Various Breastpumps - Review

Heyya peeps... as promised... :) and please note that i did not try or have any intention to use manual breastpump.. why? Because i'm definitely sure i'm not gonna use it at the office... it will take foreverrrrrrr..... and i don't want to waste my biceps-strength on a breastpump! maybe you would say... maybe i'll buy manual first, because i'm not sure whether i will have enough milk supply to make it worth to invest in a electric breastpump... hmmm... then feel free not to read this post... eheh... i have no justifications for 'excuses'...

Before i state my opinion/ choice of which is which... let me give the general idea what are the features/ differences between those 3... mind you.. i've tried all three.. and this review/ opinions are based on my personal experience, my state of mind at that time, my 'breasts' preferences' and my budget!! :D Your needs/ wants/conditions might be different from mine, so please analyze it carefully ya...
 
Medela Mini Electric Breastpump
- Gift from KJ Gang... tenkssssss! xoxo
1. Very small and handy... easy to use.. easy to clean (only 3 parts = breast-shield + filter + the bottle itself)...

2. Good for first-timers. No hanky-panky-way-too-complicated-parts. :)
3. In average you can pump 3-4 Oz in 15-20mins. As it only caters for one breast, you need another 15-20mins for another.. so your whole pumping session can go up to 45mins.. adding the time to sterilize it, pump and store.
4. Verrrryyy light!
5. Can be electric or battery powered.. so you can use it in a car.. maybe.. :)
6. Bit noisy... not that noisy but enough to get ppl's attention.. eheh.. in other words, you can't pump in your cubicle! :) unless you don't mind others looking at you every time they pass by your place.. heheh...
7. Price = RM399 (diff store, diff price.. pls survey before buying)

*Notes: Now they have Medela Mini Electric Plus - Double pumping! :) Price whooping RM799 erkkk...

Medela Freestyle

- Note that i didn't buy this unit :) A dear friend lend it to me during confinement. Thanks Dayang! :) happy continuing study... don't forget us here in Malaysia okeh... we'll visit you one day.. insyaAllah...

1. 2-phase expression.. meaning it will 'suck' slowly first until u have milk dripping from your nipples then it will go to normal sucking. Electric or battery powered.. comes with chargeable battery  that allows for 3 hours pumping time per charge.
2. It has soft 'nipple-cap' so it's very gentle to your boobies... less discomfort..
3. So called 'hands-free'.... bergaya tak?? :D

 

yep... fully equipped wif all the 'gadgets'

4. Whole pumping session, 15-20 mins, including the preparations n etc. Ideal for the office and at home too if you are planning to santai2 while pumping.. hmmm :) realllyyy quiet! good! can pump at your cubicle..

5. Heavier than Mini Electric of course.. around 2.7kg the whole set.. but still portable...

6. Because of the 'gadgets'.. you need to wash more parts at each session.. membrane + connector + back cap + breast shield + bottle = 5! times 2 sets! urghhh... this one really bothers me.. imagine if you are pumping 2-3 times at the office... *very hassle*

7. The whole hands-free thingy only works in the office if you are wearing front-button shirt like the pic above.. and of course maternity bra with hooks... or else it won't work.. imagine if you are wearing baju kurung, baby-tee (me on Friday :D), on non-front-button shirt to work... hmm.. then hands-free no longer valid unless you take your top off! hmmm.. ada brani?? ahahah.... or else you need to take a 'peek' at your boobs under your top once in awhile to see how it goes during the session... hmmm.. me no like!

8. No 6 & 7 really makes me think 3,4 times of this model... and also no 6 & 7 makes your pumping session to increase to 30-45mins as well... so, what's the point?  

9. Price = RM1,899.00 *gulp* this is quite an investment.. i would say, if you are planning to have more than 3 children, and breastfeed them until 2 yrs old... i think it's worth it.. ahhaha... kalo nak ngada2 je.. pastu bfeed ala2 sebulan... baik takyah... membazirrrr...

Spectra Dew 350
- This one i bought! eheh
1. Part-wise.. similar to Medela Mini Electric.. 3 parts x 2 = double pumping. But the breast shield comes with silicon massager, similar to Freestyle for comfort.

