If you have additional breastfeeding problems or concerns, you may want to talk to a La Leche League Leader directly. Please consult health-care professionals on any medical issue, as La Leche League Leaders are not medical practitioners. When deciding what kind of pump to use or if one is even necessary, it is helpful to consider what your needs will be for expressed milk. Some women find that they never need to use a pump after seeing how easy it is to take a breastfed baby along. Others who will be away from the baby for specific times will need some way to express milk.
Many women find it easy to hand express milk when needed.
LLL's publication No. 27 discusses hand expression and collection. If you find you do need a pump, there are many different kinds of pumps available. Some considerations when thinking about pumps are cost, portability, noise level, ease of use and efficiency. Most are easy to operate, are small, and easy to transport. Some require two hands and others operate with only one hand.