im a new mom using the "Lactina" breast pump. ive been using it for about 2 1/2 weeks now. my problem is that it will randomly not work. there will be no suction. the pump works 95% of the time, but there are times where it does not. ive rewashed everything and replugged, but it still wont work. so i end up skipping pumpig for that time. what should i do?? help!
Hello!
I would give the "Best Fed" store a call. They specialize in breastfeeding and mother support. Hopefully there is one close as they hvae several locations (at elast they did whenthey help3ed me)
http://www.ebestfed.com/index2.html
They were great and very patient with answering my many questions.
Good luck!
D.
sometimes the little white valves need to be taken off and back on, sometimes the tube may not be in all the way or inserted into the machine all the way,
also sometimes there is not a good seal around the breast and this will cause that.
Hi C.!
Not sure if this will help, but on the model I have used, there is a little "filter" piece that is located on the part that twists into the bottle for collection. If this filter does not get a good seal on the piece, there will be no suction. I had a similar problem. If you wet the edges, sometimes that helps, or take the filter out, wet it and try to dry it flat. Sometimes when mine would dry, it would not lay flat which prevented the suction from occuring to allow the pump to pump.
Hope this helps.
Lari Beth Kirkendall
Hi C.-
You should definitely have the pump checked out professionally. Take it to the lactation center at the hospital where you gave birth, or to a pump rental station such as Bosom Buddies (near Park Meadows) and have it checked out. They will let you know if you need to return it, or just how to set it up correctly.
call the company, maybe they'll replace it for you?
I rented a really good pump from the Lactation consultants at Banner Desert. I was able to rent for 3 months at a time and they just billed my card. It has to be hard to not pump because you can obviously get engorged. I would recommend checking them out and getting a pump that's 100%. Good luck and congratulations!!!
i Suggest bringing back to the place you got it, and telling them your problem and seeing if they will let you try another one. wthe first one that I got didn't work either.
C. - Congrats on the new baby. I know that pumping for a preemie is a lot of work. I have several mommies who are in the same boat you are. Most likely what is happeneing is the white valves are not pressed into the yellow valve tightly. Make sure each time you clean your parts you need to remove the yellow valve from the flange and take the white membrane off. Clean that valve inside and out really well. If the surface of the yellow valve is damaged, cracked or dirty the white valve may not seal really well thus you will get seriously decreased or non existant suction. You might want to get an extra set to have around just in case you need them. You can not afford to skip pumping for your baby. You need to be pumping about 8 times in 24 hours at least 15-20 minutes each time. At night you need to pump at least once. If the Lactina doesn't work well enough for you, you might want to try the Symphony.
Good Luck & Happy Pumping,
J. Bailey, CD, CBC at www. everymotherandchild.com
If the tubing gets water in it it won't suck, so you just run it with the tubing attached but not the bottle and all the other parts. If that doesn't work call the lactation people at the hospital your baby was at. I am assuming you are home. Or return it to Medela. If your milk supply is good you can skip a pumping but if not you may want to hand express or rent a pump until you get your replacement.
Is it new or rented or used? I used a Lactina pump with both of my kids and if anything it worked too well (ouch!!). It sounds like it is broken so I would suggest returning it.
Contact whomever you rented your Lactina from. They should help you troubleshoot.
I used the Lactina pump too. The only times I lost suction was when I didn't have the bottle parts together right or I had a hose loose. The white flap will come loose (it comes off for cleaning) and you can just push it back on. It also has to be lined up right for there to be suction. Make sure the yellow pieces are tight too, which also come off for cleaning. My co-worker had no idea they came off, so I am sorry if I am telling you things you already know. If all those parts are tight and it still doesn't work, take the pump back and get a different one.
Make sure that all the tubing is plugged in tight! I used my 1/2 way for six months before adjusting the tubes. Good luck
While it's only occurring some of the time I would definitely take the pump back and get a new one. That 5% of the time it doesn't work is not worth the frustration. I had a similar problem with a lower model of Medela pump and didn't think the store would take it back since I had used it but they did without any question.
