A history of electric breast pumps

By Philips

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22/04/2024

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3-4 min. read

It seems as though the electric breast pump always existed, it's such a common part of a new parent's life. In fact, just 100 years ago, the electric breast pump was a revolutionary invention intended solely for hospital use by professionals.

Originally, new mothers were taught to express milk manually - or nurses did it for them. This was time-consuming and often painful. To make it easier to extract milk when new mothers had difficulties feeding due to "underdeveloped or inflamed breasts," manual breast pumps were created in the mid-1800's based on all-glass wet cupping devices. For the sake of modesty, the mothers were allowed to use the pumps themselves (under the supervision of professionals).¹

Unhygienic cow's milk

It was the recognition of the value of mother's milk that inspired the modern-day electric breast pump. By the beginning of the 20th century, women in America were increasingly weaning their young infants before the age of one - and replacing mother's milk with cow's milk.

Hygiene in those days wasn't what it is today. There was no pasteurization and refrigeration, and often milk was adulterated with other liquids before being sold on for a bigger profit. As infant mortality increased, doctors recognized that breast milk was absolutely essential to the health of premature babies². Wet nurses were a solution, but a good one was hard to find - and often one was found too late to help a sick infant.

Premature babies

In the early 1920's, American pediatrician Dr. Isaac A. Abt aimed to perfect an electric breast pump to help "premature infants who were too weak to nurse"³. He worked together a German engineer, Edward Lasker, who had experience with cow milking machinery. This pump was based on continuous vacuum suction, and required special attention to the selection use of the right shield and a proper fit.

The advantages mentioned in Dr. Earl Tarr's 1925 study⁴ mention that "the pump is safe and easy to operate, and a breast may be emptied in three or four minutes." And that "one pump will do the work of six nurses.... [relieving] mothers of the tedious, tiresome and often painful method of hand expression which is still practiced at some hospitals by the sick mother...."

No sore breasts

Dr. Abt's and Lasker's electric pump worked well - and helped mothers to develop and re-establish breast milk production when they had previously not been able breastfeed. "No sore breasts of breast abscesses developed," reported Dr. Tarr.

Because of the expense, the electric breast pump was not intended for sale to mothers for home use. For that, mothers had to wait until after World War II. During the war, access to parts for Abt pumps was blocked. This inspired Swedish engineer Einar Egnell to improve on existing technology. He spent three years studying how infants nurse, so he could find a way to mimic this action².

Ready for home use

The result was the Sister Maja Breast Pump, named in honor of the head nurse of Stockholm's Södersjukhuset, who helped test the many different designs. Egnell's technology used suction in cycles, and women found it more comfortable to use.

At last, the electric breast pump was ready for home use⁵. It's at this point that electric breast pumps began to be used by mothers in different ways than Dr. Abt had originally imagined - to express and store breast milk for later use.

Comfort and convenience

Improvements in electric breast pumps have continued - with mother's ease, convenience and comfort top of mind. Today's Philips Avent breast pump technology mimics the way babies suck more accurately, for quicker milk flow. The pumps plug in, quickly recharge - and settings can be personalized.

Unlike the glass shields of yore, our soft, collapsing shields adapt to 99.98% of all nipple shapes for comfort and ease. And the kit that goes along with them can simply be popped in the dishwasher for easy and thorough cleaning. So mothers can return to work and life while maintaining their breast milk - and baby can continue to benefit from all the goodness that human milk has to offer.