Simple Canning Jar Breast Pump

Chances are.. if you are a nursing Mamma, you have felt the pain when your milk finally comes in after giving birth.

For me, that happens 3-4 days after the baby is born, and it lasts usually 24-48 hours. As much as I try to nurse, I always seem to feel this pain of engorgement and it can be a very stressful time for both mom and baby if you don’t try to find some way to relieve that pressure.

I invested in a pump with baby 1, and although I no longer work outside of the home to pump exclusively, I always found that pump helpful with each child when my milk came in…    The pediatrician at the hospital always told me that it wasn’t wise to pump until the baby was 4 weeks old, but I found it helpful to relieve the pressure when my milk came in 3-4 days after giving birth.

And since I breastfed all of my children {successfully}, I felt like I needed to stick with what worked for me the best.

A breast pump can be a helpful way to alleviate pressure .. but if you are without a breast pump you can make your own form of breast pump by using a ball canning jar. If you are like me and seem to put away your breast pump after each child it may take a few days to remember “where” you put it…  this time I can’t seem to remember where I put the parts for it (hoses, bottles.. ) and haven’t had the energy to tear the house apart to find those parts. 

This method is not a replacement for pumping regularly – in fact, it would probably be too time consuming to do this all the time. But if you are looking for a way to help release that pressure in the first few days this is definitely that.

Canning Jar  Breast Pump

You will want an empty canning jar with an opening of at least 5-6 cm – a Ball or Kerr Canning Jar will usually wor.

1. Fill the glass jar nearly full with water and pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes.
2. After the 2 minutes is up, carefully remove the jar – you may need to hold the jar with a towel as the glass is VERY hot!
3. Pour the water out of the jar, and then use a cool washcloth to cool the rim of the jar – you will be placing that rim against your breast so it can’t be “too” hot.
4. Place your breast into the mouth of the jar so it makes an airtight suction – you might find it more helpful to lean over and do this, or simply lean forward.
5. The air will slowly cool in the jar and create a pressure vacuum with a suction that will help express milk from your breast – you don’t want the jar to cool too fast though, or you may damage your breast tissue.
6. Over the next 10-13 minutes, the jar will help express milk out of your breast to loosen up your encouragement in the breast and bring out the nipple a little easier for the baby to be able to nurse.

Repeat for the other breast – heating up a jar and cooling the rim.