Any excuse for a new gadget
Last night we attended a breastfeeding class. (Yes, the dad-to-be - or at least some sort of support person - was meant to be there.) There were two things I was particularly hoping to get out of the class:
1. How to decide between all the different types of breast pumps. (Not necessarily being told, "You must buy the Y style made by X brand" [actually, that would have bothered me, had I been instructed thusly), but what sorts of features I should look for and which I should avoid.)
2. Same thing for nursing pillows.
Number two was specifically and deliberately left unanswered. In fact, the instructor was entirely dismissive of nursing pillows, and wouldn't provide any guidance at all on them.
As for number one, it was partially answered. The differences between manual, battery-operated, and electric pumps were described, and a manual pump was passed around. I held it sort-of in place (no, not touching my body; I held it a few centimetres away from my body but angled more or less as it would be if I were using it) and gave it a few squeezes. That was enough to upset my tendons and make my wrist audibly crackle. It became apparent that, if I use a manual pump, my tendinitis will be back before we even get Bärchen home.
Which prompted Werner to whisper into my ear, "You're going to go fully electrified".
Which prompted me to tease him that he was just looking for another excuse to get another gadget!
1. How to decide between all the different types of breast pumps. (Not necessarily being told, "You must buy the Y style made by X brand" [actually, that would have bothered me, had I been instructed thusly), but what sorts of features I should look for and which I should avoid.)
2. Same thing for nursing pillows.
Number two was specifically and deliberately left unanswered. In fact, the instructor was entirely dismissive of nursing pillows, and wouldn't provide any guidance at all on them.
As for number one, it was partially answered. The differences between manual, battery-operated, and electric pumps were described, and a manual pump was passed around. I held it sort-of in place (no, not touching my body; I held it a few centimetres away from my body but angled more or less as it would be if I were using it) and gave it a few squeezes. That was enough to upset my tendons and make my wrist audibly crackle. It became apparent that, if I use a manual pump, my tendinitis will be back before we even get Bärchen home.
Which prompted Werner to whisper into my ear, "You're going to go fully electrified".
Which prompted me to tease him that he was just looking for another excuse to get another gadget!
posted by Melanie A at 10:24 p.m.
1 Comments:
Well, I really think the breast pump issue is a hard one, because you won't know what works till you try it, and not that many stores let you test-drive their breast pumps. That said, we rented an electric one from the hospital for the first three months, and it beat the pants off my manual - which I eventually gave away.
Now: GET A NURSING PILLOW!!! I can't believe they were dismissive of them - nursing pillows are so fantastic. I've had a number of nursing friends over to visit who didn't have a pillow, asked to try mine out while there, and then just couldn't believe they'd been doing without.
With Joffre, I had the Jolly Jumper pillow (http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B000F6CYCG/ref=sr_11_1/002-4138286-8454419?ie=UTF8&searsBrand=core), which was perfectly acceptable but got flat after a while. Also, the cover was not removable, and the whole thing had to be washed when it got dirty, which further reduced the stuffing quality.
With Alec, I got a Jellybean Pillow (http://www.jellybeanbaby.com/pillows.htm), which are available at the Dreaded Crocodile for twice what I paid for the pillow for J. It's an "overstuffed" pillow, and was a bit tight/stiff to begin with, but now 16 months after I began using it, it's every bit as comfy and workable as I could hope. It is covered in vinyl, and has a removable cotton cover for washing.
There is another pillow that gives lumbar support, called the My Breast Friend (blech) (http://www.crocodilebaby.com/qs/product/17/2907/147058/0/0). A friend of mine swore by hers, but when I used it at her place, I couldn't get comfortable.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to try these out in the store with any accuracy, either, since the baby that should go on top of the cushion is currently between you and the cushion (in fact, when I bought my Jellybean while pregnant with Alec, I couldn't get it around myself at all)!
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