recommend a breast pump

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Are electric ones best?

All being well, I am hoping to breast feed but would like to pump and freeze milk so that DH can feed from a bottle as soon as possible if baby will take it.

I have had a little look but don't really know what I am looking for or where to start. Also, I have heard that you shouldn't mix bottle and breast, does this mean I am being woefully optimistic by hoping DH will be able to do some bottle feeds eventually? If not, at what sort of age should be introduce a bottle?

Of course, this all assumes I will be able to pump. All my breast feeding friends and my DM had told me how difficult it is, how they couldnt pump any milk, how baby refused the bottle. Are they all right. DH is really hoping to feed so he can feel more involved and bonded to baby. Plus, we would both love it if I was able to be away from baby for short bursts without worrying about her feeding. I would love to breast feed but the thought of completely losing my independence has me worried.

My best friend didn't leave the baby's side once for the first 6 months and keeps telling me that is just the way it is with breast fed babies.

Medela swing is great. The little bags to freeze the milk in are also good for storage

I had a manual and electric pump last time and have them both ready for DC2.

My electric one is a Spectra, it was recommended to me on here and is really good and has been lent out to a few friends who thought it was great too.

I had to pump for the first 10 days as DS was in NICU so after doing it solidly I then didnt bother when we got home and DH was away so he wasn't there to feed either. DS become a complete bottle refuser which was very stressful for me if I wanted to leave him. This time I am planning to express once BF is established so DH can feed baby and get them used to it.

Your friend is right you are a bit more tied down with BF as you have to be organised when you want to go out without baby. Having said that I didn't really want to be away from DS anyway so wasn't much of an issue for me but everyone is different I have friends that have been comfortable to leave baby after a few weeks. It's all personal and what works best for you and your family.

I have a medela mini electric which has been great.

Pumping takss a bit of practise to get the knack of. Imo it is a hassle. It takes longer to pump the milk than for the baby to get it out so it takes me several pumping sessions to get enough for a feed. Then if you go out and skip feeds your boobs fill up and get uncomfortable and riskblocked ducts/mastitis. Plus it needs to be cleaned, sterilised... I have only done it a few times. Having said that, a good friend expresses each morning and her dh gives it in a bottle around 11pm so she gets a rest.

The pump was useful to me to relieve engorgement and to help clear locked ducts.

Blocked I mean.

All 3 of mine have taken a bottle quite early with no problem.

I did a bit of research reading reviews and recommebdations and I've now bought a cheap avent manual pump and the medela swing electric pump. Although I'm still pregnant so can't tell you if they're any good but reviews were good for these.

Advice is not to give a bottle in first 4-6weeks whilst still establishing breastfeeding due to supply and nipple/teat confusion. My midwife told me she thinks this is a bit of a myth though and plenty if babies will happily go between bottle and boob.

Don't wait too long to offer a bottle (months) or they may refuse it as they are used to the boob. It's best to get dp or someone else to offer the bottle as baby will smell/sense your milk and want to bf rather than take the bottle.

I'm planning to express so that dp can do one night feed from about 6 weeks. Whether this works out in reality is another thing altogether!

I found both expressing easy (from about 5 weeks) and baby happily took a bottle.

What I didn't anticipate was that I hated the hassle and time of expressing and didn't really give a shit about anyone else feeding the baby so ditched the expressing after 3 months or so and everything just seemed so much easier then :) I still managed to do all sorts, I just kinda took the baby with me, it just seemed a lot easier that way! She also slept really well in the early months so after her bedtime feed I was quite happy to go to the pub etc for a few hours. This is maybe not the most typical ebf story you hear but it did happen!

I have lots of friends who have expressed easily in the early days. Don't think your plan is unrealistic at all.

I've always introduced a bottle of within 2-3weeks I know that's not the recommended advice but it's worked fine with both my girls. We never had any issue with nipple confusion or supply etc. I was quite conscious that i wanted DD's to be able to have a bottle, if need be after seeing a friend battle with her little one who wouldn't have anything but boob at 12 months.

The Medela (sp?) electric breast pump has been pretty good for us. We splurged and went for the top model but it's on it's third year even lent it to two friends and still going strong. I agree expressing is too time consuming. Hence why I also give the occasional formula feed if were out to dinner etc.

I used a medela electric one while in hospital. It was ok... I had more joy out of my little avent manual one though. I could get about 6oz out of each boob with that bad boy. It was super cheap in Asda.

Sorry meant to clarify that I tried both AFTER my milk came in so it wasn't just the colostrum that came out for the medela one! That wouldn't be a fair comparison!

I didn't get on with an electric, I used a Tommee Tippee manual, and that was only for the purpose that it best fit my boob, I found the Medela and Avent too small for my boob!

BTW if the cup bit don't know what it's actually called is too small you can usually buy them in different sizes, certainly true for the Medela anyway. Mine was supplied with the smallest cup but even my tiny norks couldn't quite fit in them.

I can pump just fine but my 6 week old won't take a bottle, we've been trying daily since she was 3 weeks old. It's not too much of a big deal because i don't need to be anywhere without her but dh would like to be able to pitch in and I wouldn't mind a night out

I have a Medela Swing, works fine for me.