Two common question that we receive in regard to using breast pumps:
1. “I am using the Medela Mini Electric Breast Pump and I have some aerola coming into the tunnel of the shield which left the base area of the nipple feeling sort of tingly and numb to touch.”
It sounds like the Breast Shield is too big for you, there should only be a very minimal amount (if any) areola being drawn into the tunnel.
It should just be the nipple that is drawn into the tunnel and extends as the suction is turned on.
The areola should just be at the base, and not going into the tunnel. And you shouldn’t have the numb tingly feeling either.
It is possible to buy breast shields in other sizes, you should try a smaller size (21mm). The 24mm size is the default size that comes with the original pump, but we also have 27mm, 30mm, 36mm and a small 21mm.
2. “I really don’t think I have small nipples, and I also have reasonable sized breasts – does that make any difference to the size of shield required?”
The breast shield is the hardest ever thing to know the correct size. It is not really related to breast size, as some women have large breasts but still only small nipples. It really just depends on how your nipple is drawn into the tunnel – something that you wont know until you try it.
