BREAST PUMP OF THE MONTH -DECEMBER – Medela Symphony and Preemie+

Medela Symphony – the Breastpump of all Breastpumps!

Medela, in conjunction is the University of Western Australia, has developed the Symphony to fill a need in the breastpump market. The Symphony is also equipped with Medela’s unique 2-phase Expression Technology, which mimics the natural sucking behaviour of an infant.
The Symphony is a multi-user pump, designed to adhere to hospitals’ most stringent hygiene requirements as well as providing peace of mind to mothers. Each user is required to purchase their own kit, which includes a protective membrane that completely separates the pump set from the pump mechanism – this reliably prevents overflow of breastmilk, which would contaminate the pump mechanism.

The Symphony works with a chip card that is loaded with the programming for the pump. This card looks like a credit card and needs to be inserted before the pump can be used. There are two types of cards that can be used with the Symphony, the Standard 2.0 card and the Preemie+ 1.0 card. The Standard 2.0 Card uses the Medela 2-phase expression technology by entering Stimulation phase for the first 2 minutes of the session and then going into expression phase.
Medela have realised that there is a great need for moms of preemie babies to express much needed colostrum and establish their milk supply, in order to give their preemie baby the best chance of fighting infections and illnesses, therefore, the Preemie+ 1.0 Card.

Human milk is extremely important for premature infants as it helps to build their immature immune systems. The Preemie+ 1.0 program has been specifically designed to help the mothers of premature infants establish and maintain their much needed breastmilk supply. The Preemie+ Card has both the Preemie+ 1.0 program and the Standard 2.0 program. The Preemie+ 1.0 program was designed after extensive clinical research to determine how newborn babies’ nursing behaviour helps to establish mothers’ milk supply.
The Preemie+ program is a set 15 minute program that is designed to stimulate the mother’s milk supply and to help her to establish her milk supply. Using this setting for the first days after birth will help a mom of a premature baby reach the same milk production as the mother of a full term baby.
The Preemie setting can also be used to help a mom to relactate, or to bring on lactation in an adoption case.
The Preemie+ program works in two steps:
Step 1 – Support initiation using Preemie+

Preemie+ assists initiating and maintaining lactation in breastpump-dependent mothers with premature infants. For mothers who express their breastmilk after giving birth, the Preemie+ program is the ideal solution.

To activate the Preemie+ program, press “On/Off” and then, within 10 seconds, press the “let-down” button.

Once you have pumped off 20 ml of breastmilk in three sequential pump procedures you have achieved initiation of your lactation.
From now on you should use the standard program – see step 2 below.

Step 2 – Standard 2.0

Once you have expressed 20 ml of breastmilk 3 times in a row, please switch to the Standard 2.0 program.

To do this, simply press the “On/Off”-button.
Continue to use Symphony’s efficient 2-Phase Expression Technology, the pump will begin with a 2 minute stimulation phase and then automatically switch to the expression phase.

A double Symphony pump kit consists of the following;
2 x membrane caps
2 x protective membranes
2 x tubing
2 x valves with membranes
2 x breast milk collection containers with lids
1 x breastfeeding instruction guide
1 x instruction manual

These kits are also Nappi Coded and thus can be claimed from the most medical aid schemes.

Medela also manufactures a colostrum container that is compatible with the Medela breastshields. This container has a pumping capacity of 20 ml, and has a curved bottom in order to help that colostrum is not lost during the transfer to a syringe. The smaller size helps to keep mothers motivated and helps to set proper expectations of initial milk production.

Medela also have Pumping log which is designed for the unique challenges that a mother faces in the NICU. This unique troubleshooting tool can help nurses to support mothers and solve potential milk production issues before they become a major problem. It is designed to establish appropriate expectation of pumping, includes a list of benefits of providing breastmilk and has a bunch of helpful hints and tips. In addition to the hard copy Pumping Log booklet, it is also available as an iPhone App called medelaMe-iPhone App.

For more information on hiring the Symphony, contact Medela at info@breastpumps.co.za, or visit their website http://www.breastpumps.co.za.

The REAL Consequences of Pumping Breastmilk

If you are an exclusive pumper, chances are you have had the misfortune of feeling shamed by this article that has been doing the rounds on Facebook lately.

Sadly, the author of this highly uninformed opinion piece has more than likely never spent the time to get to know or understand why most mothers turn to exclusive pumping in the first place, perhaps had she better spent her time actually physically helping a mother who was struggling, instead of tearing down a group of strong mothers, who are merely trying to do what’s best in a shitty situation, she would understand why her opinion is so hurtful to so many within the EPing community.

