Nothing that makes me roll my eyes quite like scrolling Instagram and seeing the latest and greatest wearable pump being advertised by some “mother”, who supposedly can Olympic lift, try out for the Russian ballet, and take a nap while pumping 8oz of breastmilk in a 20 minute session. How many unrealistic expectations can we put on mothers in a 45 second reel? Raise your hand if you have been personally victimized by breast pump marketing.

Okay, so rant over. Let's talk about how to overcome the hysteria.

Here is the deal, for the majority of mothers using a secondary pump system, they will not receive as efficient of a milk removal as her primary pump. Despite what marketing might suggest, you can not trying out for your local cheer team while wearing secondary pumps. Now maybe you can pump while working on a shop floor, running rounds through a hospital, or simply chasing your toddler around the house. Secondary pumps can be very helpful to your breastfeeding journey, but lets talk about how to protect our supply when utilizing a non-traditional breast pump.

Before discussing non-traditional ways, let’s discuss the most traditional way. If you choose to purchase one breast pump, always choose to purchase a “primary pump”. These are pumps, which are double-electric pumps, they are larger with a robust motor. They do not have to be “hospital grade” though. When utilizing these pumps, you also are wearing a normal flange-bottle setup. Some great examples of primary pumps are Spectra S1/S2, Spectra Gold, or a Unimom Opera+. When you have a well-fitting flange, comfortable pumping accessories, and appropriate pump settings: your primary pump should provide the most efficient & effective pump sessions.
**Baby Buddha & Pumpables Genie Advance are small pumps, but are mighty enough that many lactation professionals suggest they can be defined as a primary pump.

Now, let’s discuss reality. If you are an exclusive pumper or you pump exclusively while at work, there is a likelihood that sitting down and having the time to pump for every pump session hooked to the wall might just not be feasible. Thankfully, we live in the time when not all pump sessions have to look like that. However, if you learn one thing from this blog, I want you to understand pumping with a secondary pump system is RARELY as effective as pumping with your primary pump. So ALWAYS prioritize a primary pump session over a secondary pump session.

So what is a secondary pump? A secondary pump is essentially anything that is not a primary pump. It might be a smaller, mobile pump, might be a Spectra S1 with collection cups, or could be an entire wearable pump system. If your pump session is not done with a pump that fits the requirements of a primary pump AND/OR include flanges, then it is a secondary pump session.

As I suggested above, anything that does not meet the requirements of a primary pump is a secondary pump, but not every pump that is a secondary pump is a wearable pump. A wearable pump is defined by breast pumps that the container and entire motor is in your pumping bra. Wearable pumps have improved greatly over the years, but be cautious when purchasing these products. They are not all made the same and they often can be over priced and underproducing. They can provide more frustration than they do milk. They also do not have the lifespan as other pumps, so understand their lifetime is simply not as long as a primary pump.

Figure 1: Primary or Secondary Process Diagram

So before you go questioning it all, the next time you wonder if your pump setup is a primary or a secondary pump simply follow the process diagram above. But now that we can define a primary versus secondary pump, we need to discuss why we even care?

As I discussed above, secondary pumps majority of the time are simply not as effective at removing your milk as primary pumps are. This is an issue, because when you are pumping at work you are trying to mimic the amount of milk that is removed when your baby nurses. When your baby removes all the milk they need, your body knows that it needs to keep making enough milk to satisfy your baby. Similarly, when you are at work, you need to remove as close to the same amount of milk as possible - this is how you maintain your supply. The problem with secondary pumps is they typically do not remove as much as your baby does. Over time, you can expect to see a decline in your milk supply. Decreased milk removal = decreased milk overall.

Keep in mind though, that if the only way you will remove milk is with a secondary pump, then that is better than not removing milk at all!

So here is how you can incorporate a secondary pump into your breastfeeding journey without severely impacting your milk supply.

Do not use Secondary Pumps when Establishing a Milk Supply
Do not use secondary pumps until your milk supply is well-established. This typically happens around 6-8 weeks postpartum. This is especially true if you are exclusively pumping.
Only use Secondary Pumps 2x/Day
Due to the potential for leaving milk behind, do not utilize a secondary pump for more than 2 pump sessions/day.
Do not use Secondary Pumps Back-to-Back
Because these pumps have a tendency to leave milk behind, it is important that you have a good pump session before and after using them. This is especially true if you are susceptible to clogs.

In example, incorporating these into your pump schedule might look like:

7:00 AM - Nurse Your Baby/Daycare Drop-off
10:00 AM - Pump with Secondary Pump
1:00 PM - Pump with Primary Pump
4:00 PM - Pump with Secondary Pump
7:00 PM - Daycare Pickup/Nurse Your Baby

In the example above, this mother would only use a secondary pump twice and has nursing or primary pump sessions on either end of her secondary pump session.

It is quite exciting to be living in a time when breast pumps are so readily available. You have so many options when it comes to breastfeeding and how you choose to remove milk. However, the amount of options can sometimes lead mothers into situations that cause milk supply issues or simply just a lot of confusion. When choosing & using breast pumps, I want you to feel confident in the choices you make and I want your results to be successful. So as a rule of thumb, primary pump over secondary pumps, but secondary pump session over nothing any day!

If you are having a difficult time picking pump(s) or establishing a good pump schedule, DM or email me today!

With love,

Antoinette Cornelius, CLC

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