My non-pregnant best friend keeps nagging me to show her my breast pump. Lurking beneath the inquisitive nature of the request is the undoubted desire to mock. The whole notion of a breast pump is rather bovine – the use of a contraption to extract milk … it’s bizarre. Info everywhere says that breastfeeding is the best. I am keen to try it and it’s a cheaper alternative to formula. This being my choice, I have acquired a breast pump so that I can retain a semblance of a life after my baby girl is born. So while I spend the money that I would have spent on formula on financing gigs and babysitters – my baby will feed away happily on mom’s milk from her bottle; I’m happy and baby is healthy (assuming, of course, that breastfeeding and breast pumping are skills that I am able to master).
So how did I choose a breast pump when there are so many options available? The only thing I knew for certain before making my purchase was that the device had to be electric – I refuse to manually milk myself. The mere thought just disturbs me. The electric ones are rather pricey but I was prepared to pay. The one I ended up buying was the one on special – the entire reason for my choice. So I have a Tommee Tippee breast pump and Tommee Tippee bottles to accompany. I am not the type to do months of research and read a million reviews on what the best apparatus is. A wise friend told me that the difference between all the bottle brands out there is not actually that significant, what is important is to be consistent to avoid the occurrence of nipple confusion (although I thought that this was a joke, it’s really real). She also told me to spend a bit more on a breast pump because she had gone through the experience of buying many cheap ones which broke systematically. With friendly advice in mind, I killed two birds with one stone and didn’t have to think too much about it – the price dictated the purchase: thank you very much. I have not tried and tested my Tommee Tippee products but will be most happy to review them once they have been put into use. For the moment, all that I am able to conclude is that this whole baby feeding thing sure is going to be interesting.
I hope it’s that simple for you, because when I was trying to do the ‘boob’ thing, I bought an electric breast pump. When I used it I had to still ‘milk’ my boobs as such. So the part that isnt being suctioned by the pump needed to be pushed and massaged to help the milk to come out! The pumps don’t do it nearly as well as a baby does it unfortunately!
Trust me … I also hope it’s ‘simple’ but I will be sure to let you know if/when it isn’t! I will live in the hope that baby Amelia sucks nicely and that breast pump pumps nicely – it’s a place called Pleasantville, which is where I spend a great deal of my time … feel free to join me in delusion land whenever you wish.
gosh… i remember the days in the clinic where my breasts were tormented. i produced tooooo much milk from the very beginning, and my little baby could only drink so much ofcourse. i had to use the breast pump every hour on the hour. it was very difficult time and was on the border of milk fever. My breasts would get these hard lumps within and then all together they would turn into these oversized stone whatyoumacallits (trust me-no word of a lie).I had many a time a nurse come help me push and press my breasts from every angle and soon i became the show and tell of the building. my fun-bags werent so fun any more after those 4 days.
moral: breast pumps – cant live with them and definitely couldnt live with out them.
p.s in most of our babies videos and pics the breast pump is quite nicely placed next to the bowl of chocs,vase and evening lamp….its just one of those things i suppose.
What a great comment!! And I can so see my breast pump becoming a household decoration
Maybe I can use it as a vase to disguise it.
so have you made friends with the breast pump yet?
Ha ha, not yet. But expect a story to go up about it when it happens!