Breastfeeding Tips & Breast Pump Guide | Lactation Connection

Recently, several moms have contacted us regarding the smallest flange a manufacturer makes still being too big.  Moms are reporting that too much of the areola is being pulled into the tunnel of the breast flange and they are not emptying their breast well when pumping.   From what I have seen in my twenty-eight years experience in the lactation field, this problem is occurring more and more today than it did in the past.   One explanation is that there is currently a culture of over-hydrating.   How can water be bad?    Of course water is a good thing, but hyperhydration causes lower milk supply by causing the body to excrete more fluids rather than making more milk and it actually changes your skin turgor aka elasticity. This is why these recommendations can help you when the smallest breast flange is still too big. Reducing water intake to normal “drink to thirst” levels rather than over hydrating with a large number of ounces per ...

Recently, we have been researching the effectiveness of small breast flanges for moms who are trying aftermarket brands in 15mm.  Most manufacturer's do not offer flanges that small.  This mom in particular was having difficulty because even a 15mm was too large.  A smaller flange can often be too large if too much of the areola is being pulled in and the milk sinuses are not being compressed properly at the breast shield. This problem can ofte be solved with a silicone insert or silicone breast shield.  So where a 15mm plastic flange may be too large, a 15-19 mm silicone breast shield such as the x-small and small super shields by Pumpin' Pal will work very well.  The reason is the material.  Silicone helps hold the breast tissue in place whereas the hard plastic flange will allo the tissue to be draw in too far. If you have tried a silicone shield, and still need to the areola to be held in place more efficiently, rolling the silicone so that it suc...