Breast Pumps Review

Here are my reviews on the breast pumps that I had used.

Pureen Manual Breast Pump

This is the first breastpump that I bought, Pureen Manual Breast pump. I bought it before I gave birth to little Noel. I like this pump. Despite of it cheap price, its'  really meet my needs. It's handy, easy to assemble and reassemble, easy to clean ( as it only has a few parts- if I not mistaken it only has 5 parts) and only cost RM17!!.The cheapest manual breast pump in the market. Per session of pumping I can get 8-12oz of EBM. I used it until was Noel 3 months plus .  Despite of negative review that I've read about it, I've no problem using it. No pain and very comfortable.  However, due to some of hygienic purpose I change to Medela harmony which I've been using until now.

Pureen Batery Operated Breastpump - AC/ADC inlet

This is Pureen Batery Operated Breastpump. My husband bought it 2 days before I return to work as encouragement for me. He bought it for RM 157.00 ( which I think is quite expensive). Performance wise, oklah.. I don't really like it because it produce sound like enjin rumput.hehehe..sorry bie..it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate your gift...actually I'm so grateful to have a supportive husband like you..hehehe...yalah...I save your pocket from buying formula milk...I only use this pump at home while nursing Noel at the other side of my breast. Suprisingly, sometimes I can express until 8 oz of EBM.

Pureen Manual Breast Pump

This is another Pureen Manual Breastpump that I bought for spare.  If I not mistaken I bought it for Rm20+. The most that I can express using this pump is 2 oz!! Haih....I hate to say this...I don't really like this  pump. Its doesn't work for me. However, I ever read positive comment about this pump. I think not all pumps work for me...hehehe

Tada..........this is my favourite!!

 

My favourite among all of my breastpump - Medela Harmony

 This is my favourite pump which I bought through bidding at www.ebay.com I bought it only for RM77!! and it's a brand new pump!! Market price is RM249.90. That's why I love ebay. We can get quality product at a bargain price.  As a manual pump, it’s definitely cheaper than electric pump. However the performance is as good as electric pump. It’s efficient and powerful, whereby it has 2 pattern pumping system and great for maximizing milk flow. Besides that it easy to use( user friendly design). You can nurse your little one while pumping since its unique feature is the swivel handle. You can rotate the swivel handle until you find the comfortable position. I ever read that some working mothers who were stuck in the traffic jam use it discreetly in the car since it can be used left handed!! Sik berani aku coba eh…It produce no sound at all compare to my other breast pumps. Besides that you can use it anywhere, no plugging, no messing around with tube and no need to look around for place to set your electric pump. It’s easy to clean as it also has few parts – flange, body and valve. One more thing that I like about this pump is it’s gentle to your breast. A comfortable Soft-Fit breast shield is included to softly massage the breast while you pump. The most important is it is made from a kind of plastic that is less likely to leach any dangerous chemicals, All parts that come into contact with breast milk at claimed to be 100% BPA/DEHP free!!

Breast Milk Booster

Here are some of the milk booster that might be useful for breastfeeding mother;

1. Drink plenty of water ( min 8 glasses per day)

2. Breastfeeding Milk i.e Anmum

3. Fruits – i.e Lychee

4. Vegetables – Cabbage, Carrot, Kailan, Mustard Green, Bittergourd, Spinach ,White Radish & Banana Flower Bud (Jantung Pisang)

5. Soya bean i.e. Mililea Organic Soya Bean

6. Oat + Horlick/Milk

7. Herbs – Fenugreek(halba), Habas Sauda ( Jintan Hitam), Asparagus Recemos ( Shatavari) & Milk Thistle

8. Dried Longan

9. Spirulina

10. Water Chestnut

11. Honey ( Madu Lebah)

12. to be added from time to time..hehehe….

Tips for Pumping Breast Milk

Pumping breast milk should not be a pain or a chore. It should be a lovely and pleasant experience. As it is the way to show your love to your little one. For me it’s a wonderful experience. Bringing back the breastmilk from office to my little one is the most wonderful experience I ever have. I bet all of the breastfeeding mother will be agree with me. I am proud to be a breastfeeding mother as I know I’m giving the best to him.

Here are some easy tips to increase the amount of milk, make pumping easier and generally help you in your pumping.

1. Selection of pump. Selection of the right pump is very important. Make sure that the pump that you have selected will meet your need. The mother who will need to pump only occasionally (i.e. stay at home mother) has very different needs than the mother who pumps several time a day (i.e. working mother). There are several types of pumps in the market such as manual pump, electric pump and battery operated pump.

2. Getting started. It’s advisable to start pumping a couple of weeks before returning to work. The best way is to pump on one side while your baby is nursing at the other side. This will create faster let down and allow you to create an emergency supply.

3. Increasing Supply. Pump more frequently rather than for longer periods. Instead of pumping twice during your day for long periods of time, try pumping three or four shorter periods. Pumping both breasts at the same time can help.

4. Don’t skip your pumping session. Skipping a pumping session can have a negative effect on your milk supply. Our body has a biological clock, if you skip a session your body will assume that you no longer needed the supply. Pumping even for a few minutes can still be beneficial if you don’t have the time.

5. Weekends & Holidays. Use this time for exclusive nursing. It will help to keep your milk supply abundant as well as promote bonding between you and you little. However, it’s advisable not to skip your pumping session. By skipping a session it will affect your milk supply.

6. Baby Love. We all know that it’s easier to feed the baby than pumping because it create faster let down. If the let down is a problem for you while pumping, try viewing photos of your baby while pumping. For i.e tape recorded the coos and gurgles of your baby and listen to it during your pumping session. This will create faster let down.

7. No pumps. Expressing breast milk does not require pump. Many moms do just fine with hand expression. Though very few will be able to use this technique for working, but it works quite nicely for an occasional need for expressed milk and costs very little if anything.

Hope the above information will help…

My Breast Feeding Journey 1

I've been breastfeeding Noel for 6 months plus now...Yippie!! I reach my target!! My next target is to breastfeed him until he reach 1 year old..Hopefully I manage to achieve my aim!!

Breastfeeding my little noel is not an easy journey for me. However,I'm so grateful that my family especially my husband is very supportive. He is the one who always encourage me to breastfeed noel as long as I can. The very first day Noel born to this beautiful world, my hubby is the one who encourage me to breastfeed Noel. On the day he born , 12th March 2009 my milk supply was very little. Noel was born on 5.55am but I only manage to breastfeed him at 5.30pm. The first attempt is not as easy as what we've heard and read. I was so frustrated because Noel keep on crying as my breast did not produce enough milk for him. Luckily at 10.30am the nurse already fed him with a supplement( I also not sure what it is). He cried until he fall asleep.. Kasih mai Noel..

Due to my ignorance, I decided to give him formula milk when he still demand for milk even after breastfeeding. However, overtime despite Noel doing well on the first few day his suckling has slackened and that his mouth is not opened as wide as before. I believe that it's due to the use of bottle feeding. Due to that my breast engorged and it was damn painful!!

Then I started to googling on how to overcome this problem. One of my favourite website is http://www.susuanibu-pk.gov.my/penyusuan-susu-ibu.html . This website has all of the information on breastfeeding. For mothers who has zero knowledge on breastfeeding this website is highly recommended by me..hehehe....Ripley believe it or not..I've printed every single data in this website.....the information is A+++... Besides this link, there's another link that might be useful for nursing mother out there www.susuibu.com . From this website also, aku telah terjebak with cloth diapering..hehehe.

p/s
I will share my tips on breastfeeding and breastpumping in my next post...