2. Quiet pumping. *LIKE*
3. Suction ~ it works best for me... actually, when i was in SDMC (3 nights after delivery), the loan unit was Spectra 7... i loved it.. just that Spectra 7 is reallllly bulky and heavy.. makes quite a noise too... no no!
4. Cuter look! and it comes in pink too! ahahha...

5. As the 'gadget' is less.. thus your pumping session becomes less.. *LIKE*
6. Weight = 2kg
7. Price = RM494.40 *LIKE*

CONCLUSION
- Spectra Dew 350 meets my expectation, my needs and my budget! happy breast-pumping to me!

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Other things you might want to know

1. There is one store in Klang, where you can 'test' the pump before you buy... www.enjoybreastfeed.com this is the best as you can experience it yourself and you can feel the difference and choose which is best for you. And they also provide rental services for certain model of breastpumps for RM70 to RM90 per month. Very affordable if you only consider to breastfeed your baby for certain months.  I'm lazy to go all the way to Klang.. ngeee...

2. Other than Spectra Dew350, i also eye-ing on Ameda and Ardo Calypso. Ameda and Ardo only weighs 520g.. Thing is I have very few review on Ameda and Ardo is out of my budget! simple as that... hiks! Phillips Avent, few friends have it but they said it's not durable...

3. Price above is from LittleWhiz.com. My favourite baby-thingy-shopping-place! :) please do your own comparison to other stores ok...

4. I do NOT receive any commission from both stores that i mentioned above ya... huhu...

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Breastfeeding experience if different from one to another.. don't be sad if you can't express milk as much as others.. (reminder to myself! hehe..) work at your own pace.. the key is, DON'T GIVE UP!! (again.. reminder to myself!). My first breastfeeding session was about 4 hours after delivery. Nurse brought Armand to me and she assisted me well as i had c-sect. I already have milk (colostrum at that time) in my left breast and none from my right breast. But she said just let the baby suckle from both sides. The next day, both breasts start to produce milk and after that nurse taught me how to use the breastpump. At that time, barely 1 oz... *sad sad* The lactating officer keep encouraging me and saying it will increase in time... no worries..on 2nd day, my nipples started to sore... ouch.. they gave me the nipple cream and said this is normal as the newborn is still to learn how to latch and suckle properly as well... the whole 3 nights i was in SDMC, Armand was fully breast-feed.. Alhamdulillah... resulting.. no jaundice! :)

When we got home, we continue the routine. Because of constant breastfeeding my nipples started to crack.. pulakkk kannnn.....before it can heals properly, more bfeed sessions after.. hence, it bleeds! arghhhh... this is where the breastpump comes in handy... :) with expressing milk, you can let your nipples heal properly and try bfeed again.... it works well for me until..... my milk production is still low as i only express once or twice a day... baby keeps growing and his needs of milk keep increasing.. this is when i knew the meaning of post-natal blues!!! ahahahaha.... 4th week, we get Enfalac A+.. just in case i can't express enough milk and my nipples are still sore/ crack at this time... result - Armand was fed twice with baby's formula and the rest (4-6 times) with bfeed... after a month... milk production increases slowly.. one pump session (5oz to 8oz)... until now (50++ days or so).. nipple sore? crack? bleed? no more!!! mummy and Armand kautim already... hehe... but now, i know how to work my time to express enough milk for Armand's stock for the next day... he's back to fully breastfeeding now... hope i can continue until at least his 6th month!

Currently.. i'm in the midst of trying to increase my milk production.. things that i'm doing now:
1. Drinks lotssss of plain water
2. Take nursing tea..
3. Eat white radish (lobak putih), lots of fish...
4. Drink milk/ take lot of dairy products. I am lactose intolerant actually.. it became worse when i'm pregnant as i'm taking calcium pills (until now). But Alhamdulillah.. after delivery i can have 2 glasses of milk daily without any complication! :)
5. Continue pregnancy/ lactating supplement. My Obimin and calcium pills.

I will update the progress from time to time ya... All of you new mothers out there.. happy bonding with your baby!! :)

breastfeeding mummy,