Best breast pumps? & Microwaveable bottles...

[nauseous]

What the difference between electric and manual - really? Seems there's a big price difference... also what are the special bottles you can put in the microwave please?
thanks in advance...

are these what you meant?

if you're going to be doing a lot of pumping, like full time expressing then a really good hispital grade electric pump is a godsend.

if you're just going to be expressing the odd bottle here and there then a hand-pump is fine.

I expressed a bottle a day for a friend of mine and tbh after a while I was really feeling it in my wrist, but couldn't find the motor for my electric one to take the strain

Difference between a manual pump and battery operated pump? No repetetive stress injury!
Difference between battery pump and double electric? Like the difference between a mini and a Ferrari!
But only get an expensive pump if you will be pumping on a very regular basis.

very useful, thanks ladies!
Are there any electric pumps you'd recommend - or avoid??
Thank you in advance

The Medela Swing is fantastic, everyone I know who's had one has loved it.

There are microwavable bottles (although I don't know which), but, you're not supposed to microwave breast milk. It kills the antibodies IIRC.

here

i didn't think you were supposed to microwave milk?(any-breast or formula)

I also vote for the medela swing, it's really good.

The Ameda Lactaline is fantastic - buy second hand on ebay and then you can sell it on afterwards too. As a hospital grade pump it is safe to buy second hand too

I had a small medela electric pump, it was good. My friends who used manual really struggled and a few went on to buy electric so it will be cheaper in the long run to buy electric. Not sure about microwaveable bottles? Do you mean a steam steriliser that you use in the microwave? I had an avent one. As for bottles, you are not meant to heat milk in the microwave anyway, though I know people do.

to be honest, i have a hand-pump and i express 4-5 times a week and it is completly fine.

You can ask your nct breastfeeding councillor if there is any bf pump lending service in your area. that way you can try b4 you buy

I found a hand pump realy uncomfortable on my nips compared to the electric pumps, although with the Mini Medela the noise drove DH mad. The double pumps are more expensive but quieter, and can help increase milk supply (although not sure that's the case for me personally.)

Re microwaveable bottles, if you mean for sterilising purposes, we have an Avent microwave steriliser thingy which takes Avent bottles. Although the Avent bottles do have that plastic additive/chemical in which some bottles are now advertised as being free from, the name of which I can't remember. Frankly we decided there was enough for us to worry about without adding that to the list.

Not supposed to microwave milk to warm it up due to hotspots and also as someone already says, it kills of some of the good stuff in the breast millk.

best microwaveable bottles by far are the mothercare ones that are self sterilising - they are fab, not least because you don't need a big steriliser (assuming you have a microwave!) and great for taking out and about to friends/family etc.

will try to find link but will be tomorrow, not sure why I am up so late!