Is it neccessary to splurge on a S$980 Medela freestyle breast pump?

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stonston

Well-Known Member
Then you can do what I did. Buy a cheap manual, then if got milk, get hubs to run out & buy the good one!

I tried many types before I fell in love with Avent Duo. Tried Medela @ TMC Parentcraft but it felt like it was pulling my nipples out!
Avent is gentler & the massage effect produced more milk :)

I bf for 1yr & managed to store enuf to feed my boy till 18mths. We had to buy 2 chest freezers for all that milk!

Btw, I'm super skinny & if you look at me, you won't expect me to produce milk at all :p
 
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blsc78

Member
Ladies, thank you for the sharings:) I had done some research over the weekend and realise Freestyle is indeed better than other Medela pump. Also went to Kiddy Palace and this friendly lady told me that Ameda is the closest competitor to Medela and cost less than half it's price. I was in a rush and didn't have the time to goes thru the demo with her. I shall go over and another day and do my final assessment. Shall be able to make a decision after that, hopefully:)
 
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pinkapple

Member
No loh! Ameda is not the closest competitor. It can't compete at all. not in the same class.

I'd say Avent's the closest competitor.

DON'T get Ameda! you didn't read my previous post?
 
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pinkapple

Member
stonston said:
Then you can do what I did. Buy a cheap manual, then if got milk, get hubs to run out & buy the good one!
... :p
Click to expand...
has it ever occur to you girls that it could be that a not-so-good pump is the culprit of you not getting as much milk out?

You should not have the mentality that "if got milk then..."
cos you must believe that you have milk so you must be able to breastfeed.
 
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igal_76

New Member
Check out the spree for medala, all in all you pay less than 500 bucks for a US set but you must wait for 4-6 weeks. I have considered for a long time too and I will be buying one :) email me at igal_76@yahoo.com.sg if you need to know more :)
 
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blsc78

Member
pinkapple said:
No loh! Ameda is not the closest competitor. It can't compete at all. not in the same class.

I'd say Avent's the closest competitor.

dont'T get Ameda! you didn't read my previous post?
Click to expand...
No leh, under which column? mind to share with me again?
 
otoo

otoo

New Member
Hi All, I am a newbie here writing my 1st post. I am now enjoying my 2nd month maternity after my 2nd bb. :Dancing_wub:

Expensive pumps doesn't mean good.. .

Personally, I had used Medela PIS for my 1st child and Ameda for my 2nd; and i prefer the latter because it did not cause pain and sore / cracked nipples. I find it depends on shape/size of individual's nipples... whether suitable for the pump funnel. The brand does not affect the milk supply.. cos I have friends using Avent or Ameda and producing sufficient supply for few months consumption in storage. There are some factors that contribute to low milk supply.. like milk duct, stress, fluid intake etc...

Luckily both the pumps were borrowed from my sisters.. and I only used them for couple of months. Sad to say, my perserverance was not good.. and gave up cos very tired with nite feeds and partly laziness :p. Hence, I really salute to mummies who BF for many months.. or even years!

BTW, I have a set of pre-loved Medela duo pump.. could sell cheap to any mummies who is interested (hp: 98755553). You could replace some parts if hygiene is a concern.
 
cmeilim

cmeilim

Active Member
dear all mummies

i echo previous mummy otoo's comment: 'expensive pumps don't necessarily mean good...'

i am also an ameda lactaline user. been exclusively bfg my #1 for 15 mths and still going. no complaints abt sore nipples at all. someone passed me a medela swing as back-up. it was way too slow for me and could hardly pump out much milk. i hv never used medela freestyle nor PIS, never needed to look at other brands other than my ameda.

I spot a few misconceptions in some of the postings so far:

1. Expensive pump can pump out more milk
- not necessarily. Different pumps work differently on different mums. I have a gf who can't pump with electric pumps, but can do it very efficiently with a manual and she has breastfed two daughters. Another gf also prefers manual to electric and she has bf-ed three kids. The same pump will work differently for different mums, just like the same brand of diapers may be ok for some babies but give others rashes. BMSG lends different brands of pumps to expectant mothers to try out. i would encourage mummies who are pump-shopping to go and borrow, and not just depend on hearsay to make their shopping decisions, esp if they involve HUGE investment (unless you can afford it and also willing to pay for it, of course. =) ).

- no matter how good the pump is, it is never as powerful as a baby's suction. so unless you are working and need a pump to express milk at work, nursing baby directly on demand is always better. do u know that, no matter how good a pump is, at best, we can only express abt 2/3 of the milk in our breasts at any time? if one just depends on exclusive pumping without direct latch, experience has shown that it is very difficult to sustain total bfg for long.

2. Buy a more expensive pump, then one will persevere in bfg for a longer time
- this argument has its limitations. it may be able to keep some mums trying for a while more, but ultimately there are a lot of other reasons that can dissuade mummies from giving up despite sinking in the money to buy an expensive pump. If one buys an expensive pump but is not diligent in pumping regularly, or grows tired of the intensive nursing-pumping routine, eventually milk supply will drop and a downward spiral leading to FM supplementation and finally stopping bfg can often happen. why do u think there are mummies selling their new-ish pumps in various forums? =)

3. Some women just can't produce enough milk, so buy expensive pumps is also a waste of money
- i wish to correct the first part. i believe all women can produce enough milk for your babies. we human beings are mammals; we are designed and born to breastfeed, just like the mammals in the animal kingdom. that's why God give us TWO boobs, not just one. mammals in the animal kingdom have their breastmilk as the ONLY source of nutrients for their young when they are newly born, no other alternatives like formula milk. their young survive and grow up to be able to take solids or other sources of food.

- there are many factors affecting breastmilk production. the critical period is the first four to six weeks right after delivery. during this period, avoid supplementation with FM, avoid bottle-feeding (feed EBM with cup or syringe if medical conditions prevent u from nursing directly), avoid introducing pacifiers, keep breastfeeding directly on demand (yes, it means through the day and night, even if it means every hour), pump in between nursing sessions to stimulate milk production further, seek professional help to get the correct latch, drink lots of fluid, get support for household chores if possible so that you can rest at other times when you don't need to nurse, ignore negative comments (eg "your bfed baby is not as chubby as so-and-so's baby who is formula-fed!"), doubts ("your baby is crying again. you sure you have enough milk?") and discouragement ("breastfeeding is so tiring, why don't just take the easy option? formula milk has a lot of nutrients too what..."), even if they are from well-meaning family members, relatives and friends. all these will help you to increase and establish your milk supply quickly, and also train your baby to become an expert at suckling efficiently. always remember in breastfeeding economics, demand = supply.

- and as mummy stonston said, size of boobs is no indication of how much BM one can produce.

=)
 
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