Having a baby is the most wonderful moment in any woman’s life – let alone that of her partner – and yet with the joy and wonder come a whole host of questions that need answering and problems that need attending to. If you are a first-time parent then you will be aware that you are heading for a very steep learning curve, and if you already have children then there are still things to learn – and there always will be!
Baby’s early days are among the hardest and yet most rewarding of all, and are also the days when mother and baby bond in the most special way. This is a time when you will learn things about this new life you have brought into the world, and as with anything new, it takes a lot of trial and error to get it right.
Let’s take feeding, for example, and it is something that you will be dong very frequently when you have a new baby! There are often debates in magazines and other arenas about whether you should be feeding your baby breast milk or otherwise. Let’s be honest: women are ‘designed’ to produce milk for baby to feed on, so it is entirely natural that you should choose to feed baby from the breast.
Now, this comes with certain problems: perhaps the most prevalent is that the nipples become sore, and this is a very unpleasant situation to deal with. Also, if breastfeeding is interrupted for any reason, when you resume you may find it difficult to start lactating – that is producing milk. These are just a couple of problems that can be alleviated – in some cases partly and others entirely – by using a breast pump.
As you are already reading this you are clearly researching the idea, so we’re here to give you some ideas on when and where a breast pump becomes useful, and how to find the right one.
Why Use a Breast Pump?
First and foremost, any mother who has used a breast pump will tell you that the major benefit is one of convenience. Being able to pump and store milk in advance, and then feed baby with breast milk from the bottle, makes things a lot easier. For most mothers, that is enough to send them searching for a quality breast pump – and we recommend you do put quality over price as this is something you will be using on a very sensitive part of your body.
There are further benefits to using a pump, such as these:
- Your partner can feed baby on a regular basis, which means you can get at least some nights of uninterrupted sleep and more time to yourself during the day.
- If your baby is born premature, you will need to be able to pump milk, so a pump will be absolutely essential in this case.
- Using a breast pump actually increases production, so you will produce more milk and be able to have plenty stored.
- Pumping will help induce lactation as in the instance we mentioned before, i.e. when you have had to interrupt for some reason.
- The convenience of a breast pump comes into its own when you return to work or have to study, as you can continue to supply milk to be used when needed.
- It will alleviate the problem of sore nipples that many mothers suffer.
So, you can see from the above that there are many benefits to using a breast pump, but how do you choose the right one?
Buying a Breast Pump
There are many breast pumps to choose from, and from a number of well-known brands that are long-established in the mother and baby markets, so choosing one is not the work of a moment. We recommend you check out reviews thoroughly, and also look for customer testimonies, as these will give you an idea of the differences between different pumps.
Bear in mind that while some are manual operation others are electrically powered. The latter tend to be more popular as they are easier to use and more reliable, but ultimately, the choice is down to you.
We will stress again that you should put quality over cost when purchasing a breast pump. This is a device you are going to be using a lot and for a very important function, so have a look at the available reviews, and get yourself a device that will make your life a lot easier.
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