Using Your Lansinoh Affinity Breast Pump
To get started, you will need to assemble the breast pump parts listed above. Next, you will insert the tubing into the diaphragm cap and into the back of the breast pump motor. Then plug in your A/C adapter into the left side of the breast pump motor or you can opt to use batteries.
Before pumping for the first time, it is best to find out if the breast flanges fit properly and are comfortable. A proper fitting breast flange, the nipple will easily line up in the middle of the breast shield and most of your areola will fit into the funnel. A breast shield that is too small, the nipple will rub up against the sides of the breast shield. If the breast shield is too small you will need to order the next size up. If the breast shield is too large you should replace your flanges with a smaller size. It is important that the breast shield fits on your breast properly to achieve the maximum amount of expressed breastmilk.
Place the breast shields against your breasts, making sure that your nipple is lined up in the center and that the funnel covers most of your areola. Next, turn on the breast pump using the on/off switch. The Lansinoh Affinity breast pump was designed to imitate your baby’s sucking rhythms. Once the breast pump is turned on, it will start pumping in the Let-Down Phase. The Let-Down phase mimics the natural sucking motions that a baby does when first latched onto the breast. A baby will suck rapidly to get the milk flowing. The let-down phase lasts roughly two minutes or until you manually change to the expression phase. After two minutes has surpassed, the breast pump will automatically move to the expression phase. The expression phase slows down the pumping rhythm to mimic a baby’s slower, deeper sucking motion. You can easily return to the let-down phase using the one touch let-down button on the bottom right hand side of your breast pump.
Once the breast pump switches to the expression phase, you can adjust the level of suction and cycle settings. There are 8 levels of suction and 6 cycle settings to choose from, giving you 48 different combinations to ensure that pumping is comfortable.
After you have completed pumping, turn the breast pump off using the on/off button. Next confirm that the suction on the nipples, then gently remove the breast flanges from your breasts. If there is still suction, you can insert your finger under the rim of the flange to break the seal.