Being able to breastfeed their baby is every mother’s wish when they first enter motherhood. However, sometimes it’s just not possible to always be at your baby’s beck and call. Seeing as most babies need to be fed every 2 hours or so while breastfeeding, it’s near impossible for many moms to have a life outside of being a feeding machine for their baby. To make breastfeeding more feasible and to give moms a life outside of their baby, many moms use breast pumps. But that brings on another question – How do I know which breast pump is for me? Let us help you.
When looking for the perfect breast pump, there are two major questions you need to ask yourself – how often are you going to use it, and what’s your budget.
How often will you use a breast pump?
Of course, this is quite difficult to judge, especially with busy lives and schedules. A rule of thumb for this would be how often you will away from your baby. For example, if you’re a work-at-home mom or a housewife, chances are you probably won’t be away from your baby for long. If that’s the case, a manual breast pump could be for you.
If you’re a full-time working mom, being with your baby all day is clearly not the option. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t breastfeed your baby! It just means that you will probably need to use the breast pump more often so that others can feed your baby for you instead. In this case, an electric breast pump would be more suitable for you.
Manual vs Electric – What’s the difference?
Manual pump
A manual pump, as the name implies requires you to pump manually. These type of pumps are normally cheaper and more portable since there are fewer parts involved. However, it does require you to constantly squeeze a lever to create the suction, which can be quite tiring. Many moms do prefer this type of pump as they say that it mimics a baby’s sucking.
But one big issue that some moms face when using a manual pump is that it can be difficult to express the milk. One reason is that it takes a longer time and a lot more effort. For a mom that’s been taking care of their baby all day, this is not ideal, especially when it leads to not being able to express the milk completely or at all, which can be very frustrating.
Electric pump
An electric pump is somewhat more complex compared to a manual one. They usually run on batteries or with a power outlet, depending on your needs. The main difference between the electric and the manual is that it is fully automatic. It has various adjustable options like cycling times and suction levels that mimic a baby’s natural sucking rhythm to aid in expression and minimize discomfort. These pumps usually encourage a letdown response which then helps make expressing a lot easier. These pumps come in two types – single and double pumps. The difference between these is that the double can express both sides at once.
However, since there are more parts to this, it can be less portable and also can be much more expensive compared to a manual pump.
What do we recommend?
If you’re a mom who has the need for a breast pump quite often, we would highly recommend an electric breast pump because it would be well worth the money with all the effort and time saved. It also gives a more pleasant experience overall. One thing to note though, it is important that you DO NOT buy a second-hand breast pump as there’s no guarantee that it is safe from germs and diseases. Saving a couple of bucks is not worth jeopardising your baby’s health!
Out of all the breast pumps so far, the Philips Avent Single Electric Breast Pump is a definite contender. Why? Watch the video below to find out. To find out more about the product, click here.
For more product reviews and guides, click here.
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