Now I can stock up, which gives me a lot of freedom to be able to do things for myself again.
Every other week we ask a Real Mom if they would like the NurtureGoods experience. These moms use a breast pump from NurtureGoods in order to describe and share their experiences. In this way, we hope to raise awareness of the NurtureGoods experience and help you make a choice. This week it's mom Manon's turn. Will you read along?
Manon's NurtureGoods experience (Instagram @manonwagenaar)
From doubt to certainty: My journey through breastfeeding over three pregnancies
Let me introduce myself! My name is Manon, I am 28 years old and proud mom of Julie (4), Sev (2), and Loué (0). When I was pregnant for the first time in 2018, I was unsure if I wanted to breastfeed. Was it really for me?
Through my midwife I took a breastfeeding course and also read books to prepare myself somewhat. This made me more and more convinced to try, and if it didn't work out or I didn't feel comfortable with it; then don't.
On October 20, 2018, my first baby was placed on my chest and I started feeding her. This didn't go without a hitch, because during the maternity week we found out that her tongue-tie was too short and she had trouble latching on as a result. This caused me to crack, which of course was no fun. After a visit to the tongue-tie clinic, her tongue-tie and lip-tie were lasered. Unfortunately, after this I still had to feed with a nipple cap because it was still difficult to latch on. Nevertheless, I kept it up for 8 months, 4 of which were full-term and the last few weeks combined with formula.
With my middle one, fortunately, feeding went smoothly from the beginning. With him I kept it up for about 7 months, of which another 4 months were full and the remaining combined with artificial feeding.
The reason I had to combine it with artificial feeding for the last few weeks with both children was that I did not pump enough milk for a whole feeding. When I went back to work after my leave, I had to pump during my work days, but unfortunately this did not provide enough for my children to get through the day. Since I didn't want to pump at home in the evening as well, I decided to combine it with artificial feeding. That way I had a little more peace of mind myself.
During my third pregnancy, I knew immediately that I wanted to breastfeed again. I used a double electric pump from a well-known brand with my eldest, but it was pretty much written off after 2 babies. Time for a new pump! I was super curious to see how I was going to like the NurtureGoods Smart 3.0 pump. The price of the pump is friendly and it also looks nice, not entirely unimportant 🙂
On May 18, our daughter was born. Teething went well right away, but it took some time to get the milk going. Fortunately, the maternity nurse reassured me that this was quite normal and that our girl had enough reserves from the belly to get through the first 24 hours. When I did start to have some doubts about whether it would get going in time, there was finally visible milk. A new breastfeeding adventure had begun! I did not pump for the first 2 weeks because my daughter indicated well when she wanted to drink and my production was good.
When she was 2 weeks old I wanted to give her a bottle so she could get used to it. Time to test out the pump!
I am too lazy to read the booklet so I grabbed the pump and started trying it. That booklet reading turned out to be unnecessary because it is very easy to use! Within 10 minutes I had pumped a nice yield and that for the first time! Now I can build up a supply, which gives me a lot of freedom to do things for myself again. Her daddy then gives the milk through the bottle and that goes super well!
Whether this pump is inferior to my other, expensive one? Absolutely not! I don't notice any difference in terms of yield. Because you can pump twice and there are several options in terms of positions, you can pump a nice amount in a short time. And that while you can just sit on the couch, so you are not dependent on an electrical outlet. When the pump is fully charged, the battery lasts for about 6 pumps, which I think is quite often! The pump even has a silent mode and the fact that it can be put in the dishwasher saves me time as a busy mom.
If you need other accessories such as a different size breastplate, you can easily order it on the website of nurturegoods.co.uk.
I hope to breastfeed again this time for at least six months. Preferably with my baby at the breast, but if I do have to pump because I'm going out the door for a while, or will soon be back at work, that's no longer a punishment!
Much love, Manon
Would you like to know more about Manon? Then follow her on Instagram @manonwagenaar
Marianne