Join Pediatrician Tanya Altmann and Lactation Specialist Wendy Haldeman as they discuss the the use and benefits of a breast pump. When you’re a parent, it’s important to be flexible. You can’t always be with your child, especially for working moms, and so a breast pump is a great way to provide for your child when you aren’t there. When and how often simply depends on your needs.

Transcript:

- As a working mom my breast pump was my best friend. I took it with me to work everyday. I traveled around the country speaking with my breast pump. Sometimes my baby came with me, but I couldn't always bring him with me so I would leave him at home, take my breast pump with me, collect breast milk, fly home with a cooler, store it in the refrigerator or the freezer, and the caregivers would provide my sons with my breast milk. And, of course, I wanted to nurse as much as possible, but I couldn't always be there 24/7, so as a working mom I did my best to provide both my boys with my breast milk. And sometimes that came from me, and sometimes it came from my breast pump. But I think the most important thing is to be flexible. We know it's important to breast feed, and we know that's the best thing for our children, but we can't always be with them. So luckily with today's modern conveniences there are so many ways to be away from your baby and still provide the baby with your breast milk.

- New mothers always want to know what pump they should use. It's a tough question to answer because there's no one pump for all mothers. I would suggest that moms do some research on their own, and go online and see what pumps are getting good reviews. The two companies that I have the most experience with, and I can recommend because I know they're good companies, they stand behind their product, and I've been using them for about 30 years. One is called Medela, and the other one is Ameda. And they both make a number of different pumps. I think they're quite good and reliable. As far as when to pump and how often to pump, that really depends on the mother's needs are. A mother who is going back to the workplace full-time is certainly going to do a lot more pumping than a mom who's staying at home and offers the baby an occasional bottle. For example, if you have a stay at home mom, she may pump once a week because that's how often she offers her baby a bottle. If you have a mom who's in the workplace, she's pumping three and four times a day to make enough milk for her baby in daycare. So it really depends on what her needs are.