How Do You Know What Size Breast Pump Flange You Need

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A breast pump can be very useful if you lot're breastfeeding. The device allows you to express chest milk and store it to ensure your babe is fed when yous're apart. When choosing a pump, information technology'south important that the flange (also called a breast shield) fits you properly. A flange that doesn't fit can chest soreness and injury as well as reduce the amount of milk y'all produce.

The Standard Breast Pump Flange

The breast pump flange is the role that connects your chest to the pump. Milk volition travel down the breast shield tunnel to the bottle or another drove device.

It's a good idea to check the fit of the pump flange from fourth dimension to time. All breast pumps come with at least 1 average-sized chest pump flange. The average flange is between 24 and 27 millimeters (mm)—which corresponds to the size of your nipple—but not anybody who breastfeeds will fit these sizes.

You tin can get smaller or larger flanges depending on the material: plastic flanges range from 21 mm to 36 mm and there is a 40 mm drinking glass flange available.

Why Size Matters

Not having the correct size breast pump flange can crusade problems. For example, you lot might not be getting the most amount of breast milk possible which tin can lead to blocked milk ducts. A poor fit can also cause nipple damage, like rub marks and cuts on the nipple.

Many people find a deviation almost immediately after finding the right sized flange. Using the chest pump is more comfortable and the amount of breast milk that they are able to pump begins to increase.

How to Tell If Yours Is a Good Fit

Near every chest pump manufacturer will offer a size guide for breast shields. Make sure you lot review them before buying a chest pump. The Food and Drug Assistants (FDA) recommends researching the manufacturer's flange size options. Yous should also detect out whether you lot'll be able to order a different size if you observe that you need one.

The size of the flange yous need is the size of your nipple. You lot can measure out yours using a ruler or measuring tape. Be certain to measure the diameter of the nipple alone—do not include the areola.

When you become your pump, y'all can tell that the flange is a proper fit if:

• You are not experiencing pain in your nipple.
• Your areola should have little or no tissue inside the tunnel of the breast pump.
• You exercise not feel areas of the chest that notwithstanding have milk inside (which indicates the uneven removal of milk).
• You exercise not see a white circle at the base of operations of the nipple, nor should your nipple blanch.
• Your nipple is centered in the flange and moves freely in the tunnel of the breast pump.

When Yous Need a Different Size

If you don't take the right size, y'all will want to meet if your chest pump came with other flanges or if you will need to social club new flanges.

If you go up in size, you might be restricted from using some of the softer plastic flanges. Some breast pump manufacturers accept smaller flanges that can fit inside the average-sized flange.

Near breast pumps only come up with a 24 mm size flange and manufacturers oft only offer the more common sizes (24 mm to 29 mm). The other sizes might as well exist available, and they are sometimes sold as role of a fix of various sizes.

People with other size needs might take to buy from a source other than the i that produced the pump they apply. People are oft worried that the new flanges they purchase from 1 manufacturer or visitor won't fit the pump they have from some other. While information technology can be a bit slow to "mix and match," virtually pump and flange combinations will piece of work fine.

Finding Aid

A lactation consultant can be of bully help if you lot're not sure what size flange you need, or if you retrieve you might need a unlike flange. If you exercise not already take a relationship established with a lactation consultant, there are several places you lot can expect for ane.

Outset by calling the hospital where yous gave birth. It's typical that they will take someone who is registered with the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBCLC) that can help you lot determine the issue with sizing.

You tin as well attempt a local store that specializes in breastfeeding products or ask your friends, family members, or parents that are function of your play or daycare group who breastfeed if they have recommendations.

A Discussion From Verywell

Finding the right flange for your breast pump can brand your feel less painful and more than productive. It tin can be frustrating to find the right size for yous, merely at that place are resources that can assist—and getting the perfect fit will be well worth it.

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Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts inside our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and proceed our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Becker GE, Smith HA, Cooney F. Methods of milk expression for lactating women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;9:CD006170. doi:x.1002/14651858.CD006170.pub5

2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Choosing a Breast Pump.

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Source: https://www.verywellfamily.com/ways-to-tell-if-your-breast-pump-flanges-fit-2758354#:~:text=The%20size%20of%20the%20flange,do%20not%20include%20the%20areola.

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