When Bob was born I was very self conscious when it came to breast feeding. I wished I had the confidence to feed her whenever she needed it but I didn’t. I expressed milk straight away to feed her when we were out and about. I thought that I would do the same with Bow but I have surprised myself.
I was contacted during my pregnancy by Ardo Breast Pumps to see if I would like to review a hospital grade breast pump. I was interested to see the difference between this and the ones that you could buy. They sent me the Carum breast pump and when it arrived I was amazed! It was a monster of a machine and i couldn’t wait to take it for a test drive!
Unfortunately I had to wait for a while. When Bob was a few months old I had issues with my flow. It was too fast for her and she would choke. I was advised to lie down when I fed her but, as she wanted feeding hourly, this wasn’t very practical. I spoke to my midwife about my experience and she advised me not to pump until Bow was 4 weeks old.
By then I had already had to feed him in various situations. I did it discretely and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The disadvantage of not introducing a bottle before 4 weeks is that Bow is now reluctant to take one but more about that in a moment.
I was unsure about using a hired breast pump as the thought of someone using it before me worried me. I needn’t have worried. The main body of the pump had been used before but the parts that come into contact with you are brand new. I was sent 2 packs which contained a bottle, a funnel, a lead and a lid. (I am not sure if they are the technical terms.)
The pump begins each session by gently massaging the nipple for 2 minutes. It then switches to pump mode and allows you to choose the vacuum pressure and the cycles (how often it pumps). The pump I had when I was expressing after Bob was born only had one setting. The Carum breast pump has many different combinations to allow you to choose the best one for you.
A convenient feature of the pump is that it allows you to pump directly into a storage bag.
You tie wrap the bag to the pump and then when you are finished you tear the bag off and seal it.
I thought that I would prefer this option but I actually preferred pumping into a bottle and pouring it into the bag. This made more washing up but I found the tie wraps that were used to attach the bag to the pump quite fiddly. I also found the sound of the milk dripping into the bottle reassuring.
If the milk I expressed was going to be used within 5 days I left it in the bottle and put the lid on it to keep it sterile. If not I poured it into a storage bag, wrote the date on it and put it in the freezer.
The parts of the pump were easy to wash and sterilise. I just wish that it came with a cover for the funnel end. With bottles you can sterilise and assemble them for when you want to use them. If it had a funnel cover I could have done the same with the pump. I didn’t like the thought of it being ‘out in the open’ before I used it and I liked to freshly sterilise it before each use.
I am glad that I was given the chance to review this breast pump. It is much better than the one that I bought and unlike any that I have seen before. It was easy to use and it has allowed me to create a good breast milk stash.
As I said, Bow has been reluctant to accept a bottle but I keep trying. He likes to feed every two hours throughout the day and the night. He can feed for up to half an hour and then, by the time I have settled him, I only get an hours sleep before he wants feeding again. If he would let daddy give him a bottle as one of his night feeds I might get three hours sleep all at once! That would be amazing!
Ardo also sent me a breast care package. This contained breast pads, nipple cream, breast milk storage bags and microwave sterilising bags. I have used so many breast pads and the Ardo ones are one of my favourites. Some of the pads I used became fluffy when they got damp and others had quite a coarse coating. The Ardo ones were great!
When I came home from the hospital I was in a lot of pain. I had been given so many stitches that the surgeon refused to tell me how many. When I asked he said, ‘Let’s just say one big one.’ I also had second degree muscle damage. I was given some anesthetic gel to bring home from the hospital. I was also given gauze to put it on but I ran out and the only gauze that my local chemist sold was the knitted variety. The Ardo breast pads were a great alternative! They were also fab for making mini ‘padsicles’. I covered them in alcohol free aloe vera gel and put them in the freezer! This provided some much needed relief down there.
I also liked Ardo’s nipple cream. It was thicker than other varieties I have tried. This allowed me to apply a lot which was very helpful in the painful early days.
Ardo have given me a breast care package to giveaway to one of my readers. This contains the following:
Easy Freeze Storage Bags
Easy Clean Microwave Bags
Day & Night Breast Pads
Gold Lanolin Nipple Cream
There are many ways to enter using the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!
This giveaway is listed on www.theprizefinder.com and Super Lucky Di’s blog competition linky.
Disclaimer: I was sent the breast pump on loan, free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I’m expecting our first baby in February so I would love to win these Breastfeeding Care Products for myself and baby!.
I’m expecting my first baby in April and will breastfeed. Having this to help would be a godsend, not least because I’d love for my partner to be able to share in the feeding.
Just to clarify, the giveaway is for the breast care products as listed above not for a breast pump. x
I’d love to win for my friend who’s expecting 🙂
My sister in law 🙂
I’d like to keep this for myself
I would win this for a friend at work
for me and my little boy =) xx
Id like to win this for myself, im due to have my first baby in April so this would be so helpful x
friend at work.
Would love to win for my amazing friend , she has just found out she is pregnant and we are so hay for her, having just had my first i know how many things you need so would love to help her out, putting a little hamper of goodies together for her x
For myself when my new arrival comes very soon x
For myself and my expected baby
Myself. I couldn’t breast feed first time round with my son, but I’m hoping that I might be able to with my second baby, currently 15 weeks pregnant.
For myself as I have a baby due in a few weeks 🙂
I would love to win this for my Daughter who is expecting her 1st baby & is planning to breastfeed 🙂
my sister in law who due her first baby
Would love to win for myself, I have an 8 week old baby and she recently spent 9 days in hospital being tube fed. This meant I was pumping constantly so breastcare products are a necessity!
Would love to win for my sister who’s soon to have her first baby, I breastfed my 4 children and its such an amazing experience
For my sister in-law.
So many friends expecting, so one of them!
My friend 🙂
I am due to have my first baby next month and I’m going to breast feed so this would be amazing to win to get me started. xx
I would love to win it for myself and my son as my breast pump is old and not as efficient any more
Just wanted to clarify, you don’t win the breast pump just the breast care products. x
Great prize for a friends first child.
I would like to win it for myself and my baby
my daughter would appreciate this
Me for when my partner and I start our family
For friends who need support when breastfeeding
My friend who is having twins in the Ne Year!
My best friend is having a baby very soon and this would be a great present for her
My sister Bryony and baby Frank 🙂
My wifes best friend is due in Feb.
My Niece
My lovely sister who is expecting her first baby. Everything is so exciting I would love to be able to give her this along with your fab review. Thanks very much for the chance
I’d love to win for myself, due early next year!
For my daughter who’s expecting my first grandchild in Feb
i would like to win this for myself
Myself. I have a two month old baby. I’ve tried expressing by hand but it’s too time consuming.
my friend who gave birth on christmas day.
perfect prize for myself xx
my daughter
For my sister in law xxx
Would love to win this for a friend who is expecting her first baby!
i’d like to win for my expectant friend x
For myself 🙂 my baby is due in a couple of weeks so would be perfect
My sister-in-law, who is currently pregnant 🙂
My best friend, who just had her first on November 30th, a little boy called Luca 🙂