It's not that I'm weirded out about BFing in public. I'm totally not...you know, as long as you're pretty much covered up and stuff. There were plenty of times when I would have loved to just be able to whip out that cover and do my thing at a family party or in the mall or wherever. But I really don't think Maddy liked being under a cover very much. She would always, always fuss. And fussing, I think, automatically sets off this thing in new moms that is like "OHMYGOSH my baby is fussing and everyone is listening and they are all totally annoyed and they probably think I'm a terrible mom and..." you know. Plus, I didn't really have a nursing friendly wardrobe, and was pretty much too cheap and lazy to hunt down and buy cute nursing tops, so I was never really able to figure out the "mechanics" of nursing in public. And trying (which I did) ended up stressing me out.
And so it was that I began pumping. I got into this really groovy routine once Maddy girl was able to sleep without being fed in the middle of the night: I'd pump a bottle (or two, when she was still little and didn't eat so much at one time) right before bed, so I wouldn't *cough*leak*cough* all over my bed, and then we'd have a bottle to take with us on our travels the next day.
It worked really well, except:
1) I didn't really like the bottles (and Dallin really didn't like them)
2) I didn't really like the pump, especially after several months of use when its performance began to go downhill.
So now, faced once again with the prospect of pumping (I do plan on trying BFing under a cover again, but hey, who knows?), I am in the market for a new pump and new bottles.
And I don't think what I want exists.
What I want in a bottle:
-not made of a zillion parts (or, you know, more than...3? 4?)-
-doesn't have to be put together in a very specific way to avoid leakage-
-probably good for colic and stuff, just in case-
-options, in terms of milk flow, size, etc.-
-no nipple confusion-
What I want in a breast pump:
-not a million dollars-
-electric (single or double, doesn't matter)-
-works well (doesn't have to move mountains or anything...I just want it to work!)-
And then comes the truly tricky part...
I want to be able to pump right into the bottles so I'm not pouring milk back and forth, washing extra containers, etc.
This system does not exist. I'm fairly certain.
You cannot find a decent pump and decent bottles that were made for each other. WHY THE HECK NOT?
Medela makes good pumps, but they are crazy expensive, and their bottles don't get great reviews.
Lansinoh makes what looks like a great pump, but they have no feeding bottles - only storage bottles.
Evenflo and Playtex make good looking bottles, but no decent pumps.
Avent is what we used before.
So tell me - does this ideal of mine exist? Am I putting too much faith in online reviews (is something actually good even though most people don't like it)? Should I just get what I want from both categories even if they don't "work" together and just suck it up with the pouring and the washing and what not?
And could switching to Geico really save us 15% or more on car insurance?
These are the things that will keep me up tonight.
-not made of a zillion parts (or, you know, more than...3? 4?)-
-doesn't have to be put together in a very specific way to avoid leakage-
-probably good for colic and stuff, just in case-
-options, in terms of milk flow, size, etc.-
-no nipple confusion-
What I want in a breast pump:
-not a million dollars-
-electric (single or double, doesn't matter)-
-works well (doesn't have to move mountains or anything...I just want it to work!)-
And then comes the truly tricky part...
I want to be able to pump right into the bottles so I'm not pouring milk back and forth, washing extra containers, etc.
This system does not exist. I'm fairly certain.
You cannot find a decent pump and decent bottles that were made for each other. WHY THE HECK NOT?
Medela makes good pumps, but they are crazy expensive, and their bottles don't get great reviews.
Lansinoh makes what looks like a great pump, but they have no feeding bottles - only storage bottles.
Evenflo and Playtex make good looking bottles, but no decent pumps.
Avent is what we used before.
So tell me - does this ideal of mine exist? Am I putting too much faith in online reviews (is something actually good even though most people don't like it)? Should I just get what I want from both categories even if they don't "work" together and just suck it up with the pouring and the washing and what not?
And could switching to Geico really save us 15% or more on car insurance?
These are the things that will keep me up tonight.
i'm not sure about all of those things together, BUT, you can rent one of those super awesome pumps that they use at the hospital for pretty cheap from a motherhood store on gilbert and southern, i'll have to check the name for you.
ReplyDeletei use the bottles with the bags. so you can squeeze the air out and they can suck those things dry no problem.
hope those help. :)
I feel you! And agree that your dilemma has no real solution. (Avent bottles DO suck huh??! And now I'm stuck with like a zillion!) I can't wait to hear what you end up doing!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I mostly BFed with Naomi and sometimes used a hand pump. The way I survived feeding in public (which was on campus usually)was I always made sure I knew where all the bathrooms with couches were located. And it may be hot but cardigans make it easier to feed cuz they are long and will cover the back while you use the cover on front. Hope you can find something that comes close to what you want.
ReplyDeleteI've had a Medela advance pump in style since Grace. It's still going strong through 3 kids. I think it's great. Yes, they're expensive. Last Sept. my friend got one on Craigslist for $150. And as long as you get your own hookups, I think you'd be fine (sanitary wise.)
ReplyDeleteMy bottles don't match up. Yeah, it's kind of annoying. With Kyle I'm using the Born Free. They would be perfect if they fit with the medela. As it is, I really really like them.
Have you tried a nursing camisole? I haven't, but other totally rave about them...
Geico lies. Probably.
ReplyDeleteWe love the Breastflow bottles because they are an easy transition from breast to bottle. I highly recommend them.
Medela does make the best pumps and they have bottles you can use right from them, but I hated the nipple tops and never used them.
i used a medela pump for both my kids. really good pump. I used the medela bottles with ecksen and they seemed to work fine but then they changed the nipples when i had carden so i did the pour from bottle to bag to new bottle. Not to bad to do it that way since i was only able to nurse for a couple of months. I use playtex air vent bottles. they are annoying because they have 4 parts and you have to make sure you put it all together just right or they leak.
ReplyDeleteI have a medela pump and love it. I've used it for both boys now. But I think the best thing about it for me is that I can pump right into the Dr. Brown bottles with it. The medela pump is expensive, but we used a babies r us gift card on it and at least got a little bit off the total price.
ReplyDeleteI used Dr. Brown bottles with Monson and tried the Tommee Tippee with Finn, but I think I like the Dr. Brown better overall based on the shape of the bottle, the amount of parts, the help with colic, and being able to pump right into it.
gotta say pump wise, medela is the way to go. I did so much research for this and I tried a few different kids. Hands down medela is worth the price (I did try their electrics but I just have the hand pump one and I still love it). I did find that many bottles of other brands still fit on my medela pump, though Logan loved the medela bottles and nipples.
ReplyDeleteI borrowed my sister's pump which I'm pretty sure was a medela. It worked great and I would buy one myself. As for the bottle thing, I never found one bottle I loved. Dr. Brown's worked well, but it does have quite a few parts. I was also tired about storing milk in another container that would have to be washed, so I just used breastmilk storage bags. I would pump my milk directly in them and stick them in the refridgerator. When I was ready, I'd pour the milk in the bottle and just throw away the bag. It worked for me!
ReplyDeleteYou need this!
ReplyDeleteundercovermama.com
The undershirts are amazing! It attaches right onto your nursing bra and allows for your mid section to be covered....and then all you need is the kid to be okay with the cover!
Best of luck!