new mum to be needs advise on breast pumps/bottles please

[lilyofvalley]

hi
I'm due to have my baby in a few weeks and I intend to breast feed. However do I need to buy a breast pump/bottles/steriliser?
Do I need to buy the same brand pump and bottles or are they interchangeble?
Any other advise appreciated.
Thanks

no - you don't need a thing although that nipple cream (lanisoh?) could come in handy. If you want to introduce a bottle most people wait a few weeks till bf established. I have a medela pump and find it pretty good. The nuk bottles fit on it too. I just got a microwave sterilser. but of course you can get away without any of these things if you don't particularly want to introduce a bottle - hth

It is unlikely that you will need a pump - especially in the early days.
I would save your money for now and wait and see. You can always order one online if you find that one is necessary.

When pregnant I bought an electric medela pump, loads of breast pads, a big steam steriliser and a bottle warmer. After DD was born I found the noise of the medela terrible, I never needed the breast pads and I never use the electric steriliser or bottle warmer. When she was 2 weeks old I bought a Tommee Tippee closer to Nature manual pump which comes with its own bottle and own microwaver steriliser. In short, don't rush out and buy loads of things, just wait to see how you get on and only buy the things you need.

I second the closer to nature Tommee Tipee one, needed to express after horrendous cracked nipples, had to give them a couple of days to heal.(still have the scars!) Lansinoh good too. Hopefully you won't need to use one though, good luck

I wouldn't buy them yet - unless you live in the Highlands and Islands or something. If you're in a big town or city then you'll be fine as all the big Tescos have all the bottles and accessories that you'd need at 3am in the morning.

The biggest mistake that I made was to buy loads and loads and loads of the lansinoh brand breast pads. They are a really good brand, but they didn't fit me (I was an H cup!) and they wrinkled and looked really obvious. I still have loads left, two babies on... Why I didn't get a small selection of different ones to try them for fit I have no idea.

Thanks everyone.

Hi have just registered & I have a question can anyone recommend which manual breast pump would be good to purchase as I was told that the closer to nature ones leak etc , i bottle fed my other babies which was fine but would really like to give this bf a good go can anyone advise ???

Pinky, it's a matter of personal choice.I tried an Isis Avent (manual) and a Medela (electric. latter was great, first was hard work.

Hope it goes well for you this time. Knowledge is the key.
May i recommend this brilliant website run by a lovely Mumsnetter?

How breastfeeding works