LuckyOne
What kind of breast pump do you recommend? And why? Is an electric better than a manual? I am thinking about breastfeeding our next baby and would like some information about your experiences with breast pumps... All information will be helpful. Thank you!
Answer
It depends on what you need it for. If you don't plan on pumping, then don't bother with a pump at all. Most women who aren't going back to school or work *don't* need to pump.
If you need a pump for occasional use, a manual pump is usually a good choice. It is inexpensive and quiet. It does take some effort to use (depending on the brand), but not usually *much* effort.
If you need to pump at least several times a week up to about twice a day, a battery pump will probably be your best bet. It's easier to use than a manual pump, but it's still portable. It is more expensive than a manual pump, too.
If you are going to be providing all or most of your baby's milk by pumping, the *only* pump that will probably be effective enough is a hospital-grade rental pump, preferably one that pumps both breasts at the same time. It takes half the time and actually gets more milk than single-pumping.
Next, you need to worry about manufacturer. Pick a company whose business is making pumps. They put all their R&D efforts into their pumps. Companies that make baby food (including formula) or baby food products are the *worst* to buy from. They have a financial interest in your *not* succeeding at breastfeeding! The Evenflo pump comes to mind in particular--it can do permanent damage to your breasts. (I know of a number of women this has happened to!!) A general baby product manufacturer is between these two in quality of workmanship.
Next, realize that every woman is a little different. Pumps *cannot* be made that will fit every woman comfortably. If you start to use a pump and it is more than just a *tiny* bit uncomfortable, contact the manufacturer. There may be a problem with the pump, or they may sell parts that help it fit more women. Again, a pump manufacturing company will probably be the most willing *and* able to help you.
Lastly, keep in mind as you pump that many women get no milk or only drops when they first start. Try to pump first thing in the morning (before baby's first nursing) every day for a week or two. You will probably find that you are getting more milk at the end of that time than at the beginning. Your body needs time to adjust. However, you will possibly also "overadjust". Many women find that when their babies are 3-5 months old, suddenly they can't pump as much milk as before. Changing to a different pump for a month or so often helps. Keep your old pump, though--you will probably need to switch back to it later on.
I should add that there is one pump that stands out from the rest--not because of quality per se, but because it is unique. That is the "Whisper Wear" pump. It is *very* quiet and used *entirely* inside your clothing. The claim is that it can be used while you go about your normal schedule, even around other people--who will have no idea you are pumping!! To the best of my knowledge, there is no independent research showing how effective the pump is, but a lot of mothers do use it and like it. I make no recommendations, but if you "don't have time or privacy to pump" you could try it and see if you get good results.
I hope this helps. Good luck!!
It depends on what you need it for. If you don't plan on pumping, then don't bother with a pump at all. Most women who aren't going back to school or work *don't* need to pump.
If you need a pump for occasional use, a manual pump is usually a good choice. It is inexpensive and quiet. It does take some effort to use (depending on the brand), but not usually *much* effort.
If you need to pump at least several times a week up to about twice a day, a battery pump will probably be your best bet. It's easier to use than a manual pump, but it's still portable. It is more expensive than a manual pump, too.
If you are going to be providing all or most of your baby's milk by pumping, the *only* pump that will probably be effective enough is a hospital-grade rental pump, preferably one that pumps both breasts at the same time. It takes half the time and actually gets more milk than single-pumping.
Next, you need to worry about manufacturer. Pick a company whose business is making pumps. They put all their R&D efforts into their pumps. Companies that make baby food (including formula) or baby food products are the *worst* to buy from. They have a financial interest in your *not* succeeding at breastfeeding! The Evenflo pump comes to mind in particular--it can do permanent damage to your breasts. (I know of a number of women this has happened to!!) A general baby product manufacturer is between these two in quality of workmanship.
Next, realize that every woman is a little different. Pumps *cannot* be made that will fit every woman comfortably. If you start to use a pump and it is more than just a *tiny* bit uncomfortable, contact the manufacturer. There may be a problem with the pump, or they may sell parts that help it fit more women. Again, a pump manufacturing company will probably be the most willing *and* able to help you.
Lastly, keep in mind as you pump that many women get no milk or only drops when they first start. Try to pump first thing in the morning (before baby's first nursing) every day for a week or two. You will probably find that you are getting more milk at the end of that time than at the beginning. Your body needs time to adjust. However, you will possibly also "overadjust". Many women find that when their babies are 3-5 months old, suddenly they can't pump as much milk as before. Changing to a different pump for a month or so often helps. Keep your old pump, though--you will probably need to switch back to it later on.
I should add that there is one pump that stands out from the rest--not because of quality per se, but because it is unique. That is the "Whisper Wear" pump. It is *very* quiet and used *entirely* inside your clothing. The claim is that it can be used while you go about your normal schedule, even around other people--who will have no idea you are pumping!! To the best of my knowledge, there is no independent research showing how effective the pump is, but a lot of mothers do use it and like it. I make no recommendations, but if you "don't have time or privacy to pump" you could try it and see if you get good results.
