breast pump best

If you are a mom going back to work full time, a double electric hospital grade pump is probably best. These pumps allow you to express both breasts at once. They can also pump at about the same speed that you would nurse a baby. Keep in mind that hospital grade pumps can be very expensive, though you can find them for rent. Talk to someone at your hospital or your lactation consultant to find out more information about renting one.

If you will not be separated from your baby for very long, a hand pump is fine to use. You will need to manually squeeze these in order to create the suction to pump your breast. Hand pumps are much smaller and quieter then electric pumps, though they would probably be inconvenient for long term milk expression. The Avent manual breast pump is a favorite of many Moms. Some women have even used two Avent pumps when returning to work.

Another option is to hand express. Hand expression can be used to pump to supplement your babies nursing needs, such as if you are gone for a few hours, as well as longer term. Some women find that hand expression is easier then using a pump. Knowing how to hand express is also helpful for engorgement and an oversupply of milk. Here is an explanation of one manual expression technique.