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Top Breast Pumps

That weird humming noise is well recognised to mums around the world. I was on the phone to a friend and “multi-tasking” you could say and

she paused at one point in our conversation and said ‘Are you pumping!!!?” Sheepishly I admitted my guilt. Hey, I’m a busy mum!

So here is the low down on the best breast pump recommended my parents

1. Medela

In particular the Medela Swing was highly recommended by parents and this brand is used throughout a number of maternity hospitals. Efficient, great bottles and accessories with a bit of a hum, this pump gets the job done. The pump definitely has some pulling power! However a couple of points to consider from parents:

One parent bought their on Amazon and recommends to buy from Australia retailers as their cord was American and she ended up having to use batteries
A few parents that felt it was overrated with the plastic tubing often getting clogged/ milk went mouldy as it uses an open system. The key here is to clean, clean, clean. Its easy to forget with no sleep but it will mean your pump will last longer – particularly this brand where milk can get inside the machine and affect its performance. Also check out their accessories pack here
Check out their site here

2. Phillips Avent

With a lovely soft rubber plastic cup for comfort and no tubing, parents shared that they love this pump. These pumps can be a little bit bulky and you will have 4 items to sterilise but it is easy to use and parents recommended it for its comfort, the accessibility and price of the bottles (it comes with 2 to start with) and storage tubs that accompany this breast pump. What’s more it also includes a battery option for travellers. . Check out their site here

3. Unimom

Parents recommended this model for its efficiency, cost and ease of use. It is relatively quiet and you can adjust the suction strength to suit you. The double allegro is their most popular model and a mothers and baby award finalist year to year.

Manual v Electric Pumps:

Breast pumps are designed for a specific level of usage and you will get the most benefit from a pump that closely assigned to how often you use it. Check out the Australian BreastFeeding Association site for their helpful chart to guide you.

If you are shopping in the first few weeks after the birth of you baby or you are ultra organised and shopping whilst pregnant a good guide to follow is 75% of surveyed parents recommend to use an electric pump over the manual pump. Electric pumps are generally better for pumping once a day or more.

Manual pumps are generally characterised as better for pumping more ad-hoc/ less than once a day. They are generally more cost efficient and great if you have other kids and need to walk around the house!

Note that no parent recommended to get both a manual pump and electric pump. However this isn’t surprising due to the cost of these little machines.

Some other great tips and options from parents:

Hire your pump. Depending on how long you want to breastfeed this could be a more cost efficient way and often you can get a quality hospital grade pump from your local chemist.
Hospital grade – this is often used if you are having trouble nursing or with your milk supply. These are used if you baby is a premmie/ in the NICU. It has a rapid suck and release cycle – some you can do both breasts at the same time.
Consider a “closed unit” which means no part of the inner unit gets milk inside – just the accessories. Better for hygiene, less likely to clog. Check out what pumps are closed v’s open here
2nd hand pumps are ok but pump motors do lose their strength over time and the seals deteriorate so this could lead to loss of suction. Also note to CLEAN as breast milk can carry bacteria and viruses
ALSO (drum roll please!) to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 August 2015) Mamma Raj Says is partnering with Parent Talk Australia for a great giveaway!

You could win the NEW Ergobaby Natural Curve Nursing Pillow – it’s currently exclusively stocked at Baby Bunting, RRP $129.00 OR the Ergobaby Four Position 360 Carrier – Dusty Blue, RRP $229.00.

The competition closes at 5.00pm on Friday 7 August 2015. Just enter via the Rafflecopter and tell us in the comments what’s the best thing about pregnancy? (The winner will be the answer that makes us go ‘aaaaaw’ the most!)

When you enter the competition please note you will be added to the Parent Talk Australia mailing list to get the Top 5 Parenting Posts weekly.

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