What if you Buy a Willow BEFORE Baby Arrives?
Many people choose to buy the Willow Pump before their baby arrives, and unfortunately, they are not aware of certain pump and body issues to consider when doing this.
Here are the 5 issues to think about and what you can do to manage these concerns and prevent any missteps.
Warranty Coverage:
The most important thing to understand here is that this limits your warranty coverage. Warranty starts the day it is purchased and lasts for 1 year. This is a fantastic pump, but even with careful usage and careful handling these hubs are prone to issues requiring warranty replacement. Flextubes, inserts, flanges and containers are warrantied for 90 days, and there are known cases of failures with these items.
When you purchase before you are ready to use you are creating a situation where warranty time is being spent in the box, and coverage may not be available when you need it.
When purchasing through insurance using a durable medical company it is common to place the order weeks before it ships/arrives. In some cases your warranty coverage begins at the date of order placement- check this before ordering so this is not an unpleasant surprise.
Sizing:
This pump requires precise sizing. There is no eyeballing, app measurements, or guessing that lead to a good result. The birthing process itself comes with hormonal fluctuations that increase nipple size. Birth interventions with IV fluids and medications exacerbate normal swelling and create vulnerable swollen nipples that just can’t handle constant suction yet.
It’s really not until about 10-14 days that we can accurately measure to get you started for this pump. So even if you buy it, and guess on insert size (or get professional prenatal sizing) there is a good chance it’s not going to work as expected and the risk of tissue trauma is high.
Milk Supply:
The first 2 weeks postpartum are critical times for milk production. Willow pump is not super effective for colostrum, the sizing is hard to get right, and using it before mature milk is fully established is risky to the milk supply. If milk supply is not properly stimulated early on it make the long term milk supply more vulnerable to issues, so we really want to stick with the most efficient pumps possible in the early days (also well sized, but the margin for error is higher).
Learning Curve:
The freedom of hands free and leak free pumping comes at a cost, and that cost is what can be a fairly significant learning curve. You have to learn what size works for you, how firm your bra needs to be, and how to align the pump just right. Immeadiately postpartum is not exactly the ideal time to try to master this when you are actively recovering from childbirth and learning how to feed your new baby. Waiting until 10-14 days gives us enough breathing room to allow you to be a better headspace to take on this learning curve, and have the willow working well by 6-8 weeks postpartum.
Pain Medication:
With 30% of births ending in a c-section, and many more ending with the need for pain management postpartum there is a good chance you will be taking medication postpartum to aid on your recovery. Pain medication dulls the nipple sensation which combined with the Willow Pump is a recipe for disaster. If you are using pain medication SKIP THE WILLOW PUMP. Seriously, just say no. Your poor nips may not even be able to feel themselves being destroyed if this goes badly until it’s too late.
So, what if you still want to order the Willow Pump ahead of baby?
About 70-80% of the time, if you measure effectively at 36 weeks, you will have the approximate postpartum nipple size.
If you are measuring smaller than 22 mm at 36 weeks, get the 24 mm flanges, and wait until 10-14 days postpartum to order inserts.
If you are measuring 22 mm or larger at 36 weeks, buy the 27 mm flanges, and again, wait until 10-14 days postpartum to order inserts.
Skip the 21 mm flanges to start with as it is unlikely you will land at exactly 21 mm and inserts don’t work with the 21’s so there is no flexibility.
Best Option, though, is to measure prenatally and order the pump when your baby arrives. Then, measure for inserts 10-14 days later, and order those. This way, you are set up for success when it’s time, and you will have skipped the frustrating issues!
If this feels overwhelming, or you want to assure you get sized at the ideal times, book a prenatal consultation today! Prenatal flange sizing consultations guarantee your ability to be professionally sized at the optimal times for the best success.
