[/caption]Hi,As we promised you, we present you Hristina Yaneva, a lactation consultant at the National Association Support for Breastfeeding. Hristina is among the first trained consultants and vice-chairperson of the association. She is a co-lector of the trainings that are held together with Dr. Aneta Popivanova, pediatrician-neonatologist and Chairperson of the National Association Support for Breastfeeding. Especially for the moms who are Chipolino fans, Hristina readily shared her competent and smart tips regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of breastfeeding pumps. Here they come:“If you plan to look after your child at home and you are not about to go back to work or lectures soon after you have given birth to your baby, then you do not need a breastfeeding pump at all. In this case, it is not necessary to buy a breastfeeding pump before the baby delivery. It is better to wait and see how things go. It is good to be well-informed about the various types of breastfeeding pumps and to have shown to your baby’s dad what you prefer so that he knows what exactly to buy when/if it becomes necessary. It is also a good idea to know how to drain by hand your milk; it is convenient and practical skill, if you accidentally happen to have excessive milk.[caption id="attachment_306" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Breastfeeding Pump With a Valve, Source: http://xedra.wordpress.com"]
[/caption]When for certain reasons such as going back to work, lectures, premature baby, twins, you expect a period of continuous drainage of all the excess milk from your milk ducts or the baby is not able to suck effectively the breast milk, then the pump can help you keep your breast milk until the problems are being solved.[caption id="attachment_308" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The Syringe-Type of Breast Pump, Source: http://xedra.wordpress.com"]
[/caption]There is a wide variety of breastfeeding pumps on the market. These are mechanical (hand), mini electric, electric pumps with automatic drain cycle, high consumer electric pumps class and a hospital class electric pumps.The mechanical (hand) pumps create vacuum in various ways – through squeezing of a rubber balloon, sliding of cylinders (a syringe type) or the use of silicon valve. The power of the created vacuum is very different. In particular, it is lowest when the rubber balloon is squeezed, highest with the syringe type and is best controlled with the pumps with a silicon valve. The pumps with a balloon squeezing and the syringe type are often regarded as the least effective. Besides, they also lead to breast trauma and breast milk reduction. Usually, the pumps with the silicon valve are the most convenient and effective in the hand pumps class.[caption id="attachment_309" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The Mini Electric Breast Pump, Source: http://xedra.wordpress.com"]
[/caption]The mini electric pumps do not require muscle force to create vacuum. Still, the release of the vacuum and the control of its force are done by hand through the pushing of a button to imitate the sucking rhythm. The low price and the expected better result thanks to the electrically created vacuum of the mini electric pumps make them attractive. However, the action of these pumps almost always does not meet expectations. Moms complain from different issues with the pump. For instance, either the vacuum is too weak or too strong. As a result, moms suffer from unpleasant injuries and sore breast. These pumps do not shorten the time needed for breast drain and practically are not superior to good hand pump.In the electric pumps with an automated cycle, the power of the vacuum and the frequency of its release are programmed and can be matched to a certain extent with the particular needs. This allows convenient drainage without the need to hold the nozzles. Some brands offer the option of a simultaneous drain of both breasts. However, usually, in this type of pumps the power of the vacuums is at the expense of the drain effectiveness.The consumer electric pumps class is meant mainly for working moms who are separated from their kids throughout the day. The pumps are compact and available in a set of bag with the necessary bottles to allow ultimum comfort and mobility. Most of them ensure simultaneous drain of both breasts, save time and better stimulate the breasts. These pumps can be very useful to moms of premature babies or babies who do not suck. The disadvantage of these pumps is their extremely high price for Bulgarians’ living standard”.[caption id="attachment_310" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="National Association Support for Breastfeeding, Source: Facebook"]
[/caption]We would like to remind you that you can call the lactation consultants on the National Hotline 0896 418 488 as well on their website. The association will readily welcome you in its consultative cabinets at the University Maternity Hospital in Sofia, in the St. Marina Medical Centre in Varna and in the Vita Medical Centre in Pazardzik.The association has lactation consultants in Aytos, Blagoevgrad, Varna, Gabrovo, Kurdzali, Pazardzik, Pernik, Plovdiv, Pleven, Sevlievo, Sofia, Stara Zagora and Haskovo.