When it comes to feeding baby, mom knows best. What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another and the saying “fed is best” rings true.
Human breast milk is biologically designed to meet all baby’s nutritional needs and being so valuable, it’s often referred to as “liquid gold.” But not all moms can or want to, breastfeed. Some may struggle with a steady milk supply, some may produce no milk at all, and some may not enjoy the experience. There are pros and cons to all manners of feeding, and at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that your baby is healthy.
For moms whose bodies can supply milk, and who want to breastfeed, the journey might still not be easy. Sometimes baby won’t latch, or mom is required to travel or work from an office during the day, making it impossible to breastfeed. For moms in this position, breast pumping is an excellent way to make sure that their baby benefits from getting breast milk.
Some of the benefits of pumping include:
Feeding time can be shared
Pumping breastmilk and feeding it to baby via a bottle means that feeding times can be split between mom and dad, and baby’s grandparents, nanny, or other visitors. Not only does this relieve mom, but it also allows family and friends to spend some one-on-one time with baby.
It offers control over timing
Pumping allows moms and caregivers to control the timing of feeds, and to follow a schedule that works for them.
It gives mom more freedom
Some moms have to return to work shortly after giving birth, some are required to travel and some lead busy lifestyles that leave them permanently on the go. This means that baby might be left in the care of a nanny, grandparent, or day-care from a young age. Pumping means baby can reap all the benefits of breastmilk while mom can fulfil her other obligations.
It could assist with milk supply issues
If your breast milk supply is not steady, pumping may help to solve the problem. Some moms pump after breastfeeding to naturally increase their supply. If you’re concerned about periods when your supply is low, a frozen stash of breast milk will go a long way in easing stress.
Whether you’re pumping exclusively, or only on occasion, Medela has a breast pump suited to your needs. They’ve recently launched two new products:
Medela Swing Maxi Double Electric Breast Pump (R5999,99)
The new Swing Maxi is a compact and easy-to-use double electric breast pump with improved mobility to fit seamlessly into your lifestyle.
Key features include:
- Double pumping for up to 18% more milk in less time. **need a ref
- 2-Phase Expression™ technology mimics your baby’s natural sucking rhythm.
- PersonalFit Flex™ breast shield for increased comfort and 11% more milk (2 sizes included). **need a ref
- Improved mobility: built-in rechargeable battery for up to 6 pumping sessions on one full charge.
- Faster charging with USB type C port, compared to micro-USB port.
- Easy to use: 4-button intuitive interface and 9 pre-programmed settings.
- Easy to assemble and clean thanks to fewer parts.
- Noticeably quieter compared to the previous generation, only 45 dB at the Maximum Vacuum Level.
- Closed system prevents breast milk from entering the tubing.
Medela Solo Single Electric Breast Pump (R4099,99)
Medela’s Swing Flex breast pump has been reborn as Solo. Solo is a compact, effective and easy-to-use single electric breast pump with a rechargeable built-in battery, 2-phase Expression technology, and PersonalFit Flex breast shield.
Key features include:
- Easy to use: 4-button intuitive interface and 9 pre-programmed settings.
- Easy to assemble and clean thanks to fewer parts.
- Lightweight and compact design.
- Improved mobility: built-in rechargeable battery for up to 6 pumping sessions on one full charge.
- Faster charging with USB type C port, compared to micro-USB port.
- 2-Phase Expression technology mimics your baby’s natural sucking rhythm.
- PersonalFit Flex breast shield for increased comfort and 11.8% more milk. **need a ref
- Noticeably quieter compared to the previous generation, with less than 45 dB at the Maximum Expression Level.
- A closed system prevents breast milk from entering the tubing.
Visit https://www.medela.co.za/ for more info.
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The improved model sounds so much better. My last one hurt a little, I certainly will be keeping this one in mind as we are planning to have another child soon.
I really wanted to breastfeed my children and just could not get it right. You feel like such a failure as a mom sometimes… maybe if I was introduced to products like these earlier, my baby would have at least gotten breastmilk and not formula.