I haven’t been blogging much lately have I? Well I kinda didn’t have ideas on what to blog about, then yesterday hubbs asked me, “why don’t u do a review of your pumps?” Then I thought that is a great idea! Who knows I might be of some help to people out there yeah? Or maybe, just for my own reference. And also for my own motivation hehehehe (I need one on this matter remember?)

Before Ayra was born, I already thought of getting a breastpump. I asked around and most people recommended Medela (though that name sounded sooo foreign to me hahaha I thought Avent was better). But a survey in the shops showed a very large price tag on the pumps!!! So I thought I could hold it off till after she was born. As luck would have it, a friend with 2 sons offered to give me her pump as a present. She only used it for a while on the firstborn and kept it ever since. Of course I accepted! It was a Medela Mini Electric pump.

It was a true life-saver (thanks again Tini!!). Initially I thought I wouldn’t need a pump until after my confinement but who knew Ayra had to be hospitalized due to severe jaundice at 5 days old. I was forced to pump milk to send to her at the hospital. It was soooo hard to get anything out at first, when breastfeeding wasn’t established and the boobies was still sooo hard and swollen! My mom had to help me use hot pack to soften the milk ducts to force some milk out. If not for the pump, maybe I wouldn’t have milk till now since she was gone for 5 days!

After that, I use the pump regularly to help relieve the engorgement, to start my stock in the freezer, and the trusty little pump went with me to work daily, even to Taiwan and China when I was outstation. Little did I know Medela doesn’t recommend it for daily use (I would have bought the same model if I had to buy one as it was about the only one I could comfortably afford!). The poor little compact pump worked real hard pumping everyday; at home, in office, occasionally in toilets, in the car, oh a variety of places. I love the fact that it is small enough to put in my handbag and I can use batteries for those emergency times I can’t get to a power point. The downside; it was getting old, the motor unit was running out and I had to manually squeeze the boobies to ensure all milk gets out (ouch!). It was also quite noisy!! Many times when I had to pump in public toilets (at training places, airports, malls) everyone would have a weird look on their face when I come out of the cubicle! Even when I do my pumping in the office, everyone knows I’m in the room coz they can hear the pump hahahaha.

I thought of getting a new pump since it was evident I was gonna pump longer than I initially thought; but Medela raised their prices soon after and I didn’t know what to get! Double pumps are too bulky (and expensive!) to me, I still like to be able to carry around a pump discreetly and need one which can be used with batteries. I surfed around and decided to get the Swing because it’s compact but still an upgrade from the Mini-E. And it’s for daily use! As luck would have it, hubbs was going to the US. I surfed around and found that the price difference is about RM250 if he bought it for me in US! So of course, I asked him to get it for me…

Just one problem though, we both overlooked the power rating difference between here and the US. The voltage on the adapter is much lower than the voltage used here. It cannot be used, unless I buy a voltage converter. I can’t even use my old adapter as it is still different. But in the end, I thought, I could still use the batteries! So now I just use the swing with rechargeable batteries daily (we have plenty of those). I have the convenience of pumping anywhere and everywhere without restriction. Ohhh and the benefits?

• It’s sooooo much quieter! Now nobody knows what I am doing in the toilet for a long time!
• It cuts down my pumping time. And I don’t need to squeeze to get everything out!
• I absolutely LOVE the 2-phase expression technology. I’m sure everyone who’s pumping has experienced once or twice when u cannot get let-down before and it makes it soooo hard and long to pump right? With this, let-down is guaranteed! Really!
• It’s still small enough to fit into my cooler bag compartments.
• The parts are easier to dismantle and wash, and it comes with a soft breastshield. Very comfy. It’s also interchangeable with other shields.
• The motor is not attached to the shield so it’s easier to hold up, unlike the mini-e.
• I am positively sure I could get more milk with this pump than the previous one.

My verdict? I absolutely love it! I am quite sure that I would have given up pumping altogether if I am still using the old pump coz it is troublesome, but now I am happier to pump hhehehe. Ok ok it’s starting to sound like I’m doing marketing for Medela. I shall stop here.

Last note: Thanks b for the pump. It still amazes me you said ok straight away and didn’t mind purchasing a breastpump for your dear wife all the way from there. Hehehehe.

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