Pumping Breast Milk with Coconut Oil

Do you have any pain while pumping breast milk? In addition to ensuring that you’re using the right size flange, many pumping moms find that using coconut oil on their breast shields can help make pumping more comfortable.

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Why use coconut oil when pumping?

Some women experience pain when pumping, even with the correct breast shield size. Often the issue is the friction, especially for women who pump quite a bit (like exclusive pumpers do).

Coconut oil can help reduce this friction and discomfort.

Why coconut oil instead of nipple cream? Most nipple creams like lanolin are thicker, and they may “gunk up” your pump parts. (Some other oils – like olive oil, will also work!)

Make sure your flange size is correct

If you’re having pain with pumping, make sure to check your breast shield size before trying coconut oil.

Using the correct flange size is critical to comfortable and effective pumping, and it’s not something you can get around by using a lubricant.

What if coconut oil gets in your breast milk? Is it safe for baby?

Yes. Per breastfeeding expert Dr. Thomas Hale, coconut oil is actually fed to premature infants. In response to a question about whether coconut oil is safe to use on breasts while breastfeeding, he says:

Coconut oil, commonly called MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride), is commonly used in our NICUs to add fat into the diet of premature infants. It consists primarily of 6-12 carbon atom free fatty acid triglycerides which are easily digested by all neonates and older children. It is an ideal triglyceride for infants.

As a pure oil, it has virtually no allergenic compounds. So, if you use a high grade Coconut oil, I would not be worried about its use at all, or worry about allergies.

What kind should you use?

You don’t need to get anything special, though I would personally get an organic, pure, and unrefined coconut oil. They run around $10-15 on amazon and will last a long time.

Here’s the brand that I have:

You can also get it in a spray, which is much less messy and easier for pumping on the go (more on CoBoo spray here):

How exactly do you apply it to your flanges?

This is pretty straightforward – all you need to do is dip your finger in the oil, and then rub it on your flanges (both the “tunnel” and the cone).

To avoid a mess, you may want to keep baby wipes at your pumping station and use it to wipe your hands off when you’re done applying the coconut oil.

If you’re bringing coconut oil to pump outside of your house and don’t want to bring a giant container with you, put it in a smaller container. Some moms in our Facebook group use contact lenses cases for this.

Obviously, if you’re using the CoBoo spray, it’s a little easier – you just spray it once on your breast shields and you’re good to go.

Do you use coconut oil when pumping? Tell us all your tips and which one you use below!

References

1. Infant Risk. “Coconut oil on breast.” https://www.infantrisk.com/forum/forum/medications-and-breastfeeding-mothers/medications-and-mothers-milk/803-coconut-oil-on-breast