A United States national survey of 1844 mothers thru the Infant Feeding Practices II Study asked subjects about their breast pump use, and specifically about breast pump problems and injuries related to breast pump use.
Many mothers have problems with their breast pumps. Even though insufficient milk extraction was the #1 pump problem in this survey, 14 % of mothers had difficulty with sore nipples due to their breast pumps. It is common knowledge that many mothers do not nurse, and rely on breast pumps for their infants’ nutrition. Mothers in my clinical practice often report not receiving professional instruction on proper pump use, even if they receive breast pumps from home health companies who are distributing them for insurance companies.
Based on the % of mothers who have problems or injuries, it is clear that Breastfeeding Champions and lactation specialists need to teach and observe pump use. In addition, I encourage anyone to report problems with breast pumps to the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting website.