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Hi guys,

I bought a very cheap Bellababy breast pump (BLA8042) for under 10 bucks from the second-hand market, and wanted to share my experience with you.

On the one hand, I wanted to automate pumping and on the other hand, I wanted to take advantage of the benefits of pulsatile pumping. I have modified it accordingly with little effort. I can also document this specifically for this pump on request. It's really quite simple.

These types of breast pumps all work according to the same principle: They suck (one or several times depending on the program) and release the pressure via a valve (second tube on the pump with the hose clamp).

Getting started:

First of all, the desired pressure must be achieved. To do this, the valve must remain closed until the desired pressure (e.g. 3hg) is reached. Then you open the valve VERY SLOWLY until the pressure drops to e.g. 2hg.

It is very important to open the valve only so far that the pressure does not drop faster than new pressure can be built up.

If the setting is correct (you quickly develop a feel for it), the pressure will now always fluctuate between 2 and 3hg, as in the example. The size of the cylinder determines how large the pressure difference is between suction and discharge. The larger the cylinder, the smaller the difference ( e.g.: With a 5L cylinder, it is approx. 1hg. With smaller cylinders, it is correspondingly more, with larger ones correspondingly less).

According to the manual, the battery in this pump lasts approx. 4 hours, which is sufficient for one pumping session. In principle, however, the pump should be able to run for longer with the mains adapter or a powerbank plugged in (I haven't tried this yet). It should also be noted that the programs end automatically after approx. 30 minutes. This means that the pressure in the cylinder is suddenly lost after this time. You can use this “pause” to change the water, move around, get something to drink, etc. If you set a timer, you can also prevent this by closing the valve in good time and simply restarting the program before it runs out.

I recently subjected the whole thing to a practical test and have to say that pulsating pumping is much more efficient than just keeping the pressure constant. After just one hour, I already had the results that would otherwise only appear after 2 or 2.5 hours. Perhaps you can also pump with a little less pressure, which may be better tolerated by some people.

A few technical details about this pump model:

According to the manufacturer, the maximum vacuum that can be generated is around 10 hg. There are a total of 4 programs, which differ in how often and how long the suction cycle is until the pressure is released again. I have had the best experience with program 4 (deep mode). There are 6 intensity levels. It is best to set this to the highest level to achieve the vacuum as quickly as possible.

This looks very interesting, I would love to see more documentation of the setup and parts.

I also love using breast pumps! They're designed to stand up to being used several times a day, they're relatively quiet so that they don't upset a baby, and they typically have several sucking modes. To convert them for ball pumping doesn't require you to take anything apart--all you need to do is to change some tubing. Their normal setup is designed to keep the head unit clean and dry, free from contamination. Used ones are generally available because moms use them only for a short time.

Ironically, I used another BellaBaby pump, model #BLABP-8015 for this setup. If you can find one, get it. The manufacturer says that it pulls 80 to 300 mmHg. While that's overly optimistic, it pulls more than enough for me.

It has four different pumping modes. Two of those have six intensity settings for each one. The other two modes have nine intensity settings each.

In the attached two pages I tried to explain everything in detail. First, there's "Gathering the Parts." The second page is "Assembling the Parts." If I've missed anything, or if anything is unclear, please let me know.

Love to see this in operation on you

HairyPalmer wrote: ↑Sun Apr 20, 2025 3:08 pm I also love using breast pumps! They're designed to stand up to being used several times a day, they're relatively quiet so that they don't upset a baby, and they typically have several sucking modes. To convert them for ball pumping doesn't require you to take anything apart--all you need to do is to change some tubing. Their normal setup is designed to keep the head unit clean and dry, free from contamination. Used ones are generally available because moms use them only for a short time.

Ironically, I used another BellaBaby pump, model #BLABP-8015 for this setup. If you can find one, get it. The manufacturer says that it pulls 80 to 300 mmHg. While that's overly optimistic, it pulls more than enough for me.

It has four different pumping modes. Two of those have six intensity settings for each one. The other two modes have nine intensity settings each.

In the attached two pages I tried to explain everything in detail. First, there's "Gathering the Parts." The second page is "Assembling the Parts." If I've missed anything, or if anything is unclear, please let me know.

Thanks for the guide, do you find this works ok for large volume cylinders like sun tea yard and monster tubes of is this for cock tube only?

It seems to work only with smaller cylinders. The largest cylinder I've used is 3". I have a 4" that I'll try soon.

HairyPalmer wrote: ↑Wed Apr 23, 2025 7:22 am It seems to work only with smaller cylinders. The largest cylinder I've used is 3". I have a 4" that I'll try soon.

Thanks dude

tout69 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 21, 2025 10:06 pm Thanks for the guide, do you find this works ok for large volume cylinders like sun tea yard and monster tubes of is this for cock tube only?

Of course it works with any kind of cylinders! But the effect of pulsating is reduced the larger the cylinder is. Because only a certain amount of air is transported due to the relatively short suction and release interval. As I wrote above, the differential pressure is about 1hg for a volume of 5 litres. At 7 litres it is still around 0.5 hg - which you can no longer really feel. But for 5 litres jars it is well noticeable.

I also have one of these. If you “plumb” an aquarium pump into the system, the aquarium pump can provide the basic, steady vacuum, and the breast pump can provide the “pulsation” - that way the breast pump is not having to move such a large volume of air in a larger cylinder.

cleancut1 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 24, 2025 6:22 am I also have one of these. If you “plumb” an aquarium pump into the system, the aquarium pump can provide the basic, steady vacuum, and the breast pump can provide the “pulsation” - that way the breast pump is not having to move such a large volume of air in a larger cylinder.

I, too, have an aquarium pump and some spare tubing that I can connect up with the breast pump. I’ll let you know how it goes.

By the way, someone here suggested using silicone tubing instead of the standard clear vinyl stuff. The silicone is excellent! It lays flat on my bed, doesn’t slide off, and holds on to the fittings better than vinyl. It’s great stuff!

https://www.amazon.com/Baomain-Silicone ... s_a_1_1_pp?

With the pump model I use, you don't need an additional pump as the air is released through a separate valve that can be closed until the desired pressure is reached.