My Pumping Paraphernalia at Work

Today, Baby C is 7 months, 6 days old and I am happy to have reached this far on my breastfeeding journey.  Others may belittle the sacrifices and efforts of a breastfeeding mom, but breastfeeding is not a simple process.  In fact, many mothers are not successful in it.  Looking back during Baby C's first few days of life, during those sleepless nights, during those hours of crying (I was the one crying not the baby), during those days when my nipples were full of blisters and cracks, when baby seems to have unsatiable hunger and I have to feed her every hour, it seems to me like breastfeeding is even harder than the bar exam!

But those were the drama days!  I survived it and here I am, still breastfeeding Baby C and feeding some donee babies as well with my expressed milk.

Breastfeeding is best for our babies right?  Nothing can compare to the benefits a mother's milk can give.. definitely not cow's milk or even the best selling formula in the market.  I'm sure nobody will disagree with me if I say that breastmilk is the first best thing that we can give to our babies.  But what about working moms like me who have to go back to work after their maternity leave?  Do we now resort to formula?  This is where we have to express our milk.  Some can survive with manual expression, but for busy mommies who are always on the go like me or for those who weren't able to learn the art of manual expression, a very reliable pump is VERY VERY IMPORTANT! 

A lot of friends are asking me what are those things that they need to buy to pump at work and where to buy them.  As a teaser to the series of breastfeeding blogs I intend to write, here are my breastfeeding paraphernalia at work.  I don't want to overuse this pump so I also have another pump which I use at home.

At work or whenever I'm out, I use the Medela Swing Maxi which I bought from Medela Moms Inc., the exclusive and authorized importer/distributor of Medela Breastfeeding Products in the Philippines.  Medela Swing Maxi is a compact double electric breastpump.  It is so small, it fits inside a  pouch!  It also has a battery pack so I can use it anywhere even in those places with no electric outlet.  Its flanges are available in three sizes so you are sure to have the right size. 

By the way, Medela Moms conducts free seminars for their customers and Mommy Maricel and Mommy Beng are so accomodating.

The Medela House
#29 1st St., New Manila, Quezon City
0917-5614366

My Pumping Gears at Work 

The Medela Swing Maxi (P13,500)

A durable plastic container for the flanges and other parts of the pump

A towel

  Optional: A hands free bra so you can free your hands while pumping and multi-task.  I bought this Pump Ease from Mamaway

 A cover so I can still pump or breastfeed even if there are other people around me.  I am using a Proud Mama cover.  This has a bone so I can see baby while breastfeeding or my pump horns while pumping. (P650)

 A cooler bag where I store my milk.

 

 An ice pack.  I bought these at Babymama and they last for about 8 hours. (P50 each)

  Rechargeable batteries in case of brownout or no electric outlet

If you have questions, please leave them on the comment section below and I will gladly answer them. =)