Tuesday, October 7, 2014

My Electric Breast Pumps

I've been exclusively pumping for almost 3 months already - and I can pretty tell that it’s more difficult than the real act of breast feeding. Washing and sterilizing of bottles and saving milk stash for my baby can be very tiresome. I also need to make sure to pump on the dot so my milk won’t dry up; and since my daughter doesn’t want to latch anymore on my breasts, I ought to save milk every now and then.

Being an exclusively “pumper”, I’ve tried a couple of breast pumps already. I wanted to have the breastpump that works best for me. Something that has a strong suction but is not painful to the breasts. So far, I’ve tried a total of 5 breast pumps already and the best pumps for me are my Spectra Dew 300 and Cimilre M1. Let me share the pros and cons for the breast pumps I have tried ever since I started pumping. 


Premium 2 in 1 Mimi Flo breast pump - this pumped had helped me increase my milk supply. Contrary to what others would suggest, I have started pumping as early as 2 weeks post-partum. My nipples had bled due to poor latching, and due to the traumatic pain and jumping and shouting while my baby sucks my nipples, I decided to pump right away.





Pros:
·        It has an adaptor that can be attached on the breast shield to hold wide and narrow neck bottles
·        Easy to use. Has its own silicon massager.

Cons:
·        3-5 pump parts to wash
·        The part that holds the spring can easily be removed. There was a time when the cover keeps on getting removed while I was pumping.
·        Breast flange is kind of small; I’m used to with 28mm flanges
·        No available spare parts.

Precious Moments Electric Breast pump - this is probably the worst pump I’ve tried so far. Sorry mommies who are a big fan of this pump, but this pump never really worked for me. Aside from the painful suction, there’s a release button that you need to press every now and then. Using an electric breast pump should lessen the pumping “work load” but having to press the release button every now and then is just useless most especially if you’re using an electric breast pump. I only used this pump for less than 5 minutes, and wasted 1,500 plus for this useless pump. (can you just imagine how much I hate this pump? LOL) DISCLAIMER: Some mommies claim that they can extract 4-5oz using this; perhaps my breasts are not just compatible with this pump.

Pros:
·        Small and really Portable
·        Can use double A batteries
·        It has an adaptor that can be attached on the breast shield to hold wide and narrow neck bottles
·        Easy to use. Has its own silicon massager

Cons:
·        I tested this pump during wee hours and oh boy, the pump motor was really loud.
·        Painful suction (based on my experience)

After my experience with Precious moments, I already became hesitant to try out other electric breast pumps thinking that “all” e-pumps have painful suction. Good thing Mi’Ann of babymama.ph recommended me to get Spectra Dew 300. I am so happy that I purchased this pump and it really helped increase my breast milk supply. With Spectra Dew, I was able to produce more than what my baby can consume in a day, and I was able to save lots of milk stash for Milly before I return to work. Mind you, up until now, the milk stashes I’ve saved for her were left untouched and I’m still able to share my breast milk to other babies who need precious milk.





Pros:
·        Very quiet machine.
·        Very comfortable
·        Closed system - meaning milk won’t come inside the pump.
·        Less pump parts to wash
·        Durable

Cons:
·        Machine is quite big; hence not portable

Since Spectra Dew is not portable; and I know that I need to pump milk at work, that’s where my husband and I decided to invest in buying Medela Swing. What I love about Medela swing is its small and yet can extract efficient milk too. But even if the medela swing is one of the top breast pumps out there, for some reasons, it is unable to empty my breast. I can feel lumps on my breasts after pumping. I don’t know if there’s a problem with the pump parts, but when I checked the membrane, it looks like a part of it got torn.



Pros:

·        Portable

Cons:
·        Many pump parts to wash. Also, you really have to be careful when removing the membrane. Also the yellow valve is SO HARD to remove.
·        Expensive LOL
·        If you didn’t buy your pump from Medela House, they wouldn’t fix it even if it’s still under warranty.
·        No built in rechargeable batteries and you need 4 pieces heavy duty of double a batteries.

After using my Medela swing for a more than a month, I came across baby mama’s website again and saw Cimilre M1. I’ve read a lot of good reviews and I knew right there and then that I need to replace my Medela Swing. So far, I am loving M1’s performance and I am satisfied with the output. This pump can empty my breasts in 10 to 15 minutes.


