WHY WOULD I RENT A HOSPITAL GRADE PUMP INSTEAD OF BUYING PERSONAL GRADE ONE? FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Learning how to use a Hospital Grade electric breast pump can take time and dedication, but is well worth the effort. Read below information to help set you on the path to successful expressing with the help of such breast pump.
In the first month after birth, your milk supply is switching itself on and learning how to make bigger and bigger quantities of milk each day. This continues until it gets to the point where it can make exactly what your baby needs to keep them growing over the next 6 months.
Usually, this happens by babies feeding at the breast as often as they want; this is usually between 8-12 times per day.
Our milk supply starts out as colostrum. Colostrum is usually very yellow in colour and is much thicker than the milk you will have a few days after birth. Colostrum is also really tiny in volume. This is totally normal.
On day one, baby may only be drinking about a teaspoon of your milk at each feed! But, between 24-72 hours after birth, your milk will “come in.”
This means that the volume of milk your breasts produce will RAPIDLY grow! by day four, you will be making about 400ml each day. By day 7-14 you will probably be making about 700-800ml each day.
This time of milk growth is very important. What your breasts are doing in this first month is making sure that the milk cells can produce enough milk for the next 6 months and beyond.
Usually, the amount of milk you are making by the end of the first month is what you will keep making each day for the next 6 months. Yes, you heard that right, babies drink about the same amount every day from the age of 1 month to 6 months! And, they still double their weight from birth.
What does ‘hospital-grade breast pump’ mean?
Hospital-grade breast pumps are breast pumps with powerful motors that are typically used in a hospital setting but can also be rented on a weekly & monthly basis for personal use. However, when using a hospital-grade breast pump, each mom still needs her own accessory kit.
A doctor or lactation consultant may recommend a hospital-grade pump for a few different reasons. The most common one is to help moms establish their milk supply. If your baby is born premature, has health issues or has to spend time in the NICU, a hospital-grade breast pump helps your milk come in with enough supply, even if the start of breastfeeding is delayed. Other reasons these medical-grade pumps might be recommended are for moms with twins, those with lactation issues or those who just need the extra-strength pumping power.
Benefits
1. Effectiveness
Hospital-grade pumps are more powerful and effective than many personal-use pumps. This added strength better mimics your baby’s natural stimulation and removal of milk, which is especially helpful for moms in that first month or so when they’re still establishing a milk supply. Because hospital-grade breast pump rentals are typically by month, moms can benefit from their extra strength when they need to early on, and then continue pumping with a personal-use option later.
2. Efficiency
Because these pumps are so powerful, they’re also more efficient. That translates to shorter pumping sessions, which is great for moms who have to pump often or quickly or who want to store a large quantity of milk. More milk in less time? That’s a no-brainer. Another plus is their durability—as they’re typically used by multiple moms, these pumps are built to last.
3 . Great for exclusively pumping
While many moms can benefit from a hospital-grade pump, they are an especially good fit for those moms who need or choose to pump, who have medical issues that require a high-powered pump, or whose babies have difficulty latching and nursing. This pump helps build a strong milk supply when a baby isn’t nursing directly by regularly “emptying” the breasts to stimulate and maintain milk production.