Having A Baby - The Choices That Matter

Just like other things in life, there are bound to be hits and misses. The same goes to the choices I made, and I've certainly learned a lot.

1) The Life partner

Although there is nothing you can do about who you chose since you've already made your choice and made your vows; if you haven't conceived at least you can make an informed decision of whether or not to have kid(s). Be realistic. I'm a skeptic- i don't believe people will change for anyone else; people will only change if they want to, themselves. So ask yourself and answer truthfully about the partner you have so that if you decide you want kids you go in prepared. If your partner has no interest in having kids, most likely you will have to do everything yourself with regards to childbearing. If your partner does not at all want kids, bear in mind all the stress after having one can even break you two apart. If he is very enthusiastic about having kids, he still might not be able to help much in terms of caring for the baby, especially when they are still small (some men cannot get over the fragility of babies) but often these type are very supportive- bear in mind support is very crucial especially when the child is an infant, it means a great deal. So it is still a big advantage to have a supportive partner). The list goes on.....and on. And IF you're not cut out for having kids, know that it does not in any way make you less of a person, less of a human, less affectionate. These are the choices we make; with OUR life.

2)  The breast pump

I never stop feeling grateful that I chose to buy my breast pump, even though at the time I made the purchase I didn't even know that it will be a perfect hit, a bulls-eye. If you're planning on breastfeeding, especially if exclusively, the pump matters. I went for Medela Swing Maxi, would have gone for Freestyle if it weren't too damn expensive but to this day I know I made the right choice. :)

I've seen several Swing Maxi - Freestyle comparison, but most of them only mention features which based on my experience didn't help much since the model comparison is available in a neat table on Medela's website (Medela UK - 2-phase expression brochure). I've never used Freestyle but I managed to see it in action real-time as my elder sister uses it and our confinement period actually overlapped.

First - why I chose Medela : 2 main reason

i. The 2-phase expression - reading on it got me hooked, after using the pump I understood how effective it is and it made the whole difference. I've tried one without it, not the same. Simply put, if I ever had to buy a new pump, I will again go for one with this feature.

ii. The size - After deciding that I was going to get a double-pump, Medela's models (Freestyle and Swing Maxi) I thought provides the most convenience - size & weight wise

In a nutshell, FS and SM has equal motor power but FM has value-added features that in my opinion are useful to have, but doable without.

Product features with personal views:

a. Weight|Size - SM (220 g without batteries | 12 × 13 × 5.7 cm) || FS (370 g incl. rechargeable battery | 12 × 9 × 5.8 cm)

Size doesn't differ that much.

Weight - SM has 2 power options - adapter or (6X)AAA batteries while FS is on rechargeable battery. I went to weigh the 6 AAA battery I have in my breast pump bag :: 68g, which means either on adapter or battery SM is lighter (220g/~288g). Then again the difference is only approximately 100g so I don't think it makes that much difference.

Weight/size usually comes into consideration if you are planning on exclusively breastfeeding which means you will carry the pump here 'n there and everywhere.

b. Memory function - SM (X), FS (0)

With FS, you do not have to set the speed to your comfort every single time you pump because it "remembers" your setting, which is not the case for SM. With SM, when you switch it on it starts at the default level and you have to change it at every single use, unless your setting is the default one; then you're good. :) As there are 2 phases, you'll have to set it the the start of both phases.

This never bothered me. It does not create any inconvenience at all, to me. I sit down, press the ON button then (with the same finger) press the (-) button. Done. Let-down phase, press let-down button (or after 2 minutes it switches to let-down mode automatically) just press (-) again. Since you're either sitting down or only doing light chores while pumping this shouldn't be much of an issue.

c. Backlit digital display - SM (X), FS (0)

The digital display on FM shows Main power/battery indicator; Stimulation/Expression phase indicator; Timer; and Memory "on" indicator.

Main power/battery indicator - You can easily tell whether pump is plugged in, or of it's running on battery only.

Stimulation/Expression phase indicator - Within the first few times of using, you'd be able to tell which phase you're in without even checking. SM does have this indication by the way - the LED will flash (blinking) indicating you're in Stimulation mode.

Timer - convenient; but my personal experience, I'm always either in front of the laptop or at least have the phone with me - to kill time. Timing the pumping session is never a problem. Look at the time when you start, and calculate when you'll finish. If you have to be THAT precise you can always use a timer app on your phone.
Memory indicator - SM doesn't have memory function. :|

d. Timer - as above.

e. Battery option - FM rechargeable battery - 3 hours pumping time, SM 6XAAA battery - 1 hour of pumping time.

