“How do wearable breast pumps work?”
It’s one of the biggest questions we get about the new Lansinoh Wearable Pump. Pumping mamas spend a lot of quality time with their pumps. So, it’s only natural for you to wonder, what exactly is going on in there?
That’s why we tapped into the science behind our wearable pump to see how it helps with milk production. (Spoiler alert: It’s the same technology as our double electric pumps.)
Curious minds, read on!
How Babies Nurse
To understand how breast pumps work, it helps to first understand your baby’s natural feeding pattern, a.k.a. the inspiration for all our pumps. One of the most incredible facts about breastfeeding is that babies are born with all the skills they need to breastfeed right away.
Newborns have a sucking reflex that’s activated when something touches the roof of their mouth, whether that something is a breast, a bottle, or a finger. When breastfeeding, they move their tongue in a wavelike motion. The movement stimulates the nerves inside your nipples, which triggers the release of prolactin and oxytocin. These hormones tell your body to make and release breastmilk, respectively. Your body needs this stimulation on a regular, frequent basis to keep up with the supply and demand of milk production.
And how cool is this? Baby’s feeding pattern changes over the course of each feeding. They’ll start with quick, shallow sucks to encourage let-down. Eventually, they will switch to deeper, more rhythmic sucks as milk begins to flow and your little one takes time to swallow.
You and your baby work together in rhythm to help them get the nutrition they need – that’s the beauty of Mother Nature!
How Our Breast Pump Mimics Baby’s Feeding Pattern
No machine can drain milk from a mom’s breasts quite as well as her baby can. But breast pump technology is constantly improving, and the newest and most efficient models come pretty darn close. Even wearable pumps that have no wires or cords!
The Lansinoh Wearable Pump was designed with to mirror the way your little one feeds when they’re breastfeeding:
Two-phase technology: At the beginning of a breastfeeding session, a baby will do quick, short suctions to encourage milk to start letting down from your breast. Our Wearable Pump starts in the let-down phase to mimic this feeding pattern in order to get your milk to let down. After 2 minutes it automatically changes to the Expression phase with longer pulls to draw more milk out (just like how your baby nurses).
Three customizable pumping styles: Every baby is unique, right down to the way they feed. Some babies take little sips, other babies take big gulps. Our Wearable Pump offers three pumping styles so you can choose the one that most closely matches the way your baby feeds when they’re breastfeeding for a more efficient pumping experience.
It can help to imagine the pumping suction in the form of a wave, like a sound wave. The difference in the three pumping styles comes down to the frequency and duration of each waveform. Are they faster and sharper, or are they slower and more controlled?
Eight levels of suction: Once you land on your preferred pumping style, you can adjust the suction strength to maximize your milk flow. As the suction increases, the cycle speed will decrease to create a stronger, slower suction. And the Wearable Pump memory function will remember your strength and pumping style settings for your next pumping sesh—no need for an app!
Decoding ‘Hospital Strength’
As you shop around for a breast pump you’re bound to notice the term “hospital strength.” That’s because in the past the pumps available in hospitals were known to perform better and have more features than pumps designed for moms to use at home.
Hospital strength technology is ideal when pumping becomes medically necessary—for example, if your baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or you’re struggling to feed multiples. But now, just about anyone can enjoy a hospital strength pump to help them express breastmilk and build up their stash.
All this to say, our Wearable Pump is small but mighty. Inside each motor, tiny discs spin at 21,000 oscillations per second to generate 280 mmHg of vacuum power. In fact, it’s the same powerful motor you’ll find inside our Smartpump 2.0 and 3.0 double electric pumps, just shrunken down to fit inside a smaller, more lightweight device.
Pumping Freedom Is Here
So, is a wearable breast pump right for you? If you’re looking for a pump that can keep up with the demands of feeding your little one while also fitting seamlessly into your daily routine, it’s worth considering.
At Lansinoh, we’re all about supporting new moms and making your lives easier. The Lansinoh Wearable Pump is part of that promise. It works as hard as you do so you can pump comfortably and conveniently—and get on with your crazy-busy, beautiful life.
Ready to try a hands-free wearable breast pump? Learn more and shop here.
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