Breastpumps review

So, I've just started pumping again at home and soon enough at work too :( (the thought of leaving Hariz is rather unbearable, though I still have 1.5 months to go!)

Pumping at home and work are somewhat different. Obviously if you pump at home, you have the privacy and the time in the world to get down to it. The minus side is you might not be able to pump a lot of milk since you are nursing your little one at the same time. This could fool you into thinking that you have a low milk supply when you don't. And if you have a clingy baby that likes to nurse all the time, pumping and storing your milk is probably the last thing on your mind. At work, depending on the nature of your work, you might not have plenty of breaks nor an adequate mother's room to pump. All these could factor in when finding a suitable pump as choosing the right one is very subjective and circumstantial.

I personally had had different experiences with 4 common pumps in the market. Err.. kena letak disclaimer ke? This is my personal experience only based on my wants and needs and the circumstances I'm in right now.

1) Avent ISIS Uno

I bought this pump when I went to the UK for my training. I couldn't resist getting one as it was selling for GBP19.99 (~RM140) at Boots. It's a manual pump and receives rave reviews from it's users. Unfortunately, this pump is not meant for some lazy a** like me. After several attempts, I gave up as I couldn't be bothered to master the technique nor can I get a single letdown. Quite tiring too. So, back into the box it went. However, some plus points - it is kind to the pocket, very portable so you can pump anywhere and gives good hand exercise :)

2) Medele Mini-E

I got this pump from my sister and she swore by it. It is a single electric pump which you can operate via batteries or an electrical socket. Somehow, the suction of this pump didn't do it for me. I only manage to get a single letdown when engorged and yet couldn't empty the breasts totally. When running on batteries, the suction was rather slow and weak! It is also quite time consuming as you can only pump one side at a time. So, into the box it went too. Some plus points - it is affordable, quite portable though you need batteries or a power supply to operate and not much effort requires to express.

3) Spectra 3

I bought this pump when I had Umar and was using it for almost a year. The price tag that came with it was also reasonable and probably among the cheapest double electric pumps available in the market. Plus points - adjustable suction level, double pumping (save time) and on a good day, I could get 2 letdowns within 30 minutes and empties the breasts well. However, the pump is rather bulky and you need a power socket to run it as it doesn't run on batteries. Not so mobile after all. Another minus point is that the suction is monotonous and rather painful if used for too long probably because I always set it to maximum.

4) Medela Freestyle

The mother of all pumps :)
Though I only use it for less than a month, I already fell head over heels with FS. It is small thus making it very portable. It comes with a nice digital display which tells you how long you have been pumping. Other than that, it has some additional features like a memory button which mimics your previous pumping experience, adjustable suction type and level, etc. You could also used it hands-free and some mothers actually pump while driving! There are just so many plus side to this pump - it comes with a built-in rechargeable battery that could last for 1 week but you could also run it using the normal power socket. This is the ultimate mobile pump definitely!

FS comes with 9 suction levels, with 9th being the strongest. So far, I only used between level 3-4. The suction cups (breast shields) are soft and comfy though they have the tendency to stick to your boobs and you need to peel them off gently after use.

For me, the best part when pumping with FS is that I could get multiple letdowns easily! On average, I would get somewhere between 3-4 letdowns within 20 minutes. It has a dual-phase expression which mimics the baby's suctions. The initial phase is to stimulate letdowns which then follows by the expression phase to express the milk out. More letdowns = more milk and I would buy this pump for this single reason alone.

So far I can't think of a single minus point other than the price tag that comes with it but it is worth every single cent.

Well, those are the 4 pumps that I've used. For now, I'm very happy with FS but I read some reviews that said Medela PISA has better suctions compared to Medela FS. I suppose I won't find out about it myself since my poket sudah bocor. For now, I'll stick with my Freestyle :)