February 4, 2010, I gave birth to my second daughter Bristol Joan LaViene Thursday at 5:27 PM. My milk supply was in by Saturday February 6, 2010 5:15 AM. By Sunday night I was so engorged I could not stand to have my breasts touched or to lean over. They were hard as rocks and hot to the touch. The baby could not drink enough milk at each feeding to empty my breasts. I finally broke down and went to Target to look for a breast pump.
With my first daughter I had a large milk supply and had to keep the excess milk pumped off my breasts to prevent mastitis. I had bought at that time a manual breast pump made by Advent. It was only $30.00 and came with a nice carrying case and extra bottles. It took forever to pump my breasts and was not the most comfortable manual pump to use. If I did not line it up just right with my nipple, I would lose suction. I ended up spending more time readjusting it than I did pumping. That is why I decided to spend a little more money this time and buy an electric breast pump.
My sister has a very expensive electric dual breast pump that cost over $300.00 when she bought it. That was way out of my price range for something I would only use for a year. So I started hunting for a good breast pump for a reasonable price and I found it. At our local Target they had four different electric breast pumps to choose from and I seen the MiPump on display. It looked so neat with its clean white coloring and one hand use design. The electric pump system came with the option to plug it in or run it off AA batteries. It also had a cute purse like carrying case that allows you to carry the pump discreetly where ever you go. I nurse on demand but it would be nice to have a portable pump for vacations, road trips or even shopping when there is no real clean place to nurse. The MiPump came in a single breast pump for $59.99 or Dual Pump for $79.99. I figure for the extra $20.00 I could pump both breasts at once. It has a 90 day manufacturer warranty and consumer satisfaction guarantee.
As soon as I got home I assembled it. At first it seemed to have a lot of parts but once I got it all together I realized it was very simple to assemble and disassemble. I pumped 6 oz out of each breast after nursing my daughter and still had plenty of milk left to nurse her again and again through out the day. I froze half of the milk and gave the rest to my toddler in her sippy cup with her regular milk. I have been using the MiPump now for almost two weeks and love it. It was a great buy. The only drawback is the T-shaped design of the handle makes it a little awkward to hold at first. After, a few times pumping it gets easier to hold.