Pros:
·        Portable; lightweight
·        Quiet motor
·        Has a built in rechargeable battery
·        Strong suction - I am only using level 1 suction and I am able to express a lot of milk.
·        It has a  massage function that enables faster let-down
·        Less pump parts to wash
·        Closed system
·        Length is smaller than a smart phone
·        Very cute design.
·        Battery indicator

Cons:
·        Sorry, but I’m just loving my M1’s performance and I couldn’t think of any cons yet. J

If you’re trying to save milk stash and would like to increase your milk supply, believe me, you can never go wrong with Spectra. Aside from its durability and high-end performance, the price is way more affordable than other expensive electric breast pumps.

21 comments:

  1. Hi! I'd like to ask if why weren't you able to return the pump you didn't want? I also don't like Precious Moments which I just bought last night and I want to return it and exchange it with other items instead.Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hi sis, i opted not to return it nalang. But I was advised naman by the sales lady na if I have any concern, pwede ko naman daw ibalik or for exchange. I've heard may mga mommies na gumawa na nun kasi hindi rin sila hiyang sa precious moments na pump.

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  2. Hi sis, pano mo napalakas yung supply mo ng ganyan? Anong supplement iniinom mo. I'm also using Spectra Dew 300. Any advise naman sis would be appreciated. Thanks. - Elle

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    Replies
    1. Hello sis! I think yung pump na nagamit ko na spectra eh malaki ang naitulong sa pag establish ng milk supply ko.ever since i used it kasi, dumami talaga ang naipon ko na stash for my baby.
      I have no supplements, as in water lang talaga. pero nung nag bubuntis palang ako, nag take ako ng natalac (7 months na buntis palang ako nun), twice a day. then nun nanganak ako, nag take ako ng natalac 3 times a day na, pero eventually hininto ko rin kasi napansin ko ang dami ko ng milk naman na.
      Pump on the dot lang ako. as in every 2-3 hours (10 to 15 minutes kada breast) :) hope that helps!
      And iniisip ko palagi na need ko talaga ng madaming ma pump kasi exclusively pumping kami. minsan kasi sis, kung ano yung nasa utak "daw" natin, yun ang ma poproduce ng breasts natin. kung ano ang nasesend na signal sa brain. hehehe

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  3. hello po ask ko lang ano po ung natalac? vitamins po ba sya or milk kasi po 3mons ako pregnant at balak ko magpabreastfeed..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi sis, natalac is a supplement. parang malunggay capsule sya. you can take it 7 months onwards. yun ang nirecommend sakin ng OB ko.

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  4. Hi how much is that spectra? :) thanks

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  5. Hi sis! Where can I get those recommended pumps and how much sila? Im currently using the avent manual pump. So far okay nmn sha.. tnx

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    Replies
    1. Hi sis Tel! I bought my Spectra pumps from Babymama.ph
      Yung M1 portable is 7800; while yung spectra dew 300 is 5k plus :)

      Delete
  6. Where can we buy that product coz I wanna try it.... thanks :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! I bought my Spectra pumps from Babymama.ph
      Yung M1 portable is 7800; while yung spectra dew 300 is 5k plus :)
      You can go sa store nya directly to try yung pump if hiyang, or pwede ka din naman mag purchase online. You can pay via credit card, or pwedeng cash deposit naman.

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  7. Hi. Ur post is super helpful. By the way, where did u buy your spectra? Many thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi sis Anne! I bought my Spectra pumps from Babymama.ph
      Yung M1 portable is 7800; while yung spectra dew 300 is 5k plus :)
      You can go sa store nya directly to try yung pump if hiyang, or pwede ka din naman mag purchase online. You can pay via credit card, or pwedeng cash deposit naman.

      Delete
    2. Hi mommy. Saan po ba yung store na pwde mabili yung spectra dew 300? Tnx

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    3. I bought my Spectra pumps from Babymama.ph

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  8. Hi Mrs. A,

    Good to find a fellow "exclusive pumper" here. Like you, my son didn't want to latch anymore. So I was forced to make friends with my pump. I only have one electric pump and it was even a single one but I also was able to express more breastmilk than my son requires. My is son is turning 1 next week and also marks 1 year of my pumping journey. Keep it up and cheers to non-latching breastfeeding. You know what they say, when there's a will, there's a way. ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Kudos to e-pumping moms like us!!! ♥♥♥

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi sis! sorry for the late response. yung sakin naman na di disaseeble lahat ng parts kaya na ssterilize ko lahat :)

      Delete
  10. My wife used an electric breast pump too. She also said that the whole process was tiresome, but was worth it. She just didn't always have the time to do it, but did it as much as she could. I remember even helping her with washing and sterilizing everything with her so it wasn't so difficult for her to do. With me helping her out, it was not so much work on her all the time.
    http://www.mdchoicemedicalsupply.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Excellent blog!. I was looking for electric pumps and I landed your website through google search. I found your blog very interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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