Breastfeeding Tips & Breast Pump Guide | Lactation Connection

Finding the right breast pump flange size is your first concern when starting to pump, but as you continue to pump exclusively or for working and breastfeeding, investing in a more comfortable flange can help not only your body, but your baby's milk supply.  Pumpin' Pal Super Shields offer a multitude of benefits including: Eliminating constriction of milk ducts that can be cause by traditional flanges  Promoting better milk flow Helping prevent plugged milk ducts and mastitis Reducing nipple irritation Saving mom from back aches caused by leading forward While Pumpin' Pal Super Shields are effective in most cases, you will want to know if and how they fit with your breast pump before you invest in these breast flanges.  Pumpin' Pal M-XL work best with breast pump brands that have two piece breast shields such as Medela, Lansinoh and Hygeia . Pumpin' Pal Small and X-Small include an adapter to work with two piece breast shields. Again, ...

One of the most common breastfeeding questions we get is regarding a mom's breast pump.  What breast shield size will work best?  Choosing the correct breast pump flange is even more essential than choosing the correct nursing bra size , although both are important.  The figure below shows what a correct fitment inside your breast pump flange should look like. It is imperative that there is enough room to draw the nipple into the flange so that the areola is compressed where the lactiferous sinuses are located.  As you can see from the image below, the lactiferous sinuses are located about an inch behind the nipple.   This is where the majority of the milk pools before milk ejection which is why it is essential to compress the sinuses properly when pumping.  If the flange is too small, the nipple is compressed and not the milk sinuses.   If the breast shield you received with your breast pump does not fit properly as in the ...