Having been exposed to breastfeeding moms (co-workers) even before getting married, I have learned about the benefits of breast milk and how amazing a woman's body can be for being able to nourish her child with what s/he needs. From then on, I already made the decision to breastfeed my own child when the time comes. So when I learned about my pregnancy, breastfeeding is one of the topics I often read. I even attended a breastfeeding seminar initiated by breastfeeding advocates here in Iloilo. I also read about breast milk expression, breast pumps and other related topics.
I have been thinking of buying an electric breast pump but since I wasn't sure if I will be able to produce milk in the first place, I decided to go for manual pump first since it isn't as costly. A few weeks before giving birth, I bought this Disney Manual Breast pump at SM City Iloilo.
My breast milk came four days post partum. And since my baby wasn't with me during the first week of his life (left at the hospital due to infection), my breast pump came in handy. During the first session, I was able to express very small amount of breast milk, just a few drops in fact. Imagine, yielding only just a few drops of breast milk after pumping for around 10 minutes?! It was indeed frustrating! I almost give up but then, knowing the importance of colostrum to a baby encouraged me to continue.
I pumped every two to three hours and thankfully, the quantity of milk I got improved. In a couple of days, I was already getting a total of 2 ounces milk per session. I know it isn't much compared to when one uses an electric pump or those who are blessed with good milk production but still I'm thankful for whatever I got.
This Disney Manual Breast Pump (Php 799) comes with the pump itself, silicone pad, collecting bottle that can be used as feeding bottle, nipple and cover. I love that it is easy to use and doesn't cause me pain. But then, being a manual pump, using this can be time-consuming. Ten to 15 minutes of pumping only yields a little over one ounce for one breast. So for both breasts, a 30-minute session usually gives me two to three ounces. For a sleep-deprived first-time mama, I'd rather spend that 30 minutes sleeping than pumping two ounces of milk hence I rarely use this pump now. Besides, I'm a stay-at-home mama so pumping is not really necessary. I only use this to relieve engorgement.
To sum it all up, Disney Manual Breast Pump is good when you only need to pump occasionally, like when you need expressed breast milk for baby because you will be away for a few hours or to relieve engorgement. However, if you're a working mom and needs to pump regularly, you're better off with electric breast pumps.
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