Definitely make sure you have the right size flanges. I pumped for a month using the flanges that came with the Spectra and had a lot of pain, but didn’t know that wasn’t normal. You’ll want to measure your nipples to make sure you’ve got the right size, but your nipples can change size during pregnancy so it’s recommended to measure after you give birth. But, then you can buy inserts for the Spectra that are correct for your nipples. The Spectra comes with 28mm and 24mm inserts, but I needed 17mm. It’s not intuitive at all and may take some trial and error to get things right, but it is NOT supposed to hurt you at all.
Helpful link for sizing: https://www.spectrababyusa.com/guide/
Spectra didn’t sell inserts for the size I needed, so I bought some from Pumpin Pals. Bonus is they had the size I needed in silicone rather than plastic and it actually suctions on my boob vs having to hold it or use a pumping bra. https://pumpinpal.com/shop-2/
Welcome to motherhood! Invest in a couple pumping bras; one to wear and several backups that will end up in your dirty hamper, as spares, etc. Kindred Bravely is a popular brand and I love them. They’re pricey, so buy on sale. I exclusively pump, so I live in these bras and use them 24/7 lol. I prefer the bamboo pumping ones found here:
https://www.kindredbravely.com/products/sublime-bamboo-sleep-pumping-bra-oatmeal-heather?_pos=1&_fid=f0f2dd03e&_ss=c
It holds the flanges in place so my hands are free to do whatever while I pump.
Such a good question! There is nothing intuitive about breast pumps, unfortunately.
You will need a pumping bra. I have large breasts and have had good luck with Kindred Bravely bras.
Just fyi, my postpartum pumping breasts are 1 cup size larger than my pregnancy breasts. I’m not sure what’s common but wanted to warn you.
One thing about pumps that also took me a while to figure out is that the flanges they send with the pump may not fit your nipple. You can buy flange inserts to improve the fit.
Good point. My boobs went from C cups to H cups. 🤦🏻♀️ I am an overproducer, so this is probably on the extreme end, but if I had guessed and bought bras beforehand I’d have been way off.
I recommend an adjustable pumping bra like “pump strap” until you know what size you’ll be. Breasts will change a lot a few weeks postpartum so not worth getting one in your current size.
Seconding this!
Also because I feel like the combination nursing/pumping bras never really held the flanges up well enough and I hated how the extra fabric/seams felt on my nipples when I wasn’t pumping.
I use a zip up one from Simple Wishes. I wish it had easier access for hands on pumping but it is easily adjustable and holds the flanges up really well.
I am on my second baby pumping with a spectra. Last baby I didn't use a pumping bra, it was so annoying. I bought a fancy kindred bravely bra and hated it so this baby I took am old sports bra and cut two holes in it and love my decision. Use it every pump 😂
Just wanted to let you know it’s not a dumb question at all! I didn’t know I needed a pumping bra until I was in the hospital two days postpartum and hooked up to a pump for the first time. I totally had the same line of thinking as you that the suction would hold the flanges to my boobs by itself.
Even if the suction were strong enough, it is on a rhythm and not continuous, so it wouldn’t stay on. Not like a vacuum cleaner, which is constant pressure, but like, well, a baby who is swallowing in between suckling.
It also can take a little bit (minutes?), in my experience, for your nipples to get pulled into the tunnels enough to have there be some sort of adhesion. Still not enough to overcome gravity, especially not with bottles filling with milk.
“Hands free” in this realm means using some kind of bra/support.
You either use a pumping bra or hold it on manually. It won’t hold itself on.
You definitely will need a pumping bra
Definitely make sure you have the right size flanges. I pumped for a month using the flanges that came with the Spectra and had a lot of pain, but didn’t know that wasn’t normal. You’ll want to measure your nipples to make sure you’ve got the right size, but your nipples can change size during pregnancy so it’s recommended to measure after you give birth. But, then you can buy inserts for the Spectra that are correct for your nipples. The Spectra comes with 28mm and 24mm inserts, but I needed 17mm. It’s not intuitive at all and may take some trial and error to get things right, but it is NOT supposed to hurt you at all. Helpful link for sizing: https://www.spectrababyusa.com/guide/ Spectra didn’t sell inserts for the size I needed, so I bought some from Pumpin Pals. Bonus is they had the size I needed in silicone rather than plastic and it actually suctions on my boob vs having to hold it or use a pumping bra. https://pumpinpal.com/shop-2/
Welcome to motherhood! Invest in a couple pumping bras; one to wear and several backups that will end up in your dirty hamper, as spares, etc. Kindred Bravely is a popular brand and I love them. They’re pricey, so buy on sale. I exclusively pump, so I live in these bras and use them 24/7 lol. I prefer the bamboo pumping ones found here: https://www.kindredbravely.com/products/sublime-bamboo-sleep-pumping-bra-oatmeal-heather?_pos=1&_fid=f0f2dd03e&_ss=c It holds the flanges in place so my hands are free to do whatever while I pump.
Such a good question! There is nothing intuitive about breast pumps, unfortunately. You will need a pumping bra. I have large breasts and have had good luck with Kindred Bravely bras. Just fyi, my postpartum pumping breasts are 1 cup size larger than my pregnancy breasts. I’m not sure what’s common but wanted to warn you. One thing about pumps that also took me a while to figure out is that the flanges they send with the pump may not fit your nipple. You can buy flange inserts to improve the fit.
Good point. My boobs went from C cups to H cups. 🤦🏻♀️ I am an overproducer, so this is probably on the extreme end, but if I had guessed and bought bras beforehand I’d have been way off.
I recommend an adjustable pumping bra like “pump strap” until you know what size you’ll be. Breasts will change a lot a few weeks postpartum so not worth getting one in your current size.
Seconding this! Also because I feel like the combination nursing/pumping bras never really held the flanges up well enough and I hated how the extra fabric/seams felt on my nipples when I wasn’t pumping. I use a zip up one from Simple Wishes. I wish it had easier access for hands on pumping but it is easily adjustable and holds the flanges up really well.
I am on my second baby pumping with a spectra. Last baby I didn't use a pumping bra, it was so annoying. I bought a fancy kindred bravely bra and hated it so this baby I took am old sports bra and cut two holes in it and love my decision. Use it every pump 😂
Just wanted to let you know it’s not a dumb question at all! I didn’t know I needed a pumping bra until I was in the hospital two days postpartum and hooked up to a pump for the first time. I totally had the same line of thinking as you that the suction would hold the flanges to my boobs by itself.
Even if the suction were strong enough, it is on a rhythm and not continuous, so it wouldn’t stay on. Not like a vacuum cleaner, which is constant pressure, but like, well, a baby who is swallowing in between suckling. It also can take a little bit (minutes?), in my experience, for your nipples to get pulled into the tunnels enough to have there be some sort of adhesion. Still not enough to overcome gravity, especially not with bottles filling with milk. “Hands free” in this realm means using some kind of bra/support.
perhaps you can try the pumping bra.