Breastfeeding can be a real challenge for some mamas, which is completely normal and okay! I, myself, was one of the lucky women that had a challenging time adjusting to breastfeeding life. I believe “fed is best” but it was very important to me that my daughter receive my breastmilk so I turned to pumping for help! Here are 3 pumps that I have used and loved during my journey: 

Hand Pump 

Using a haaka pump can be extremely helpful for multiple different reasons. I found breastfeeding EXTREMELY painful and believe much of the pain was due to my nipples being inverted. So, I would use the haaka pump to pull my nipples out a bit before feeding to alleviate some of the pain. Having a haaka also was super helpful in creating a freezer stash of milk! Every time I would breastfeed I would put the haaka on the opposite side and collect all that liquid gold! 

Mom Tip: use the haaka pump to help release a clogged milk duct! Just add a little Epsom salt to warm water and pop that bad boy on for about 20 minutes and it helps so much! 

Everyday Pump 

For my everyday pump, I use the Motif Luna. It has good suctions and comfortable flanges. However, I recommend using a nipple measuring tool to measure your exact nipple size to determine if you need to order different size flanges or inserts than what comes with the pump. I was using the flange that came in the box for a while before I learned they weren’t my size and it definitely caused damage. 

Hands Free Pump 

I tried one of the popular “top tier” hands free pumps and absolutely did not have a good experience with it. It was painful and had way too many parts to clean. I gave up for a while before giving this one I found on Amazon that was a THIRD of the price! It is comfortable, easy to clean, easy to add inserts to, and make being on the go so much easier! 

These three pumps have been essential to my breastfeeding journey and I hope that they will be of help to you as well! 

Keep at it, mama! You got this! Breastfeeding is a beautiful and challenging journey but with the right resources you can conquer it no problem!