Hey, I’m Dani. I’m a Certified Lactation Counsellor and I run a primarily Instagram community to support exclusive pumpers and pumpers in general. I do pump reviews, product reviews and share information and tips for breast pumping (with some funny reels thrown in).
I started @to.the.pump.and.back in mid 2021 in the midst of my exclusive pumping journey. I spent hours pouring over my phone, trying to source the best pumping products possible for myself in the Australian market. It was hard to find quality Australian accessible products, as so much of the pumping information out there is American and relies on American products. I wanted to create an Aussie equivalent and pool the information I had uncovered to help other mums who were thrown into the deep end of exclusive pumping just like me. In late 2022, while heavily pregnant with my second, I finished my Lactation Counsellor course so I could legitimise and affirm my knowledge and understanding of breastfeeding generally.
If I had to pick 5 helpful tips for new mums starting their pumping journey it would be:
- The importance of flange sizing. This is the size of your nipple measurement which corresponds to the size breast shield/flange you should use when pumping. This is something still not as widespread as it should be. Check out the FREE flange sizing tool on my Instagram page to find the right size for you. 95% of women are smaller than the standard sizes that come with your pump.
- If you can only get one pump, get a quality (but portable) traditional pump with traditional flanges. And a double pump at that. It’s so hard not to be sucked in by the insane amount of wearable breast pumps being constantly advertised to new mums. In my opinion, these should not be your only pump. They can be a secondary pump, but you need a more traditional set up as a priority. It can take some training to get your body to respond to wearable breast pumps and they are not always as effective for many women. Please also don’t get sucked in my prominent brands on the market (cough Medela, Tommee Tippee, Avent) as many of these pumps are not sufficient for frequent pumping.
- Pump into the bottles you feed your baby from. Measurements in other bottles are very different and often drive mums crazy when the amount is half of what they supposedly pumped when they give it to baby to be fed. It is safest to pump into the same bottles you feed your baby from so your pumps and feeds will be consistent.
- Get a handsfree pumping bra. This will save your soul. I have a lot of reviews on my page and a pumping bras highlight for the ones I recommend. You can use your pumping time to scroll on Amazon instead of holding bottles.
- Get yourself some pumping friendly clothes. Especially if you’re returning to work. You don’t want to be half naked and someone walk in on you. I know it’s an expensive time in our lives, but there are sites with cheap clothing and if in doubt, suffer through buttons!
I am here to help you make your life easier and help you pump the Aussie way! That’s why I am so glad that Nourishy now exists. For years I have been waiting for an Australian branch of freeze-drying to be available to Aussie mums. How I wish it had been around to preserve some of my 60L stash from 2021! I am here to help you source quality products and give you Australian applicable advice. Feel free to reach out to me through Instagram.
