Hire Breast Pump Waikato

So my product rep for Medela Breast Pumps has told me that there is a real shortage of places for mothers to rent breast pumps from in the Hamilton and Waikato area..... so we discussed it, and it will now be possible for you to rent breast pump from Breastmates.

We will supply the Symphony double electric breast pump, which is a premium one to use.

We will be supplying rental breast pumps for mothers in the greater Waikato area.

Please see this webpage for more information http://www.breastmates.co.nz/Medela_Breast_Pump_hire.html

A complaint about Manual Breast Pumps

This is the message that I recently received from someone. They hadn't purchased the breast pump from me, and it just goes to show the bad advise out there.

I very rarely sell a manual breast pump. If I do, its purely for the reason that the mum wants to use it infrequently, like once a fortnight or something.


Quote "My friend bought me the Manual Avent Breast Pump. My baby is 4 - 5 weeks old and as I was full, I expressed before going to bed. Unfortunately after 30 - 40 minutes I went to sleep only to wake the following morning with two sore wrists with inflamed tendons.I have not been to the doctor yet as I am hoping they will go down. Please could this be a warning for other newbees to manual breast pumps. RegardsAnna"

Yup you will certainly get a sore hand with the manual breast pump trigger.

Something to be aware of if you are wanting a manual pump, and if your hands and wrists could be prone to OSS.

Do contact me if there is anything I can help you with, or questions about expressing.

http://www.breastmates.co.nz/express.htm

Medela Pump In Style

This is a little demonstration video that I have recorded for the Medela Pump in Style advanced breast pump. This can be used as a double or single breast pump. It is in a backpack arrangement. It is very efficient and ideal to use for regular pumping and expressing.
For more information and to order this breast pump online, go to our store:

http://www.breastmates.co.nz/Medela_Advanced_Breast_Pump.html

Medela Freestyle Double Pump

This is a little demonstration that I have made, to show you the new Medela Freestyle Breast Pump. This is a double breast pump, electric pump of course, and it is tiny, quiet, and fast to use.

For more information on this Freestyle pump, go to our store: http://www.breastmates.co.nz/medela_freestyle_double_pump.html

How to Use a Manual Breast Pump

This is a little video that I have recorded, showing how the Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump works. Just to show you the motion of how to use a manual breast pump

For more information on this breast pump, go to my webstore http://www.breastmates.co.nz/

Medela and Avent Breast Pumps

Here are some of my thoughts on breast pumps.

I do actually favour the medela brand slightly more than the Avent, just because they have a better range of breast pumps and prices. The avent breast pumps only have the manual and the electric. Now if someone is planning on expressing just one bottle a day, then they don’t really need a high end electric breast pump, so the only other option with avent is a manual breast pump. Depending on the circumstances I don’t recommend manual breast pumps because they are quite a pain to use, and you can get a sore hand etc, and most people would buy them for the wrong reason. Most people that I know who have brought a manual pump (from other shops) have not been happy with them.

Medela are good because they have a middle range breast pump, the mini electric breast pump. This one is ideal for pumping about one to two feeds per day, and is a lot easier to use than a manual pump. If someone is wanting to express more often than this, then I recommend the medela swing pump.

I recommend the medela swing pump over the avent uno, because it has the 2 phase expression method whereas the uno doesn’t have this. The 2-phase method starts of fast to stimulate letdown and when that occurs you push a button to change it to a slower longer rate. This means that you can get more milk in less time.

Another advantage of the Medela products is that they are all BPA free.

If you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask, or have a browse around our website http://www.breastmates.co.nz/express.htm

Gina Ford Routine

I received this question from a customer on my website recently: "I am due to have my baby in March and I am hoping to follow as closely as I can the contented little baby book. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on the better breast pump to use to follow Gina Ford's plan."

So this was my reply: The Contented Little Baby Book is great! I really recommend a lot of the things in Gina Ford's book. I have followed parts of it (not all) with both my children and they have both been very settled babies, sleeping through from about 6 weeks, and breastfeeding well!