I hope this helps. Good luck!!
storeing breast milk? cloth diapers? Any Advice!!?
marie76444
I am pregnant with my 3rd child. I am wanting to brestfeed, I have breastfeed my other kids but never used the freezer bags/or stored breast milk before. How does that work? I know they have certain breastmilk storage bags that you can buy, but how long can you store them before they expire (go bad), is it safe? How do you thaw out the milk? I would really apprecite info on this. With my other kids i always produced ALOT of milk but never stored it. And I want to breastfeed this baby as long as i can to help with formula cost etc. Also Cloth diapers. Are they good? What about with newborns? Do they leak? please info on this. I have never used them before but am really looking into it.
Answer
You can pump your milk and keep it in the frig for up to 8 days. On the eighth day, toss it. You don't need a special storage system. Most pumps are set up for you to pump directly into the serving bottle so once you are done pumping you can just take that bottle and put it in the frig and you are done.
You can pump and store your milk in the freezer for 3 months. They suggest that if you plan to freeze the milk you should put it in the freezer within 6 hours of pumping it. There are special freezer bags you can buy for that. Most of those bags are 8 oz bags. You can also use the ice cube method (which is cheaper). You pour the milk into a ice cube tray and leave it overnight. The next day you take out all the milk from the cubes and put them into a ziplock bag. Make sure you put the date on the bag. What is great about the ice cube method is that you can thaw out one cube (about 1/2 - 1 oz) or a bunch of cubes depending on how much you need. With the 8 oz freezer bags you have to defrost the entire 8 oz bag. The third way to freeze the milk is to freeze it in the bottle. Again, if your pump is one that you pump into the bottle and you can freeze the bottle (check with the manufacturer) then just cap the bottle and put the bottle in the freezer (you can freeze Avent bottles by the way and they sell the freezer caps very cheap). The only bad thing about freezing it in the bottle you pump to is that you need to make sure that you have enough extra bottles.
How do you thaw it? It is highly recommended that you just put the freezer bag or freezer bottle into the frig the night before. It will thaw in about 12 hours on its own and you can then just use it the next day (use thawed milk within 24 hours after it has thawed). You can also float the bag or bottle in a pot of boiling water if you want to thaw quicker. Try not to use the microwave unless you have to, it causes hot spots and loss of nutrients.
You thaw the frozen ice cubes by first putting the amount of cubes you wish to thaw into a bottle and then thawing it the same way as listed above.
Cloth is great! There are a ton of chat rooms out there that all swear that cloth is not that bad. Join one you can learn alot. Do they leak? You are supposed to change a diaper when it gets soiled. Usually every 2 hours for a newborn. The reason people say they leak more than disposables is that some people use disposables like a strap on toilet and let the baby wet a few times (disposables will hold a lot of waste). You can't do that with cloth because they normally won't hold that much. You want to try and change them often. But I also think you should change a disposable that often too. I think it is gross to leave a baby sitting in pee into the diaper "fills up". If you change the diaper every other hour or so you should find no more leaks with the cloth diaper as you do with the disposable.
There are so many cloth systems to choose from. I like the pockets myself but some people like the fitted with covers, AIOs and some even use prefolds with covers. You have to choose what you think is right for you (prefolds w/covers are the cheapest followed by pockets and then followed by AIOs). Pockets and AIOs are very close in style. AIOs take longer to dry in the dryer than pockets because you have a removable stuffer that you put in the pocket and wash separately allowing the diaper to dry quicker. That is why I went with the pocket instead of the AIOs. A lot of cloth moms swear that the AIOs are better with leaks, but most people never have a leak problem with any cloth system they use. Prefolds are great if you want to do the folding the pinning or snapping. AIOs and pockets have velcro and go on just like a disposable so they are great for dads and others that are not folding experts.
I have one-size pocket diapers. You might want to research those. This one-size diaper fits the baby from 8 pounds until toddlerhood so it is very cheap, I don't have to buy a new size every few months (You have to buy AIOs in sizes and some pocket diapers even come in different sizes.) A one-size pocket is not a good solution for a newborn though. Newborns are often born under 8 pounds. So you need to have a solution for your newborn. Since most newborns are only under 8 pounds for the first few weeks I would recommend using disposables until she/he is 8 pounds. If you don't want to use disposables, then try and get a used newborn diaper system from someone so it is cheap. (They do make newborn or XS size AIOs and pockets. I just thought it was not worth the money if my daughter was only going to wear it for a month or less.)
Of course if you decide to go the prefolds and covers route then you can use those for newborns. You just buy newborn covers.
Noone can tell you what cloth system to use, you have to research that yourself and decide what you think it best for your family.
Most people have about 24 diapers which is enough for every other day laundry. Yes, you have to rinse the diapers (you don't have to rinse if only breastfeeding) and wash them every other day, but who cares. It is one extra load of laundry every other day. It is not that big of a deal. The real big deal is running out of disposables and having to run to the store at 8 oclock at night with baby in tow. You run out of cloth, big deal, you toss a load in the washer and you are done.
You are going to be doing extra laundry with the baby coming anyways so that extra load is not going to seem like that big of a deal.