What she had to say was not only harmful, but completely incorrect, pumping is NOT convenient, it’s not quick, it’s not easy, it’s not what most of us CHOSE to do, it’s not a “bandwagon” that is climbed on by mothers who are too lazy to breastfeed, most of the time it is a necessity, it’s life saving, Exclusive Pumping is NOT an alternative to breastfeeding, it’s an alternative to using formula.

In reality, EPing went a little something like this for me, and I know my story is one of many in a similar situation;

My daughter was born prematurely, not extremely premature, only 6 weeks, but she still struggled with breathing and her suck, swallow, breathe reflex was still very immature, so like many other EPing moms, pumping was my only option to begin with.
At around 5 days the “lactation consultant” (the hospitals LC was, and still is, NOT certified), came in and forced my daughters tiny head toward my breast, where she latched and promptly fell fast asleep, breastfeeding was still a lot of work for her. Every feed I would stumble off to NICU and the LC or nurse would again shove my baby’s face into my breast, feeds became difficult, if she wasn’t falling asleep, she was screaming.

I continued to pump 12 times a day (that’s every 2 hours, Olivia), on average it would take between 25 – 35 minutes to empty each breasts ( so much for “empty both breasts within minutes”), I would wobble off to NICU, pump, help feed my daughter with a 3ml syringe, wash and sterilize my milk collection Kit, wobble back to my ward, sleep for 30 minutes and repeat. (Really convenient when you don’t value sleep).

When she was finally released from NICU and brought home we were still struggling with feeding, she now screamed blue murder at every feed, she refused to latch onto me or a bottle and 6 days after being released, she was readdmitted for poor feeding and dehydration, still I continued to pump, 12 times a day, sometimes more depending on how stressed or exhausted I was, and syringe fed her with a 3ml syringe.

We continued to struggle despite seeing lactation consultants, speech therapists and chiropractors, we had doctors, nurses, family, friends, even strangers try and feed my child with a bottle, we were in and out of hospital, on IV drips, which were so traumatic that both my husband and I still get goosebumps thinking of it, and still I pumped, 12 times a day, around the clock, through sleeping on recliners in a hospital rooms, to pumping in bathrooms of specialists.

By 5 months we had managed to get her to drink from a bottle, before every feed I would sit quietly and try and latch her, I’d squirt milk into her little mouth so she knew there was something to get, but as soon as her mouth touched my skin, she would gag and scream, so I would feed my baby my breastmilk by bottle while lovingly looking at her beautiful face, holding her little hands, kissing her head, bonding, you know, the thing apparently bottle feeders “can’t” do.

At 6 months post partum I finally managed to drop down to between 10 and 11 pumping sessions per day without loosing ml’s. I still only just made enough to feed my daughter, I still pumped at 1am and again at 5am, and then every 3 hours throughout the day, again, extremely convenient for those who do not value sleep or any semblance of a life further than a plug outlet that your breastpump cord can reach.

At 14 months I was down to 8 sessions a day and around that time my daughter was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder, oral aversions, silent reflux and a very restrictive class 4 upper lip tie, things that should have been picked up a lot earlier by all the experts offices we frequented. Every single bottle feed my daughter would be curled up on my lap and we would BOND. Or she would curl up with her dad and they would laugh and make jokes while she drank her milk, again, bonding. She was never, and has never been forced to finish a bottle, we respect our daughter, as do most other well informed, educated Pumpers.

Due to her feeding difficulty and very restricted diet, at almost 4 years old, she still relies on the nutrition and immunological benefits of my pumped breastmilk, to date my fully breastfed toddler has been sick 3 times, her blood work has always been perfect with no deficiencies despite her feeding issues. She is a happy, healthy, well adjusted, bonded, beautiful child and I do not regret spending almost 4 years painstakingly pumping human milk for her because despite your vicious attempt to make mothers like me feel bad, I can physically see the benefits, I personally know that my child and I are wonderfully bonded and I feel still feel proud, proud that I stuck it out, and continue to do so, proud of my relationship with my daughter and proud of my fellow Pumpers who work so hard in situations where most just give up.

The only real consequence of being an exclusive pumper is having to fend off the uneducated opinions of people like the author of that “other” article while doing their best in a difficult situation.

*Edit 14.05.2015

I would like to add that better maternity leave packages would be awesome, I don’t think there is anyone out there who would disagree, however with South Africa’s unstable economic situation we all know that the private franchise owners or small business owners would not be able to afford to have female employees take more time, and employees certainly do not wish to risk losing their jobs or taking pay cuts, so while this notion of better maternity practices is a noble and wonderful idea, it is not very practical here or any where else in the money dominated world. This would also open woman up to even more discrimination in the working world, which is something that is still a huge issue for many women.