For the frequency that you’d need to do the pumping, I would suggest either the Mini Electric pump, or the Swing pump which are both the medela brand. You can see more information about them here http://www.breastmates.co.nz/express.htm

http://www.breastmates.co.nz/Medela_Breast_Pumps.html

Just let me know if you would like to start an order

Breast Pump - Volume of Milk

Question: I've noticed in the last week that I'm not able to express as much milk as I had previously - often only 70-80 ml whereas it had been 100-120 and up to 200ml on one occasion.
My answer: That is a bit strange that you were once getting 100-120 mL but the volume has reduced to 70-80 ml. Though it would depend on whether you are expressing after you have fed your baby. If you are expressing after feeding baby, then depending on how much baby has had, there will be less. Maybe on the time you expressed 200mL baby hadn’t had as much to drink? And if you express a lot one day, then the following day your breasts will make the same volume of milk in anticipation of baby drinking it. It can also take a while to adjust to the supply-demand. And also it will depend on the time of day that you are doing it, morning would usually give a higher volume.

Make sure that you have a glass of water to drink every time that you breastfeed and every time you express.

The different pumps don’t really affect how much volume of milk you get. The main difference is the time it takes, the comfort, and the noise.

To view our breast pumps online click here: http://www.breastmates.co.nz/express.htm

Return to our main breastfeeding blog http://breastmates-nz.blogspot.com/

Breast Pump Size - Breast Shield

I recently received this email from a worried customer:

"I had my baby 4 weeks ago and tried expressing for the first time 2 days ago. I'm not sure if I have the wrong size breast shield or what I'm doing wrong, but it seemed very hard to get a flow going (and my breasts were full) It flows out for a couple of pumps then nothing. Then occasionally there's some continuous flow, but for no obvious reason - as in can't see what I'm doing differently. Also for a while after pumping my nipples are quite sore."

I replied to her:

"It is quite common for women to find it difficult to express, and it is quite a "mind set" to overcome to get the letdown coming. But based on the sporadic nature of the milk coming out, that you described, I would first assume that you are not getting a very good suction seal around your breast. (and therefore a 21mm breast shield for pump would probably be better) I would suggest you try the smaller breast shield, you can order this directly from me with your credit card. "

Knowing what size breast shield to get is one of the hardest things that i ever have to consult on.

That communication was back in August, but today I received another email from the same lady who wrote:

"I don't know if I ever emailed you back after buying the smaller medela breast shield to say that it has been just right for me. I've been able to express milk fine since using this one - so the medium must have been a little big and not sealed properly. So thanks for your helpful advice with this. Baby is now 4.5 months old and is happy and healthy. Breastfeeding and sleeping is all going well. "

I'm so pleased that I was able to help!

(this advice is copy righted to me. Ok.)

Breast Pump - Plastics

Just to remind all my customers, that the Medela Breast Pump (which includes the manual breast pump, harmony manual breast pump, mini electric breast pump, mini electric plus (double breast pump), swing, and the pump in style breast pumps)

..... Most of the parts are made from food-grade polypropylene (PP) which is Bisphenol-A free and the safest plastic to preserve and protect stored milk... This is for the parts that are in contact with breast milk, and the parts that contact skin.

The parts that are not made from PP are made from silicone (like the valves etc). There are other plastics on these breast pumps - but milk doesnt come into contact with them - like the battery pack, power cable etc.

If you are not sure, or are concerned, please contact me. I am happy to help you, and will find the right breast pump to suit your needs.

Dad's Help with Feeding

I get a lot of enquiries from parents who are looking to purchase a breast pump. Their main intention of using the breast pump is to express some breast milk, so that baby can get used to a bottle, and so that Dad can help with feeding.

This is a really good idea.

Its ideal if you get baby used to drinking from a bottle when they are still very young, as once they get older (like 6 months +) they can get very fussy and refuse a bottle. That can cause quite a stressful time for parents!!

Its a good idea if Mum can express some breast milk with her breast pump during the day, store the milk. Then Dad could do the late night feed (the one at around 10pm, 11pm when most Dad's are still up anyway before they go to bed). Mum can go to bed early and get a longer sleep, uninterrupted.

Its also a great way for Dad to bond with the new baby.

For this purpose, I suggest that the Medela Mini Electric Breast pump is ideal. I do sell all the other Medela Breast Pumps online and Avent Breast pumps online, but the Mini Electric is certainly the most popular for this purpose described.


You can order this online at my web store http://www.breastmates.co.nz/

Order Medela Spare Parts

Not many other online retailers of medela products stock the spare parts, and it can be difficult to find spare parts for medela breast pumps.

