The Baby List - Your Titties and Their Substitutes - the First Three Months - Cont'd....

It's been a while but I'm back, you're acting as an excuse for me not to start my Uni assignment that is due tomorrow.  So if anyone asks you made me do it...(evil smile).

Avent Isis Manual

The Breast Pump aka. The Apparatus

There is a very special time in the first week or two of breast feeding that your will come face to face with 'the dreaded apparatus' if this is your name for an enema kit, I think the first experience with a breast pump is just as uncomfortable.

Never the less, when you finally have that special moment when you get to go out to dinner with your lovely partner and actually look at him for a whole minute without being totally consumed by baby, it will be worth it.  It is great to have the safety blanket of a bottle or two of breast milk in the fridge or freezer that allows you to go take a class or have coffee without stressing that your little person is having a no food melt down.

My personal fav is the Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump it small, easy to wash and sterilise every piece and reassemble.  The main part that gets my vote though is the suction is REALLY good.  It just latches on and once you get a really good flow going you don't have to pump much at all.

**Warning** you may develop buff hands due to the muscle development from repeated use.  (note: these muscles due have future use when restraining 2/3yr olds).

The downside with the Isis is I guess that it IS MANUAL, and does require you to do something and you can't just recline while to suction cups attached to your extremities do the rest (sound an alarm when you're finished).

The Manual Isis retails for around $99.95AUS.  There is also an Electric model that ups the price to around $249AUS.

Medela Swing...It Sucks!!

One of my beautiful girlfriends last baby lent me her Medela Swing which is the model that I used to lust over during my first lactation, but could never afford.

However when I did get the chance to use it, after using the Avent Isis, I found the Swing too gentle for my likes and far less effective.  But, saying that, I know quite a few ladies that LOVE the Medela Swing and used it throughout their lactating work life.  Which says alot, I didn't need to use mine everyday, whereas they did.

Overview

Pumping breast milk is one of the down and out most awkward and hilarious moments in life!!  It is TRULY UNSEXY.  Even if you don't need to do it you should try it just for a laugh.

My favourite baby guru Tizze Hall recommends pumping everyday to increase milk flow, and also because if you pump one bottle a day, Daddy dearest can give the baby the 10pm feed while you get your most needed beauty sleep.

Hey DJ "Pump it Up!!"

Stop the Leakage - Breast Pads

Thats right, just when you thought that you were done with pads, here they are again (at both ends this time - yay!).

Short and sweet, you need pads to stuff in your bra to stop you looking and smelling like you just poured a week old milkshake down the front of your shirt a few times a day, and night (it's just not sexy).

Environmentally friendly??? Hey guys the cloth ones DON'T WORK.  I didn't mean to yell, but hmmm what a waste of money.  I'm sure there is a better enviro alternative...I'll look right now.

Pigeon Ultra Slims - don't smoke them!

The best breast pads I've found are the Pigeon Ultra-Slim Breast Pads.  The Ultra-Slim Breast Pads have this great gel inside of them that just carries a huge amount of liquid, there is NO Fear of leakage when you're out at all.  They're quite simply 'great'.  And that's all I have to say about that.

(except they can be purchased from Coles and Woolworths - only the Ultra-Slim, not the other ones).

Sterilised?
Well obviously you're not, but it makes an interesting segway to a small paragraph about sterilisers.

Sterilisers are NOT a necessary purchase HOWEVER... a very convenient purchase they are.  I bought my first steriliser off Ebay, it was the Avent electric steam steriliser and was 'awesome' (bad accent required).  6 mins after turning the thing on it has finished its cycle and your slave and pack the bottles/breast pump etc away.  Loved it!

I've read certain articles that don't recommend microwave sterilisers and say they are not consistently effective.  But, taking a look around the net lots of Mommas are singing their praises.

There is Milton as well which is a liquid/chemical steriliser which several of my relatives witch HEAPS of children used quite successfully.

Philips Avent Electric Steriliser

The Philips Avent Electric Steam Steriliser retails for around $139AUS, but as I said, I did my favourite thing and got it on Ebay for like $12AUS.

I should mention that you can sterilise bottles, pumps and paraphernalia simply by boiling it for 5mins in a normal large saucepan.  Your choice.