I have two friends who have recently given birth to their first babies, one of them having birthed twins vaginally (I will forever be in awe that she accomplished that). And it seems that when I talk to them, pumping breast milk is a topic that always comes up. When it comes to the natural art of breastfeeding, pumping is a new, hi-tech phenomenon.
The variety of breastmilk pumps on the market today is staggering. Everyone asks which model of pump is best, manual or electric (or both), which manufacturer to get, what accessories are needed, whether to buy or rent.... And those questions come up before ever getting the breastmilk pump. Then the questions turn to how often to pump, how does pumping work with feeding, how does one clean the pump (especially in public), yada yada yada.
For anyone who has questions about breastfeeding, I recommend the Kellymom website (www.kellymom.com), which has a great section covering pumping (www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index.html).
If you are a pumping mom, I salute you, because I personally find pumping to be a big fat pain in the boob and a lot of trouble. One of my friends is pumping exclusively - what a hero! If I were in her place, I probably would have switched to formula already. My friend with twins has had something attached to her boobs since the twins were born - either a baby or a breast pump.
As for my own situation, I am lucky to be able to breastfeed directly most of the time, so I use a small hand pump (Medela Harmony) or hand express when needed. I do, however, recommend getting some Medela freezer tubes (www.medela.com/NewFiles/brpmpacc.html#freezer_pak) for milk storage. They allow you to store your milk in smaller amounts, about 2.5 ounces, and you can attach a nipple directly to the bottles to feed. And after you're done breastfeeding, they make great storage for Cheerios in your kiddie bag or lunch box.
Happy Pumping.