Based on personal experience, the 6XAAA battery lasted at least (if not more than) 3 hours - used approximately 20 minutes per session. I suppose it depends on the level of suction you use, higher level needs more power which uses up the battery faster.

f. Hands-free - SM (0), FM (0)

Both has the option of being hands-free. FM set comes with the hands-free kit; with SM you need to buy it separately, should you decide you need it. Retails at a ridiculous price of RM388, but you can get it from personal online seller much cheaper (I got mine at RM130). Or if you know somebody staying in the US you can ask them to buy it for you. It retails in US @ USD35. Makes one really wonder what are they charging Malaysian customer RM388 for. Pfft..

My sister got herself FM, tried on the hands-free kit once and never touched it again. I bought SM, and then went and got the hands-free kit - I can't imagine life without it. I use it every single time I pump ever since I got it.

I pump at work, 3 times a day. My pumping session lasts at least 20 mins, getting the equipment ready before and packing up after takes about 10 mins total. The first session in the morning always takes longer as I have more milk accumulated throughout the night. Without the hands-free kit i was taking at least 3 30 minutes break. Then I have my lunch and prayer break. The total break time just doesn't make sense. So I got the kit and I can work while pumping. I don't have to rush.. I just put it on, switch on and work. If I'm in the middle of something e.g writing an email, when pumping session ends I simply switch it off, finish what I'm doing, then only take it off and proceed with packing up. I would not at all have been able to commit if it weren't for the hands-free kit.

Oh you can also get the hands-free bra, but I thought if I need to have this option at all times it means i have to be in the hands-free bra ALL the time. It's not practical in my case, especially with the (very expensive) price of the bra.

 
g. Power options - SM (adapter/AAA), FM (rechargeable)

This depends on how mobile you want/need to be while pumping. If you're most of the time sitting down, SM being on adapter will not bother you. For the occasional time you want to be mobile just use the AAA battery. I always have the batteries in my breastpump bag, just in case. I have a nursing room at work - a room with cubicles where nursing mothers have the exact same desk they have at their place with LAN port and multiple power socket. Power source is not a problem for me so most of the time I pump using the adapter. 

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Both models are electric double-pump, with 2-phase expression. Both models use the exact same type of connectors (breastshield base, membrane, and cap).

Of course at the end it boils down to price, Swing Maxi is much cheaper. So again, for me, Freestyle's extra features are useful to have but I never felt I was missing much without them.

3) The sterilizer

There are many methods of sterilizing your baby's equipments - microwave sterilizer bags, sterilizing tablets or the steamer sterilizer. I went with the steamer, and here's the thing about that thing.. Hehe..

If you're breastfeeding and both pumping and bottle feeding, that means you'll have nursing bottles and breast pump parts to sterilize - daily. Preferably with one go. The small one will never fit. The bigger one.. maybe, maybe not. But if you go for the higher-capacity one at least you stand a higher chance. My case, I planned to get the Little Bean's model that comes with the warmer - it is slightly bigger (than the smallest one; there's another model, which retails at RM199 I think that one has largest capacity) and fits my budget. Unfortunately I did not mention this to my sister who kind-heartedly offered to get it for me while she's at a baby fair. She went and got me the small one. Didn't bother me at all while I was in my maternity leave and baby was latching directly. But once I went back to work and baby went to daycare, I had between 4-6 nursing bottles plus pump parts to sterilize. Sterilizing had to be done in 2 batches. (Hubby took over cleaning and sterilizing starting from second week so it wasn't exactly MY problem anymore but I really pitied him). So I bought another sterilizer, the slightly bigger one. It won't fit everything either but at least now we have two. We use both. Goal achieved - all sterilizing done in one go. Good enough. If anyone were to ask me I'd say go get the biggest, highest-capacity one you can find.

4) The dryer

When I started pumping at work, it drove me crazy wiping dry all the breastpump parts every morning so I bought a dish dryer. After everything is sterilized, they go into the dryer. Breast pump parts dry after 30 mins, bottles take about 60 mins to dry. I got back a bit of my sanity. This is a big deal for me. May not bother others so much. I tried looking for a small dryer made for this particular purpose, but I couldn't find one at that time so I went with a dish dryer. Not long after I bought it I found out that MY DEAR makes a device with both sterilizer+dryer function. Right after sterilizing it will switch to drying mode. Would have gone for this one had I known. 

To be continued if more comes to mind. For now, these are the choices that mattered to me.

Cheers!