shopping queries

[Stefka]

I spotted a half price breast pump and a half price microwave steriliser for sale today. I am planning to breast feed but figure that I will want to express and stuff too. Do you think it is worth grabbing these while they are on offer? Or will I know better what sort of thing I want once the baby is here?

Also how many breast pad thingys should I get for the start?

[RGPargy]

BUY THEM!!!

No idea re breast pads but apparently the washable ones work out miles cheaper.

[JARM]

buy them, you can always sell them if you dont use them!

[VeronicaMars]

I found the johnson breast pads best. Buy a few boxes at first in case you don't like them. Some of brands are terrible. Also if you see flesh coloured ones get them, amazing how they show through white tops.

[Stefka]

They had some Tommee Tipee or however you spell it breast pads that were also half price. I bought one box of fifty but have no clue how many of these I will go through. I like the idea of getting washable ones for the long run though - sounds more economical.

[daizydoo]

The Tommy Tippee breast pads are brilliant - really absorbant. A box of 50 lasts me about a week - I think. If you are getting the washable make sure you get some good quality ones. I got some Avent ones and they are rubbish - had me leaking everywhere!

[choufleur]

I PREFERED PADS WITH AN ADHESIVE BIT ON - whoops sorry hit caps lock - as you can stick them to the inside of your bra. the ones without the sticky bit seemed to move around. you'll far more than you think.

[dal21]

I read that you can go through up to a 100 in the first week as your milk comes in a makes adjustment! Have no idea how true that is?? think it varies from woman to woman. 100? am still in shock.

[derah]

I used lovely fleece breast pads but at the beginning when I needed loads of Lasinoh they got a bit gunked up so I'm planning to use disposable ones to start with this time around. Got some Tommee Tipee ones from a friend - fab! I changed pads with each feed, so yeah, you do go through a lot to start with! But they're not exactly hard to find so buy a couple of boxes, then just go buy more as you need them.

I wouldn't rush into a breast pump just cos it's cheap. I got an Avent hand pump which was OK, but I did struggle a bit with it. My friend has an electric one that she swears is the most AMAZING thing ever and she could end world hunger with the amount of milk she's producing. So I'm gonna see about borrowing hers when the time comes and bin my old Avent one. Don't fancy spending any more lonely nights cranking away on the darned thing to only end up with 2oz of milk!!

Microwave steriliser - great idea if it's cheap, one is much like another and very handy. I bf DD but expressed and topped up with formula here and there so bottles and a steriliser are never wasted imo.

[Ants]

The best breast pads I've ever come across are the Lansinoh ones, which do have the adheseve bit on, but they are also moulded to fit the shape of the breast better. They absorb really well and they don't slide about in your bra. And they don't show through your bra and top,as some of the cheaper ones do. They are quite expensive (Mothercare sells them, by the way), but for me worth every penny.
I bought some Avent washable pads, as well, but I couldn't really use them in the first months, only when I started weaning baby off and my milk supply was reduced. But they tended to find their way to the wash very quickly and stay there for ages.

[Stefka]

I bought the stuff. My two sister in laws are both pregnant as well so they can always have them if I don't use it and I figure the steriliser will be handy for travel as well.

100 pads in the first week! That is scary!

[asur]

I wouldn't trust the 100 breastpad figure... I bought avent washable ones and I used them a total of 3 times - I breastfed for 14months but never leaked! If you already have some, don't worry about getting more, just get them when/if you need them.

Would definately get the breastpump though - like someone else said, if you don't use it, you can still sell it on

[asur]

Sorry, just re-read your last post and realised you already bought the stuff...

[JARM]

just picked up the tommee tippee microwave/cold water steriliser in tesco reduced to £9.98! Cheaper than tesco's own version!!

WOO HOO

[KTeePee]

Buy them, or at least buy something.

In my innocence it never occurred to me that I might need a breast pump but (without going into all the details of why) my poor dh had to rush off and buy one (and some bottles) before I came home from hospital. Would have been much better if I had chosen one myself beforehand.

[Stefka]

It was in Tesco that I got them too