With "Neal," I can still remember the frustrations of poor teething, lack of strength, broken nipples, fissures and so on.
Each 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 Shannen's turn. Will you read along?
The full-time pump mom
I would venture to call myself a reasonable expert in this area with 2 experiences of full-time pumping and having worn out a number of pumping devices.
This pregnancy I didn't expect to bring a big baby into the world, in fact I don't make big babies. With Neal, I can still remember the frustration of poor latching on, lack of strength, broken nipples, cracks and so on. After three days with Neal, I decided to start pumping full time as a result. That's not an easy way out because you spend quite a lot of time doing it, you can't do much because you're (often) attached to all kinds of wires, plus the chances of clogging are significantly higher.
To stay ahead of the frustration, I had decided to skip the live feeding and start pumping right away. This meant that I would have to start with artificial milk because it takes a little longer to start breastfeeding properly.
My experiences with other pumping devices
The pumping devices I used with Neal are: Philips Avent, Medela Swing and the Youha from AliExpress.
Disclaimer: A pump choice is very personal because every body is different and reacts differently to it. If you want more information, please contact your lactation consultant about how you can pump best.
With the Philips Avent, breastfeeding got off to a good start because it has an enormous amount of power. Only in the long run the power was a bit too much and the pump caused my nipples to hurt. This was because there were only 3 settings on it and the steps were too big so I couldn't find the perfect setting where it wasn't too soft or not too hard to pump right away.
A friend of mine had the Medela Swing at home and she let me borrow it. In the beginning it was great, but after a few times of pumping I noticed that the Medela, despite having more variation in positions, was too soft for me. That's where I started to experience the first blockages. Because of that I made a mix of the Philips and Medela pumps on one day to avoid the blockages but also not to get broken nipples. The Medala you can also charge or put batteries in it, but it only lasted 1 pumping session and if you pump 8 times a day that is too little when you are away from home.
Later I bought the Youha hands-free pump on AliExpress, which was ideal if you needed to have your hands free, if you wanted to pump but you also had to go to the toilet, or if you went out to do it at any time, such as in the car, where you have no outlet. The Youha lasted at least a day and was also a lot less pump luggage to carry around. The Youha pump also had its flaws with pumping.
As a result, I ended up using three breast pumps to meet my needs. Quite a hassle you can imagine, lots of boiling out and cleaning.
For that reason I was looking for a new pump this round. Breastfeeding was a must, especially in the first few weeks, and to have to fiddle around with 3 pumps again was something I really disliked. I started looking for a pump with more positions, more price-friendly and preferably with a decent battery. If you don't look at the standard well-known big people, a huge world opens up for you when it comes to pumping. Only for me, also despite my experience, a fairly unknown world. After some research I could have added a few new pumps to my wish list.
When I got the offer from NurtureGoods to try out the new Smart 3.0 pump, I immediately saw that it was in my wish list you. I would love to try that one! Especially since this one met all my requirements.
Experience
After I got the pump home, charged it up and put it together, it was just a matter of waiting for the baby to be born before I could actually start pumping him. Finally, the time had come!
The Smart 3.0 pump has 9 positions, for the let-down reflex but also for pumping. Maybe you could say 18 modes, because once you set it to a mode you can also press the S and the way it pumps at your nipple gets a little softer. Hugely nice!
The Smart 3.0 pump has a large battery allowing you to pump wirelessly. This is very handy with two small children. You are still attached with your breasts to the pump, but if your child needs something immediately you can at least stand up. The battery also lasts a long time!
For me that was 3 days, I could pump 4 times a day for 10 to 15 minutes. Then the pump wasn't even so empty that it gave out but it was on the edge.
The Smart 3.0 pump has a friendly price of 124.00 euro. It could be even cheaper because if you are well insured you can receive a (one-time) amount from your insurance for your pump.
The time I have used this pump, I have not had any constipations at all so that was the winner for me! I am very satisfied with this model and rid of my problems.
Are you looking for a pump? Then be sure to include this one in your consideration!
Much love,
Shannen
Want to know more about Shannen? Then follow her on Instagram @shannenhompes