I teach a 3 hour class 2X a month. At the beginning of class, I tell everyone that we will be talking about pumping and storing milk during the last half hour of class - this way they concentrate on what we are talking about at the moment instead of worrying about or constantly asking questions about pumping. During the section on preventing engorgement, I had out balloons to everyone. By slowly blowing them up, they see what happens to the nipple/areola as the breast becomes more and more distended andt is not emptied frequently. The balloons are then taken down to a much smaller, softer size and tied off. I then teach them how to hand express using the balloons in place of their breasts - dads help, too. I talk about what a great technique it is to learn and how I never bought a pump because I could hand express just as easily and quickly. (learned the balloon thing at a BF conference long ago, I think from Linda Smith - thanks, it is a great teaching tool and cheap to boot). When I get to the pumps, I show them the "bad" ones (anything with a bulb, basically) and all the others which I consider to be equally "good" depending on what you need one for and personal preferences. I pass the pumps around and the couples use the balloons to test them out. Makes a huge impression on them when they see the suction that can be developed which makes them more likely to take to heart my admonition to start on the lowest setting and work their way up slowly. Anyways, we never end up spending a whole lot of time on this, but it is enough to make a few good points and satisfy their curiosity about the whole subject. I tell them that those who are considering going back to work should call me a few weeks after the baby is born if they have questions about pumping, storing, leaving the baby, etc. The emphasis is that getting breastfeeding established is the most important thing, no matter what is going to happen later. When they ask about buying a pump before the baby comes, I try to steer them in the direction of concentrating on bf and trying hand expression first. They do get a list of all the local breast pump sales and rental stations as well as local LCs and LLL Groups. I am comfortable with this fairly balanced approach and it seems to work well. Just an aside, there are indeed some very experienced bf mothers who cannot hand express. I have a friend who is a long-time LLLL with four children and was never able express more than a drop or two of milk. She could teach other moms how to do it, but couldn't herself. I have been able to express large streams of milk from some moms breasts (at their request) and yet when they would try to do it themselves, in exactly the right way as far as I could tell, they couldn't get a drop. They just can't find the magic spot or touch or whatever it is. I just found it so easy to do, it really confounded me when others did not. Sharon Knorr Lactation Consultant Services Rochester, New York mailto:[log in to unmask]