Breast Pump Reviews
- Pumping Breast Milk

Breast Pump Reviews has selected the best breast pumps available such as the Medela breast pump and other electric breast pumps.

You may want to remove milk from your breasts without feeding, perhaps you are planning to go out for the evening or your breasts have become engorged. Your baby can then be fed using a bottle. It is possible to express milk by hand but breast pumping is much quicker using a breast pump.

Pumping breast milk and storing breast milk for your baby to drink can be a tedious process. Absolute hygiene must be maintained. The mechanics of it is also important. You have to decide if you want a single pump or double pump; manual breast pump or electric breast pump; they also come with the optional battery operated feature like the Medela mini electric breast pump.

You might also consider breast pump rental if you want a hospital grade breast pump.

Pros and Cons

Single breast pump - It takes longer for you to complete pumping both breasts. After the let-down reflex in your first breast, you might find that you can pump less breast milk with your second breast if you don't have a let down again. However, you can choose to breast feed your baby and express breast milk from the other side at the same time. If you have the Medela mini breast pump, it is so convenient to carry about.

Double breast pumps - You can get the job done pronto. No wasting of time (we have too many things to do already!). So many different models of double breast pumps are available now, you are spoilt for choice.

Manual breast pumps - An electric breast pump is an investment. I have had friends who wanted to save money or didn't think they would be pumping breast milk very often. The let-down reflex that causes breast milk to be released from your breast is mood and hormone related. Stress and pumping manually until your fingers ache is really not conducive to having a let down, which makes matters worse.

Electric breast pumps - Like the Medela Mini Electric Breast pump or the Philips Avent Electric Breast pump that I have, they can be operated by battery or electricity, whichever suits you. Use rechargeable batteries to be as green as possible.

Breast pump rental - If you don't want to breast feed for too long or don't want the expense of buying a new one, you can consider renting a breast pump. (Though the idea of using a breast pump someone else has used seems a little icky to me).

Hospital grade breast pump - During my time many years ago, these breast pumps were huge monstrosities and double breast pumps were not very common. Now the best double breast pumps are comparable to the hospital grade ones.

I tried the two most popular brands for the best breast pumps : Medela and Philips Avent. Both were good in their own way.

Breast Pumps Reviews

In Singapore, Medela is the most popular brand of breast pump.

Best Breast Pump -

Medela Mini Electric Breast Pump

This was the first breast pump I bought. It was fantastic. Battery or electricity-operated, easy to use and convenient to carry around. However, it was a single breast pump, meant to be portable.

Amazingly, my Medela mini breast pump is still working great after more than 8 years. It has been very handy and I could even bring it on holidays. There are no tubes and wires to get in the way.

Medela breast pumps use the smaller standard slim neck milk bottles. Other brands of baby bottles such as Pigeon and Nuk have this similar standard size slim neck.

This smaller size bottle mouth is great for younger babies who aren't consuming large quantities of milk yet. Get your baby used to drinking water by letting him suck a little water after each milk feed, and then burping him.

Medela Breast Pump

I realized later that when you have a let down and the milk starts flowing, it is much easier to collect your milk with a double breast pump. You may feel like a cow, but you get the job done in double quick time.

Most people I have spoken to felt that Medela Breast pumps were the best breast pumps around. Medela breast pump parts and accessories are also readily available in most departmental stores.

Medela Breast Shells (Softshells)

for Breast milk collection and protecting sore nipples

I must confess that when I bought my Medela Breast pump and the breast shells came as a set, I had absolutely no idea what they were for.

They are very useful when you are pumping breast milk on one side and the other lactating breast is leaking.

You can collect the leaking breast milk and add it together with the breast milk pumped. Waste not, want not...

Medela Washable Bra Pads

You will need these to prevent any leaking breast milk from staining your clothes. This can be quite embarrassing.

Worn under your bra, this 100% cotton bra pad is washable and contoured, and seamless under your clothes.

Some moms have complained that just hearing a baby cry or thinking about their new baby can cause the let-down reflex and breast milk to flow from their breasts.

Philips Avent Electric Breast Pump

The Philips Avent Breast Pump comes as a single or double breast pump. The Single breast pump is handy and you can even pump one breast while you are feeding your baby on the other side.

The trick about breast feeding is that the more you breast feed, the more breast milk you produce. Your breast milk can refill within an hour according to my lactation consultant. The trigger is actually your baby emptying your breast of milk that causes more milk to be produced.

It is such a pity that many mothers don't give their bodies a chance. I know of many moms who give up within the first few days of trying, saying that they couldn't produce enough milk. Perhaps they didn't realize that the initial milk they produce is the most nutritious colostrum before the normal breast milk comes in only after 3 to 4 days.

I found the Philips Avent breast pump a little quirky to use sometimes, and not as easy to use as the Medela one. It may be a matter of personal preference though. I found the wire leading to the battery pack quite cumbersome.

Avent bottles come in the standard wide neck. Other brands of milk bottles that offer this wide neck are Pigeon and Dr Brown baby bottles.

If you are looking for a Baby Monitor, please read the Best Baby Monitor product review.

* Please note that I have only done reviews on products I have used personally. I am quite an anal-retentive mom, so I compare the many brands / models / varieties available before I purchase a product. I have written about the products I really loved. I don't want to make any harsh criticisms of products that were less than stellar ;-)

Stock up on all the essentials needed for your motherhood maternity needs and new baby at Mother & Baby Fairs which happen every month or so. You can also find lots of educational materials located all in one venue for convenience.

There is always a Book Fair going on somewhere in Singapore. Get books at steep discounts and there are sometimes even activities available to entertain the kids at the big fairs.

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