when ordering – a M,
L, and XL. The reason for this is
because your breasts will undergo changes during the nursing process, and you
might need different sizes at different times.
Or, you might need one size on one breast, and another on the other. (Don’t judge, it happens!) Since the flanges are more similar to the
suction a baby’s mouth provides, they are much, MUCH more comfortable. I’ve used them for the past ten days, and
have had the same amount of output with much less pain. I’ve found that going down a size from what I
expected has also had a slight amount of help in my milk output, which was a
wonderful surprise!
I’ve been able to tailor which flange I use for the amount
of engorgement I have, which is really nice – and I can switch out the flanges
in the middle of a pump session to get more contact with the breast when some
of that engorgement has been relieved. Another
benefit of the angled neck is that you can actually lean back in your chair
without worrying about getting milk all over your lap!
I liked the Pumpin Pal flanges so much that I bought a set
to give away. Checkout and “like” our
Facebook page to enter:
We’ll
draw for a winner on 1/12/15!
