Nipple Pain with the Tomme Tippee Made for Me Wearable Pump

Why do I have Nipple Pain with the Tommee Tippee Made for Me Wearable Pump?

The Tommee Tippee Made For Me Wearable pump should not be painful. It's actually a fairly gentle suction pattern when you have everything fitted optimally and healthy nipple tissue. Sometimes though, users do find that there is pain with use, so let's talk about where pain with this pump can come from. There are a variety of reasons we may see this issue so here they are in rough order of the likelihood this is your issue:

You may need help with flange sizing, alignment, or bra fit.

Tommee Tippee's Made for Me Wearable is a constant suction pump with a large profile designed to accommodate nipple stretching for even elastic nipples. Sizing with constant suction is finicky and often requires precise sizing based on your unique nipple anatomy- it's not as simple as what works with other pumps! 

The red light feature does make alignment easier than with other wearables- but alignment can be tricky! You have to get the nipple centered AND keep it centered. Alignment requires you to learn to work with your anatomy and can be the most frustrating part of the learning curve.

This brings us to bra fit- this pump is not small or particularly lightweight. It's not the largest or heaviest wearable on the market, but it's sizeable. Your bra has to fit your anatomy properly: the band under the breasts needs to be tight with minimal give and needs to stay flush to the ribcage while wearing the pumps. The cups have to stretch to accommodate the pumps to hold them against your breasts snugly, but without distorting the breast or smooshing the tissue too much. Extenders can help, but this is only sometimes the solution. Think Goldilocks looking for the perfect porridge. It has to be just right.

If you have an issue with any one of these three things, nipple pain or damage occurring is a strong possibility. The way to fix that is to find and fix the issue there. There are no shortcuts in this process.  The good news is if you have one of these issues we know how to fix them!

Or

You could need to change up your flange lubrication routine.

If you are using lubrication, maybe it's too slippery and is causing your nipple to stretch too much. Perhaps it's too sticky, causing some pinching and pulling. It could be too thin and does not last the whole session. You may be someone who needs to pump without lubricant and use oil or cream after you pump to help keep your nipples in great shape. This can only be assessed after we have verified the first three issues have been adjusted as needed.

Or

Your flange inserts may not be the right option.

Your flange inserts could be the right SIZE, but are they the right SHAPE and TEXTURE? Some inserts are velvety soft, and some are more sticky in nature. Some cushion the whole areola. Some only protect the nipple and a tiny bit of areola. Some nipples are happy to pump with lots of types of flanges and inserts. Others have strong preferences, and until we get it dialed in, your nipples will not be happy. Thankfully, we have so many options on the market now that we can typically find your perfect fit.

Or

There is an underlying issue.

You have some underlying issue, such as tissue trauma, infection, or swelling, that isn't presenting as a problem until we toss the constant suction pump into the mix. This isn't an issue unique to this pump- it's a reality of constant suction wearables. 

Here, the Tommee Tippee Made for Me Wearable isn't the root problem. Still, it's taking a manageable (though not great) situation and pushing it over the edge. The way to fix that is to do a thorough assessment of what is going on to assess and address all of these underlying issues so that this breast pump doesn't have any nipple trauma drama to fight with once you start using it. Common issues that can cause this are nursing with a latch issue, subclinical infection, and swelling (typically related to poor flange sizing over time or with another pump). Healthy nipples and this pump can usually, and happily, coexist (as long as those three keys to success with sizing, bra fit, and alignment get dialed in).

Or

Constant Suction may be too much for you.

Your healthy nipples either don't tolerate the constant suction well or can only handle it in moderation. This is different from what anyone wants to hear about a pump they have invested in to help make pumping manageable for them, but it can happen. So what can you do if this is your situation? We assess to be sure there is nothing else going on. We take a break from your Tommee Tippee Wearable Pump to try to get to a healthy, pain-free place, then slowly and carefully reintroduce the pump. By building up the use of the pump over time, we find how often you can comfortably tolerate the suction - if at all. This isn't a common issue with this pump and it is by far much less of an issue than we saw with the Willow Generation pumps. The suction pattern with that pause to release tension partially goes a long way towards reducing issues with this. But sometimes your anatomy doesn't love something no matter what you do. 

What makes this situation so frustrating?

Wearable breast pumps are marketed to make pumping more manageable, and they aren't cheap. You bought this pump because it offered something you felt would improve your situation. To not be able to successfully use it after that type of investment is frustrating and disappointing. Many parents are defeated when they find out there is a learning curve with wearables they didn't expect, and navigating that learning curve can be a lot to take on.

There may also be another issue with your breastfeeding situation that doesn't have a simple solution. Or, the solution is simply not something you can make happen right now. 

And it sucks. It really does. Breastfeeding can be incredibly complex, and sometimes the pump that you were hoping would be the solution just isn't.

I understand these feelings in my core when I have to tell a client that this situation doesn't have a simple, easy fix. I've been supporting parents with wearable pumps for years now- and despite everything we know about how to make these pumps work it's not a guarantee it will work for you. My heart sinks every time because I've been the parent in the thick of it without a clear path out of the issues that felt achievable. I don't take it lightly when I have to break that news to a parent. I only do so after I have evaluated everything as much as I can with a particular situation.

 So, if this is the reality you are facing, I'm sorry this is happening. I can't change a lot of what's happening, and you get to feel however you want about it. I'm here when you are ready to start working through any issues we know of or to create a new plan going forward to meet your goals in a slightly different way.

Just don’t assume this situation is unsolveable until you’ve tried all my tricks and tips.