It's better to get the sturdy, reliable pump before you deliver. And at least you will have enough time to go thru the instructions & learn to unassemble/assemble the parts quickly. If you have big breasts (40DD when give birth) like me, Avent is definitely the one to get.
In my experience, the baby's natural suckling is still the best to stimulate milk flow, provided the baby's latching correctly. I can still remember the time when I totally forgot to pack my pump in my hospital bag. I only realised it when I packed my bags for hospital discharge. I was too busy TBF my baby at that time. I think it was a blessing in disguise bcos my milk came in on the 4th day after giving birth.
I use the Avent ISIS bcos i like the petal massage cushion, it's wide and snug enough for my nipples, areolas and easy to assemble. I decided not to get the japanese brands bcos the funnels are not wide enough, too small for my nipples and areolas.
I found out last wk from a friend that her cheap Tollyjoy pump broke after she used it for abt a week! Me & my friends who r Avent pumpers are shocked until today we're still puzzled how that pump can break. Another friend who gave birth 4 mnths after me gave up using her Pigeon pump after two days as its funnel didn't fit her big breasts well and she found it difficult to achieve the let down effect quickly. So I gave her an Avent ISIS pump as a present and she loved it.
Here's some tips (tried & tested):
- If you intend to bf & you have written a birth plan, u can clearly state in it that you want TBF only, nothing else such as pacifiers, formula milk, water, etc. Most of my friends who simply tell nurses/midwives that they want to breastfeed, they were surprised when their babies were fed formulas in the nursery. They realised it only when they ask me abt it & I tell them that TBF means total bf, nothing else. And that BF means bf with formula supplements.
- As soon as you give birth, get midwife to guide & help you bring baby to breast & correctly latch on, preferably within one hour of birth. During this magic hour, the baby's more alert & has good suckling reflex. After that, usually baby too sleepy & exhausted to nurse.
- Baby rooming-in with you helps you to get started in bf easier. Your body will naturally & quickly respond when your baby's in the same room with you. Such babies usually cry lesser bcos the mother responded faster.
- Get help from a lactation consultant when you're still in hospital, if you encounter bf problems. This way, you can pinpoint problems earlier.
- If you gave birth after c-section on general anastethia, it's best to initiate bf as soon as you wake up. Get midwife or nurse to help you to hold baby to latch as your arms maybe too weak to hold, and best to nurse on side lying position (this tip I got from a midwife and a friend).
- TBF babies usually feed every 1 or 2 hrs in the first few mnths, so it helps a lot that if you're mentally prepared for it.
- Unless you're willing to do manual hand expression every time, it is better to get a manual pump in case your breasts get engorged.
- If you heard people say that crying is gd for baby's lungs, it actually total BS. In fact, it makes a baby more exhausted, tense and less interested to nurse.
- Babies get smarter by the day. Once they learn that bottles is lot easier to get milk, they usually stick to it. If you intend to bf and work, make sure that your bf is established first and then slowly introduce the bottle.
- If you bottlefeed first and then try to bf, it's a lot harder to get back to bf and it will take a lot more of grit, determination & patience.
- If you tell yourself that u got no milk, your milk flow will stop. I've got many friends who experienced that.
I hope I'm not too longwinded to share all these. I was just trying to recall my breastfeeding experiences
and I'm very happy that my son (17.5 mnths old) is still bf to date. So, when is your EDD?