We also cannot disregard the hard working domestic workers who rarely get more than a couple of weeks of unpaid leave and are never offered time to pump to provide for their babies, this is something that I personally am looking into changing, because at the end of the day, every woman matters.

What would make a far greater impact to the success of breastfeeding mothers through out the world, but especially in South Africa would be the education and training of our medical professionals and hospital staff, the education of the greater public as to the risks of formula feeding and an acceptance and normalization of breastfeeding as a whole. We would also benefit from better education of mothers in general, if we spent half as much time spreading education and support as opposed to judgement and division, we would already be in a far better space to fix the root causes of the extremely low breastfeeding rates in our country.

We do need more research on the risks and benefits of exclusively pumping vs breastfeeding directly, however I have no doubt in my mind that there will be far more positives to negatives!

Surviving Load Shedding As An Exclusive Pumper

It’s that time of year again, where Eskoms scheduled load-shedding plays havoc on the lives of pumping moms across South Africa, here are some tips for pumping without power.

~ Get yourself a good quality manual pump, especially if you have only just started this journey, 3 of my personal best and recommended pumps are Philips Avent, Spectra Handy and Medela Harmony.

~ Start freezing water bottles, lots of them and then wrap them in newspaper and line your freezer with them, try keep them small and skinny, the smaller 500ml water bottles work best, I personally have about 30 water bottles in our free standing chest freezer at all times. *keep the freezer closed as much as possible avoiding opening and closing often.

~ If you don’t have the space for all those water bottles, then I recommend you check in advance where you can get dry ice on short notice, place your milk bags / bottles in a large ziplock freezer bag and emerge in a tub if cold water and dry ice.

~ A small 2 plate gas stove is awesome for boiling pump parts and bottles for sterilization and warming water for warming bottles, just keep an eye on your sterilizing as sometimes a gas stove heats quicker than a conventional stove top.

~ For those hot days and nights a small battery operated dash fan are great for pumping in comfort.

And last, but not least,

~ Make sure all your gadgets are fully charged and your books are in easy reach!

Pump on Rock Star mamma’s!

Breastmilk Storage Bag Review – Philips Avent

I have to admit that throughout my exclusive pumping journey I haven’t used many breastmilk storage bags, mostly because I was never fortunate enough to have much left over to freeze in the beginning, and then when eventually I did have a surplus of supply, what I would freeze would mostly be donated in donation bottles or ziplock freezer bags.

I have however tried a few brands for my small personal stash, and when I received the Philips Avent storage bags I knew exactly what I was looking for, and what I was not looking for in storage bags.

Three of the biggest concerns for moms who pump, are milk bags that:
1. Take up too much storage space
2. Leak during defrosting
3. Burst when accidentally dropped or stepped on

First off I have to mention what I loved about these bags the most; the tear off sterile strips!
The first tear opens the bag leaving a sterile funnel to pour milk down into the bag reducing spillage, the flap then has space for information like time, date and quantity of milk, when you take out a bag and defrost, you just tear off the slip so the milk in the bag does not come into contact with any older milk that may have remained in the funnel. I love the idea as so many of the bags I have used previously have spilt while decanting from the pumping bottle into the bag, I also appreciated the attention to detail when it came to safe, sterile storage of breastmilk.

When it comes to storing you can either store standing, which is the recommended storage option, or if you fill to just below the line they can be stored relatively flat and take up minimal space – which is a huge benefit for moms who freeze a lot of milk and have limited storage space available.

I was interested to find out how strong these bags were so I filled 3 up with regular milk and ran a few “tests”, first I purposely dropped the filled bags to check that the zip locking didn’t burst, then I applied a little pressure in the form of a toddler standing on the bags. I’m happy to report that the bags didn’t burst being dropped or stepped on. (I have to add that when my toddler jumped on the bags the bag did burst after the second jump, but who jumps on breastmilk bags anyway?)

Defrosting was my next test, I defrosted the milk in 3 different ways, in a bowl of Luke warm water, left out on the counter and under a running tap, just to be sure I randomly used 3 new bags from the pack and froze my liquid gold, none of the bags leaked at all. (And none have leaked when defrosting any other bags and my donor recipient mom hasn’t had any issues either with the few bags I have sent her way)

Overall I really liked the storage bags and have found that they certainly make storage a lot easier with the small flap with all the details on, generally I store my bags flat in a box and it’s much easier to check dates and quantities without having to remove the bags from the box, and let’s admit it, any small detail that makes a busy pumping moms life easier is a win!

The bags are available from the majority of Philips Avent stockists such as Dischem, Baby City, Reggie’s etc and retail for around R170.00.