Do manual / suction breast pumps work?
Hi- it probably depends on how much you’ll be using it. If you need to return to full-time work early in the piece, you’ll probably find this a little slow for your needs. Electric might be better in that case, but as I’m sure you’ve discovered, they’re much more expensive. I work from home and in situations where she’s not far away so I don’t need to be pumping an entire day’s worth of milk all the time. I use a manual pump when I do express, and I think if I needed to, I could probably manage a small bottle a day. Sometimes it can take ages but I’ve found now that if I have her feeding on one side I can express on the other and the milk flows much faster (about 125 mls in 10 – 15 minutes). If you’re thinking along the lines of getting hubby to do a night-time feed or just occasionally to give you a break you might find a manual pump is perfect for you. I have the avent and it seems to do the job, although I think it’s probably a personal preference thing. I was thinking before I had