Scarlett Johansson did it en route to the Oscars, Chrissy Teigen took one on a “date night” and Kourtney Kardashian did so after a night out in Vegas. In a bid to highlight the realities of breastfeeding, celebrity mothers are sharing their breast pump photos online, and experts claim they are helping to fuel a rise in women expressing milk.

As mothers attempt to reconcile the pressures of work with the often relentless demands of breastfeeding and childcare, they are trying in growing numbers to pump milk. Last week, Goldman Sachs became perhaps the first firm in the UK to pay for breastmilk to be couriered home if female staff are away on business.

Breast pump manufacturer Medela said the market was up by 20% in the last year, while Ardo said sales were up 50% in the last five years. “We have experienced an explosion of mums purchasing breast pumps. The availability of information online makes buying these products much easier than in the past,” said a spokesperson.

Boots, who have more than 40 different types of pumps and accessories online, have also reported a “significant increase” in sales in the past year.

Alison Spiro, an adviser for the Institute of Health Visiting, said more mothers were attempting to pump milk in a bid to spread childcare more equitably.

“We are seeing dads much more involved in childcare, and manufacturers have focused advertising on the fact that fathers can feed their babies breastmilk.”

Anna Burbidge, from breastfeeding support group La Leche League GB, said her organisation had noticed an increase in mothers talking about expressing.

“The increase in assisted conception, along with mothers giving birth prematurely, having multiple births and becoming mothers later in life, can sometimes lead to challenges with lactation,” she said.

Another major explanation for the rise is work commitments. “For many who are in employment, this is the only way they can combine breastfeeding with their jobs,” said Caroline Gatrell, lecturer in work and family at the University of Liverpool, who pointed out that it is not always a straightforward option.

“It involves collecting milk into sterilised containers, which is time-consuming and may be noisy, and it must be refrigerated and taken home in a cool bag. It can also be difficult at work because mothers must pump at regular intervals.”

Cost can also be a deterrent. “The equipment is very expensive. It’s over £100 to buy an electric pump,” said Spiro.

According to Katherine Twamley from the department of social sciences at University College London, an increasing number of parents opt to pump because they want to share the feeding process with their partner, but cuts to local breastfeeding support services means that people lack the correct advice. “My research shows there are increased aspirations to share feeding via pumping, but most are unable to successfully manage this. Like breastfeeding, mixed feeding needs peer or family support,” she said.

For some women, pumping enables them to prolong breastfeeding, involve others in the feeding process and enjoy the odd night out. “It gives me freedom to work and not be the only one feeding my son,” said Sarah Wallace, who has a 10-month-old.

Others, however, say they were left with no choice but to express if they wanted to give their baby breast milk. Dance instructor Beccie Savage, 43, was advised at hospital to express for her son as he was underweight and had trouble feeding. He ended up preferring the bottle and rejecting the breast so she exclusively pumped for six months. Although it enabled her to go back to work part-time six weeks after the birth, she said it was not as easy as the celebrity selfies suggest.

“It’s really hard having to sterilise all the time, and doing it every two to three hours is painful,” she said. “I don’t regret it but there wasn’t enough support for me at the beginning.”