P.S. I spent a total of $230 on 24 one-size pocket diapers, 38 pocket liners and 36 wipes (yes, I even bought cloth wipes). Because I bought one-size diapers (they have snaps that snap down to the different sizes) I NEVER have to spend another dime on cloth diapers. It would cost between $2000-$3000 to diaper the same baby in disposables. Save lots of money with no waste to the environment...
You can pump your milk and keep it in the frig for up to 8 days. On the eighth day, toss it. You don't need a special storage system. Most pumps are set up for you to pump directly into the serving bottle so once you are done pumping you can just take that bottle and put it in the frig and you are done.
You can pump and store your milk in the freezer for 3 months. They suggest that if you plan to freeze the milk you should put it in the freezer within 6 hours of pumping it. There are special freezer bags you can buy for that. Most of those bags are 8 oz bags. You can also use the ice cube method (which is cheaper). You pour the milk into a ice cube tray and leave it overnight. The next day you take out all the milk from the cubes and put them into a ziplock bag. Make sure you put the date on the bag. What is great about the ice cube method is that you can thaw out one cube (about 1/2 - 1 oz) or a bunch of cubes depending on how much you need. With the 8 oz freezer bags you have to defrost the entire 8 oz bag. The third way to freeze the milk is to freeze it in the bottle. Again, if your pump is one that you pump into the bottle and you can freeze the bottle (check with the manufacturer) then just cap the bottle and put the bottle in the freezer (you can freeze Avent bottles by the way and they sell the freezer caps very cheap). The only bad thing about freezing it in the bottle you pump to is that you need to make sure that you have enough extra bottles.
How do you thaw it? It is highly recommended that you just put the freezer bag or freezer bottle into the frig the night before. It will thaw in about 12 hours on its own and you can then just use it the next day (use thawed milk within 24 hours after it has thawed). You can also float the bag or bottle in a pot of boiling water if you want to thaw quicker. Try not to use the microwave unless you have to, it causes hot spots and loss of nutrients.
You thaw the frozen ice cubes by first putting the amount of cubes you wish to thaw into a bottle and then thawing it the same way as listed above.
Cloth is great! There are a ton of chat rooms out there that all swear that cloth is not that bad. Join one you can learn alot. Do they leak? You are supposed to change a diaper when it gets soiled. Usually every 2 hours for a newborn. The reason people say they leak more than disposables is that some people use disposables like a strap on toilet and let the baby wet a few times (disposables will hold a lot of waste). You can't do that with cloth because they normally won't hold that much. You want to try and change them often. But I also think you should change a disposable that often too. I think it is gross to leave a baby sitting in pee into the diaper "fills up". If you change the diaper every other hour or so you should find no more leaks with the cloth diaper as you do with the disposable.
There are so many cloth systems to choose from. I like the pockets myself but some people like the fitted with covers, AIOs and some even use prefolds with covers. You have to choose what you think is right for you (prefolds w/covers are the cheapest followed by pockets and then followed by AIOs). Pockets and AIOs are very close in style. AIOs take longer to dry in the dryer than pockets because you have a removable stuffer that you put in the pocket and wash separately allowing the diaper to dry quicker. That is why I went with the pocket instead of the AIOs. A lot of cloth moms swear that the AIOs are better with leaks, but most people never have a leak problem with any cloth system they use. Prefolds are great if you want to do the folding the pinning or snapping. AIOs and pockets have velcro and go on just like a disposable so they are great for dads and others that are not folding experts.
I have one-size pocket diapers. You might want to research those. This one-size diaper fits the baby from 8 pounds until toddlerhood so it is very cheap, I don't have to buy a new size every few months (You have to buy AIOs in sizes and some pocket diapers even come in different sizes.) A one-size pocket is not a good solution for a newborn though. Newborns are often born under 8 pounds. So you need to have a solution for your newborn. Since most newborns are only under 8 pounds for the first few weeks I would recommend using disposables until she/he is 8 pounds. If you don't want to use disposables, then try and get a used newborn diaper system from someone so it is cheap. (They do make newborn or XS size AIOs and pockets. I just thought it was not worth the money if my daughter was only going to wear it for a month or less.)
Of course if you decide to go the prefolds and covers route then you can use those for newborns. You just buy newborn covers.
Noone can tell you what cloth system to use, you have to research that yourself and decide what you think it best for your family.
Most people have about 24 diapers which is enough for every other day laundry. Yes, you have to rinse the diapers (you don't have to rinse if only breastfeeding) and wash them every other day, but who cares. It is one extra load of laundry every other day. It is not that big of a deal. The real big deal is running out of disposables and having to run to the store at 8 oclock at night with baby in tow. You run out of cloth, big deal, you toss a load in the washer and you are done.
You are going to be doing extra laundry with the baby coming anyways so that extra load is not going to seem like that big of a deal.
P.S. I spent a total of $230 on 24 one-size pocket diapers, 38 pocket liners and 36 wipes (yes, I even bought cloth wipes). Because I bought one-size diapers (they have snaps that snap down to the different sizes) I NEVER have to spend another dime on cloth diapers. It would cost between $2000-$3000 to diaper the same baby in disposables. Save lots of money with no waste to the environment...
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