We have a small medela spare stock available online and here at our studio breastfeeding store in Auckland, or we can order medela spare parts in for you, or order medela breast pump for you if you need one.

You can collect the medela spare parts or the breast pumps from Auckland home-store, or we can send these parts to you directly.

These might include spare valves and membranes for breast pumps, spare tubing for breast pumps, and connectors for medela breast pumps, spare bottles, spare bottle lids and caps, spare breast shields, soft fit breast shield, and spare connectors.

Please contact us at http://www.breastmates.co.nz/ and we will do our best to find what you need

Breastshield size - sore nipples

Choosing the right size breastshield to go with your medela breast pump.

A correctly fitted breastshield avoids compression of any milk ducts during breast pumping to ensure optimal breast emptying and maximum milk output.

Your breastshield is the right size if you answer to the following questions is YES

1. is your nipple moving freely in the tunnel?
2. Is minimal or no areolar tissue being pulled into the tunnel of the breastshield?
3. Do you see a gentle, rhythmical motion in the breast which each cycle of the pump?
4. Do you feel the breast emptying all over?
5. Is your nipple pain free?

If your answer to any of the above questions is NO try a larger breastshield.

Medela Breast Shields are available in smaller and larger sizes, than the size that comes with the original pump. Suitable for mini electric breast pump, mini electric plus, swing breast pump, manual breast pump, and advanced set

For more information view our Breastmates breastfeeding website.

If problems or pain occur consult your midwive, lactation consultant, or doctor.

Breastfeeding and Expressing: Choosing the Right Breast Pump

If you need to express breast milk, the type of breast pump that you purchase really depends on how often you plan to use it.

Say for occasional use – like once per week, if you are going out for a night and will be away from baby, or to relieve breast engorgement and mastitis symptoms, then a manual pump would probably be best. For this I’d recommend the Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump

For medium use, say 3-4 times per week, once or twice a day, the occasional feed, or to build up your supply, then I’d recommend a mini-electric breast pump (medela)

For heavy or frequent use, such as returning to work, or being away from your baby for 8 hours per day and expressing all their feeds, then I’d recommend either the Avent Uno Electric Breast Pump or the Medela Swing electric breast pump which are both more powerful breast pumps.
if you need to express the majority of your baby's feeds, then you will need to look at either the Avent Duo Double Electric Breast Pump, or the Medela Pump in Style advanced system.

For a little more detail I have elaborated below:

The Avent Uno Electric Breast Pump is a fantastic pump because you can set the speed by starting the pump off manually, push the button, and then it continues at that speed that you started. It can also be used as a manual pump (in case of power cut), or with batteries and mains. The Avent Uno Electric Breast Pump comes with additional items such as the carry case, cooler packs, and a couple of baby bottles and avent bottle teats. (Which you’d need to purchase separately if you go for the medela brand).

Comparatively the medela mini electric breast pump only has 3 suction levels, so you just choose which level suits you for comfort. The Medela Swing Electric Breast Pump (with more closely resembles the avent uno) has the unique patented milk let down which more closely resembles breastfeeding. All of the medela pumps can only be used with batteries or mains power, they don’t have the ability to go manually like the Avent Uno does.

The difference between the medela mini electric, and the medela swing is really just the frequency that you are planning to use it.

The medela swing breast pump and the avent uno electric breast pump are more suited if you are needed to express for least 3 feed per day

All our breast pumps have a 1 year warranty also.

Now as for bottles: all Medela breast pumps come with one bottle that attaches to the pump. They don't make their own brand of teats, but we do sell Green To Grow narrow neck teats which fit the medela bottles. But you could also buy the avent bottles or the Adiri Natural Nurser and then pour/store the milk in those bottles. With the avent starter set you get 4 bottles, and 6 teats, and a brush. The good thing about all the avent bottles, is that the bottles, toddler cups, sipper cups everything, teats, etc they are all interchangeable, which makes them really useful if you are short on bottles at any time.

I would also recommend that you purchase the Avent Microwave Sterilizer or the medela microwave sterilization bags .

The microwave sterilising method method is a lot easier to use than boiling parts on the saucepan (and so many people contact me needing spare parts after they melt their stuff on the saucepan). The avent sterilizer also comes with some bottles and teats too.

Okay, well I hope that has answered your questions, I know it can get very confusing.