Anyone NOT get a pump?

[bostonsmama]

All great replies.

No, we're not low income. Sorry, DH is just really frugal, but I guess that's why we're so comfortable. I do think I can get free visits from a LC in-hospital, though (we're military), although I know for a fact they don't rent pumps, nor does our insurance cover the cost.

DH supports the idea of nursing bras; he's just fussin' about the cost of the ones I want. And of course he gets that pumped milk has to go into bottles & nipples. He just has...ahem...frugal parents who keep filling his ear with how CHEAP & convenient BF and cloth diapering are, and with new advents in technology (better products cost more), he's bristling that they're not as cheap as his parents' 1960s and 70s babies' products were. Typical. I wish they'd stop driving that train, IYKWIM. I'm sure I've made him sound like a complete *ss, but he's not. He's just slow to warm to things when his family tells him one thing (appealing to his frugal personality) and reality is another.

I think a cheaper pump is already appealing to DH (Lansinoh). We had a talk on the way to our u/s today. Lookin' much better.

[Momto1]

FYI, drugstore.com has the lansinoh double electric for $102: http://www.drugstore.com/qxp215010_3...reast_pump.htm

And you can hunt around for a 20% off coupon to bring down the cost further. The lansinoh is a great pump and will probably be more than you need if you're staying at home. And since it's a closed system, you can re-sell it and get a chunk back.

You also might do fine with a manual pump if you're only pumping an occasional bottle here or there.

[swissair81]

You better warn him that cloth diapers are slightly more expensive than they were back then.

Also (these are slightly expensive, but worth it for the first 4-6 weeks) Soothies pads are da bomb for sore nipples.
http://breastfeeding.hypermart.net/s...eastpacks.html
My Dr introduced me to them & I always bring a pair or 2 with me to the hospital.

[DebbieJ]

A few quality nursing bras are worth the expense.

I bought a used Ameda PY on CL for $60. The Ameda is a closed system and can be used by more than one person, unlike the PIS. I exclusively BF most of the time, but I do work a few evenings a month and help out at church one Sunday morning a month, so it has been worth it. I used it just the other night because I got home from work and DS2 was already asleep. I pumped before bed and good thing cuz DS slept through the night. I would have been miserable!

[Sweetum]

Did I mention that I bought a NEW (still had the seal) Freestyle on CL for $180? This person got 2 pumps at her shower (yep, she's got some rich friends) so, she sold the other one. That was a steal IMO for me. I was very happy with my Freestyle. Yes, it would void the warranty, but I never had any issues with it, so it didn't bother me at all.

[mskitty]

Another suggestion is to have patience. You don't have to buy everything in advance; just buy as you need it.

I didn't have any close family or friends who nursed beyond their maternity leave. I did not feel comfortable buying a pump until I was sure that nursing would work for me personally. It was six weeks into nursing when I finally bought my pump and started building a stash for when I went back to work.

I bought two nursing bras including a really nice Anita. I just didn't care for them. I only wore them on a rare occasions when I'd be nursing in public (like in the nursery at church). I'm just not a nurse in public type and found it generally easier to take off a nonnursing bra when I was at home, at a relatives house, etc.

Check out the breastfeeding support groups. Most of the hospitals around here have them for free, staffed by a certified lactation consultant. They tend to be great. My ob's office also has a lactation consultant on staff, whose services were free of charge to patients.


mskitty

[swissair81]

Did I mention that I bought a NEW (still had the seal) Freestyle on CL for $180? This person got 2 pumps at her shower (yep, she's got some rich friends) so, she sold the other one. That was a steal IMO for me. I was very happy with my Freestyle. Yes, it would void the warranty, but I never had any issues with it, so it didn't bother me at all.

That is so worth it, that it doesn't matter about the warranty.

[AshleyAnn]

I did not get a pump. The hospital gives you a cheapo manuel for engorgement relief that I used a couple times and found it got the job done. I couldn't afford a 'good' pump and wasnt a BFing die hard that was going to push the issue to the max and EP if she couldn't BF. I also was a SAHM so there was no reason she and my boobs would part company. I considered buy a pump 3 different times at cosignment events and everytime I was looking at them some other mom would walk up and say something to her friends about what a waste of money hers was or how she wished she thought to sell hers.

In the end DD had latch issues and my milk was very low on fat and I had a super low supply so it didn't work out and DD ended up FF. Its not really that big of a deal to me.

I can atest that formula is not cheap. DD is on the low end of the spectrum of proper intake and I still go thru a small can ($12.50) every 2-3 days at 8 months. I also had to buy a dozen bottles and nipples. Don't forget formula dispensers for the diaper bag, bottle drying racks, and bottle/nipple brushes.

FFing is actually more work than BFing, less painful but more work. I don't think I've ever had all the bottles washed at once, they pile up faster than I can wash. You have to be more careful about having all the 'stuff' everytime you go out. BFing at night was the best - no prep at all except lifting my shirt and grabing the boppy. Bottle feeding involves getting up and mixing the bottle in the middle of the night NO fun.

[MontrealMum]

Another suggestion is to have patience. You don't have to buy everything in advance; just buy as you need it.

This is great advice! I won't give my opinion on BF and cost because it nearly caused WW3 last time I weighed in on that but every woman's experience is different and it's impossible to predict what yours will be.

It could be easy, it could be difficult. It could be super-cheap and necessitate few extra purchases, or you could wind up needing lactation consultations, supplements to help boost your milk supply, lots of nursing bras, and an electric pump. But the best thing is to try and be calm about it, and face any challenges as they come. Arm yourself with information. And perhaps prepare your DH that you *might* be needing to spend some money to make BFing work for you.

I went back to school PT after DS was born, so I was home with him *most* of the time and didn't need to frequently bottle feed. We had some troubles, but I did BF him to a year. I credit a lot of that to my pump, which helped boost my supply, in addition to allowing pumped milk for my DH to feed him (he took parental leave to cover my times in class). Some women would have been able to get by with a manual in this situation - limited time away from baby - but some women, like me, were not (I actually had a manual as well to relieve engorgement at school).

Try to educate yourself about pumps, their availability, and cost. Also about rentals in your area. Rentals where I live run about $40 a month (no, no multi-month discounts or long rental discounts), so in our situation buying the most expensive pump new would cost us less than 12 mos of a pump rental. Again, that varies from place-to-place.

About bras...you might not need nursing bras, but you *may* need entirely new bras anyway because many women go up quite a bit in size while nursing and can't wear their pp size for some time. Some don't, but wearing a too-small bra, or a bra with a wire can be the cause of mastitis - which is extremely painful, as well as a PITB to deal with. So, I'd tell your DH that a certain budget for bras - whatever kind they are - is mandatory.

Good luck

[urquie]

i used a manual pump (isis) with dd1 and hated pumping! never pumped at all with dd2.

after what you've gone through, you should get whatever pump and nursing bras you want! check out the nursing lingerie at bellamaterna.com - very pretty and comfortable. i wore one of their nursing bras for about a year after i stopped nursing. i bet your dh would like the french lace collection.