Somewhere halfway through my pregnancy I started thinking about buying a breast pump. After I read some reviews, I realized that a manual pump is not what I needed and that I should buy an electric one.
The reasons:
1. Pumps quickly and efficiently, plus you don’t have to massage your breasts before pumping.
2. Spares your time: you don’t have to sit for like 20-30 minutes pumping like a robot, the device will do it for you.
3. I wanted a Medela breast pump, because the brand is famous for their breastfeeding goods.
However, I postponed the purchase.
In the hospital, after giving birth, when my breasts were full of milk and looked like those of a porn star, I asked my relatives to buy me a breast pump, and so I received this manual two phase pump. Nobody asked me what kind of breast pump I wanted, and they bought the first one that caught their eyes.
Price: about $30
There were eight pieces in the kit, apart from the instruction book, namely:
a flange, a connector, a pump itself, a bottle with a lid, a bottle stand and two membranes.
I didn’t need a bottle stand at all.
This is what we get after we bring all the pieces together. Quite a cute breast pump.
It’s not only cute, it’s also supposed to be super cool, because it’s a two phase system. What does it actually mean?
According to the manufacturer, the breast pump imitates the real process of a baby sucking the breast. At first, it pumps slowly, then quicker and more intensive. In order to get this effect, one has to press the upper lever for about 5 minutes. Then, the lower lever must be used to maximize milk flow.
I was using this so-called wonder for about a week, and these are my negative impressions:
1. You only need the first phase like 2-3 times in general, as it prepares the nipples. After that, it’s completely useless, since the breasts got used to the pumping, and the first phase is just a waste of time.
2. This breast pump doesn’t solve the problems of lumps, so if you have any, you’ll have to rub them with your hands before using the breast pump.
3. It pumps pretty good, but it’s soo long and boring. After a while, I started to envy my hospital roommate, who was using an electric pump without breaking a sweat.
4. In my breast pump, the flange didn’t fit closely to the bottle, which led to leaks.
5. I think, the device is a bit too pricey.
There are a few positive things, though:
1. It does pump milk, yep. So if you have soft healthy breasts, a lot of milk and you don’t have to pump every day, it’s quite a decent option.
2. Easy to take apart and put together, and easy to wash.
3. Made of high-quality plastic, it doesn’t stink.
4. Looks pretty good.
5. Can be used without a bottle stand, even though some complain that it falls. Here is proof that it doesn’t:
Anyway, this breast pump is good if you don’t have to use it frequently, otherwise you’ll grow some muscles and sweat will be pouring down your face. Actually, it’s better either to buy a simple manual pump, or fork out some cash for an electric pump.
