Manual Breast Pumps

If you are thinking of using a breast pump, there are plenty of different kinds to choose from. Interestingly, many of them are electric or battery operated and it almost makes you think that manual breast pumps are a blast from the past. Yet when delving a bit deeper into the issue, you will find that there are actually entire websites devoted to manual breast pump reviews, proving that the manual breast pump is still as popular as ever, albeit with only a certain clientele. Perhaps the biggest advantage that a manual pump has over an electric one is the fact that it is far less expensive and thus will be more affordable for more moms.

Before you invest your money and purchase an electric or manual breast pump, do your homework and know what to expect. For example, if you plan on pumping a lot – which usually happens if you are planning on going back to work and you will need to provide breast milk for your infant for a large number of feedings while you are away from her or him – then an electric model will make sense. On the other hand, if you do think that you will be using the pump a lot, but instead might make use for the occasional meal that your baby will receive via bottle from a babysitter or to simply relieve some engorgement, then manual breast pumps will work just fine and in fact may relieve your engorgement better since you can control the amount of pumping you will do.

Similarly, if your baby has the habit of nursing on breast while not emptying the other completely, then one of the quiet manual breast pumps will work just fine to empty the other breast without upsetting your little angel if she or he falls asleep. There are a wide variety of manual breast pumps on the market; the Gerber manual breast pump usually receives good reviews, which is also the case for the Avent Isis manual breast pump. Other big names are the Evenflow breast pump for manual users and the Medela manual breast pump. No matter which of the manual breast pumps on the market you will choose for yourself, make sure it is easy to operate, clean, assemble and take apart again. You do not want to through a lot of trouble to express your milk, so make sure that the pump works for you – not the other way around!