Top 5 Tips to Successful Exclusive Pumping

There are two groups of women who exclusively pump their breast milk. The first does it out of necessity in cases when the baby cannot nurse directly from the breast e.g. premature baby, flat nipples, tongue-tied baby etc. The second group does it out of choice. Perhaps because they don’t particularly enjoy breastfeeding but still see the importance of breast milk.

Honestly, I do not know which category I fall in.

Breastfeeding has always been something I really wanted to do, but because latching on was so painful and difficult, and I have a problem with leaking a lot on the other side, I’ve embraced exclusive pumping.

Anyhoo, here are my top 5 tips to successful long-term exclusive pumping:

1. Invest in a good pump that suits your lifestyle

my beloved manual Medela breast pump

With Ayub I used the electric Spectra pump, which was wonderful. However it grew tiring to have to sit near an electrical outlet, was troublesome to move, and obviously couldn’t be used anywhere but at home. I missed sessions when going out and eventually quit pumping after only 2 months.

I love my manual Medela. I’m in complete control of the speed and suction. It’s super lightweight and portable so I can pump when I’m out and in the car.


2. Correct flange size

Originally I just used the flange that came with the pump, which was size M. During the second week I was pumping as normal, but when I looked at the milk, it was tinged pink, and I realized that my nipple was torn and blood was dripping out. I nearly cried as it was the early stages of pumping, I was exhausted, and had to throw the milk down the sink.

I later switched to size L. But 2 weeks ago, my nipples started tearing again. Very badly. So I switched to XL and all is good.

3. Lanolin

lanolin is magic in a tube

You are gonna have some soreness and tears once in a while. Smear lanolin after pumping and delicate skin heals super fast.