Breast Pump

I cannot begin to explain how much i LOVE this product. This might end up being a long review, but I want to share my story for those that might be going through a similar situation. This WORKS!About my baby: he feeds every two hours from only one breast at a time (so each breast "empties" every four hours)When I had my baby, as it happens to most of us, I had an oversupply of milk. I have a double electric pump. I pumped every day about 3-4 times a day the first few days and after that most days for a few weeks. After a few, I was home all day with the baby and did not pump at all (he was getting all of his milk from mama around the clock). My milk supply regulated to what the baby needed in a day and even if I tried to pump I wouldn't get much. I started school/work again when the baby was 2 months old. I was away from the baby 3 days a week for about 9 hours a day. During that time, I pumped twice (at the 3hr mark and at the 6hr mark - if that makes any sense) for about 25 minutes each time and would get from 9 to a max of about 12 oz total (3 ounces from each breast each pumping session). However, as my baby grew, the 12 ounces were not enough for the day and I was running low on my stored milk supply - he was drinking about 18oz when I was away.I tried drinking the nursing tea, which does work so I recommend it. I also tried the lactation cookies, which are delicious and also work. I tried everything to get more milk during my pumping session. But the issue here was that my electric pump was not getting the milk out as effectively as the baby was. I had to pump for a long time in order to get 4 ounces from each breast - but I didn't have the time to sit for 40 minutes to pump in between classes. My lactation consultant recommended I manually expressed my breast. However, this too was very time consuming (although more effective than the electric pump). She also reccomended pumping from the opposite breast while the baby nursed or to pump right after the baby nursed while the milk was still coming down. But, my baby is now 5 months and it is impossible to have a pump attached to my opposite breast without him knocking him down or without having a million pieces. When I did go through the trouble, I would only get less than half an ounce. So, I did some research to find a smaller single pump that would be much easier to pop on and off while feeding the baby. This is when I came across this breast pump.I was very skeptical about this pump, as I thought maybe this only worked for let down of the opposite breast while nursing the baby - I do not get any let down from the opposite breast anymore so I thought it would be useless to me. All of the reviews I read only talked about it being great to catch the let down. But I was willing to try anything, and for this price, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it. Well let me tell you, this thing is the holy grail!I wasn't sure how it really worked, but it is as simple as it looks, it works with suction. So the way I use it is that I put it on (stays on with suction) while I nurse the baby (obviously holding it because with an active baby a kick would dislodge it). After he is done I usually have about half an ounce (mind you I was not getting any let down and get NO letdown when I do not have the pump on) of let down without having to "pump", this is just while the pump is "sucked" on. Once the baby is done, I start squeezing and letting go until I see a little stream of milk which is [surprisingly] consistent for about 45-60 secs. When the stream stops after a while, I suction and let go again and usually get another consistent stream. If I don't, then I just keep "pumping" and get milk that way. I am now getting about 3-4 ounces from the opposite breast!!! This in 10 minutes or less! All while I feed him because it is so easy and convenient and I do not need to attach all these pieces. This has also helped me increase my milk supply since now both breast get "emptied" every two hours instead of every four like before. So when I do use my electric pump when away (I only use the nature bond pump at home), I am getting 4 ounces from each breast in about 15 minutes!I honestly have nothing negative to say about this product. It is easy to use, convenient, easy to clean, and it works!!!!! Came out pretty nicely packaged too and I appreciate the stopper and the lid.I advise any pregnant mommies to get this as soon as baby is born. This will collect ALL of the let down you will get during the first few weeks until the milk supply regulates. However, even if you're not a new mom and your baby is older as was mine when I got this, it still works, and it is honestly amazing.The instruction page advises to change the pump every 2-3 months as milk build up might lessen the suction strength - but I do not mind since this is very affordable.

Holy moly I cannot believe I have gone almost 5 months of breastfeeding and now mostly pumping without knowing about these things!! Minus nighttime breastfeeding "dream feeds" I exclusively pump at work and then at home. This sounds dramatic but this is hands down the best item I have purchased so far as a mom. I pump or breastfeed every three hours (and closer together when baby was younger or going through growth spurt). So if you do the math, I have spent a LOT of time wasting precious milk on the breast I am not using. Always had a soaked nursing pad that would just go in the trash. I knew there had to be something out there to "catch" the drips so I began my search the other day and found these silicone type "pumps." Not only does this catch the drips on the side I am not using, somehow it is more effective than my medela freestyle double electric pump that I spent hundreds on. I was never able to pump both sides at the same time because I have to constantly be massaging my breasts (using a pump bra just wouldn't do it for me). Well after using this a few times over the last day I have gotten several more ounces out of each pump session. I just pumped my overachiever side and put the silicone one on my under-supplier. The silicone one collected THREE ounces while I pumped, and then I switched pump sides when my overachiever side was seemingly empty from the electric pump...it collected another ounce, on top of my normal electric pump output for my underachiever side after I switched. Wondering if I was wasting three ounces every time I pumped? Not sure but I ended up with 9 ounces in a single session when I typically get only 4-5. Crazy. I am kicking myself for not knowing about this sooner...and in case you are wondering, it's not like a normal "pump" - you just suction it on and it does the work for you. There is no "pumping" involved, but rather a continuous pull. I will note that I followed advice from a fellow reviewer (the one that posted a video) and kind of flipped the top part back, squeezed, and then placed it on. I always have a strong suction and even when almost full it never gets lose or falls off. Since this pulls out milk so effectively and efficiently, I have reduced my time at the pump, meaning more time with my baby/more time getting work done at my desk. Anything that helps me achieve more milk with less effort, less time at the pump, and at a low cost is a winner in my book. Don't be turned off by the negative reviews on here. Either they are not using it properly or may have an issue with milk supply. I typically can just provide the milk my baby needs and nothing more by the way (he drinks 5 ounces at a time), sometimes less. Even if this doesn't work for you, it's totally worth the $$ to at least give it a try.Now a little criticism...the "dust lid" or whatever it is called is pretty worthless. I cannot get it to stay on. The pink stopper is nice and does work though. I did not buy it for the dust lid so I do not mind. I liked the packaging though, and the small box it comes in (with the little travel bag) makes it a nice option for a wrapped gift. I was expecting the cheap, minimal packaging that most amazon stuff comes in. I liked how it came vacuum sealed inside the box. Would be good for a baby shower (I'm seriously getting these for all my friends who plan on breastfeeding or pumping). I did notice in the instructions that this is supposed to only last a few months, so we'll see. Either way, for the low cost of this I'd definitely buy a new one (even if every month) if I had to.