What are my recommendations for commercial pumps to be used everyday? Which bottles are best for difficult-to-feed breastfed babies? Join Bev and Jodi for this discussion on pumps and bottles for breastfeeding moms and babies
Episode Transcript:
Okay, welcome back to first breasts to first steps. I have Jodi Heiser joining me. As you guys know, or may not know from previous podcasts, she is. A veteran pediatric nurse been in the field over 15 years. She’s also IB CLC, certified lactation counselor. And has done just amazing work with feeding newborns.
So we thought that we would talk about some of our favorite breast pumps and bottles, especially bottles with concerns of breastfed babies that are tough to feed, because I think that’s a really common question. So just realize Jody and I are not paid by any of the pumps. Or products that we talk about. They are merely things that we have used and that we have found to be successful. So welcome, Jodi. I appreciate you being here today.
Yeah. So, if you had to pick two of the best pumps that you could ever recommend, what would they be and why? All right. That’s an easy question for me other than getting a hospital grade pump, which is the one that you get in the hospital, and they’re generally made by a company named Medella and it’s a symphony pump. The really good pumps that are on the market are by two different companies. Medela and they make a Pump in Style pump, which is very good. But my favorite right now is become the Spectra pump, which is newer on the market, but they have a lot of great features and they actually are considered to be about the strength of some of the hospital grade pumps, which is a huge benefit.
One of the things that you do want to make sure you have a pump that is a double pump. And what that means is that you’re able to pump both breasts at the same time so that you’re not spending. Hours pumping one breast and then the other. Correct. I think too. It’s a good thing to remember that when we let down, even when we’re pumping that milk lets down to both sides. So it’s nice to be able to capture that milk efficiently. Yes. And from both sides all at the same time. So this mom can move on with her day. Exactly.
You bring up an interesting point. So I’m going to jump in with a little bit of something else. There is a hand pump on the market right now called the haakaa and that’s H a K a. And a lot of moms are finding that that is really beneficial to use to collect that milk that’s dripping from the other side. What you would do with that is you just put it on lightly so that it collects the milk, because I want to remind moms that that is actually a pump. And so if you put it on really tightly, you will drain that breast. So you have to be kind of careful with how you use that. It’s an amazing tool, but be careful. Yeah, the was not around when I was, oh, no. Feeding my babies. But I do think that it has some really unique instances where it can be used. Its utility is pretty vast. But yeah, I have a lot of clients that say, gosh, I’m leaking out of the other side while I’m feeding. And what can I do with that? How can I store it?
And before we used to just recommend crazy things of trying to collect this milk, but the haakaa. It’s not an electric pump. You guys should look at it as we’re speaking. It’s one piece and it’s made basically at a silicone. Yeah. And you can. By pressing in the bottle portion before you apply it, have it kind of suctioned to that breast with negative pressure. But Jodi does bring up a good point depending on how much negative pressure is there. You really can. Pull out all that milk. And if you haven’t fed that side yet, That can be kind of problematic. So, but it can be a really unique and useful tool. For sure. So it’s something worth looking at. Absolutely.
So with the spectra. It is a double pump, so you can pump both sides. It’s electric. Yes. So you can plug it in and some of them are actually battery operated as well. You have the option of doing either or, and it still maintains the same power level, which is really important. Okay. Does it have adaptation for the car? Yeah, you can do that too. You’re able to do that too. Or you can just use the battery that is actually in that, which is really nice, too. I always ask about that because I found. You know, sometimes you’re running errands and you just don’t have time to really find a spot wherever you’re going. Right. The grocery store target, wherever parking. Pumping. Yeah. Parking lot pumping. And you know, as long as you have your ability to store your milk, when you’re done. I think it makes it super convenient. Yeah. So it is kind of nice when they have those adapters as well. Yeah.
All right. So what would you recommend as far as bottles, especially for those babies that are loving breastfeeding, and they’re a little tough to take a bottle. Can you tell me the name of a couple bottles that you recommend and.
And why for sure. Yeah. So, you know, it is important, to establish really good breastfeeding before you start bottles, as long as you can. But also it’s important to introduce a bottle at some point. So there’s so many bottles out there, Bev. But for a baby who’s breastfed. And either is struggling going to the bottle, or if mom is concerned that the baby will get nipple confusion, I have two that I really like. And unfortunately there’s some of the most expensive ones too. One of them is called a Como Tomo. Homo. And the other one is Mimi Jumie. The reason I like them is that they are most like a breast. So whether you’re concerned again with babies, getting nipple confusion or babies, not taking a bottle. Those are the best ones.
The other one that I kind of want to throw in there because, a lot of times babies are gassy and that seems to be a really big complaint that I have. Dr. Brown bottles. They actually have a straw in the bottle that reduces the amount of air that a baby swallows. So if you have a gassy baby, that’s a really good one to try. Yes. I think that I’ve also seen with the Avent bottles, they also have a gas reduction sort of systems, right? And it is a straw that’s in the middle of the bottle it does add another piece to the bottle, but. Parents swear by it. We definitely feel like it. Produces less gas for them.
Yeah. I think also you want to make sure, you know, when kids are drinking out of a bottle that. You’re also looking that they’re making a good latch around the nipple of the bottle, just as if they’re making a good latch around a breast. If they’re dragging in air that obviously can make them pretty gassy. So yeah. I always tell parents, listen for any popping or clicking, just like you do when you’re nursing so that we’re not getting too much, air in there as well. Yeah. So give me a average cost breakdown of these bottles that you, yes. Well, you know, I would say the Como Tomo Mamie Jumie can be in the $20 range for one bottle, 20 to 30. That’s a, that’s a really different from your other bottles. Like the Avent bottles are much cheaper than that. The Dr. Brown bottles are a much cheaper than, than that. So it kind of is an investment and you never know for sure if your baby is going to like that bottle, often moms go through multiple bottles before they find that one, that the baby will actually accept. Sometimes it is kind of nice to put multiple types of bottles on your registry for that exact reason. That’s great. Even if you get just one, at least you can try before you make a major investment to kind of see. Yeah. You know, Susie really likes a Como Tomo. She doesn’t like a Dr. Brown’s at all. It’s nice to at least have the option and be able to figure that out. That’s a great idea.
What, lastly, I think it just like to finish up with what is kind of the best way to consider and procedure wise in cleaning your pump. And the supplies for your pump as well as cleaning bottles. That’s a good question too. One of the things that I want to point out is when you’re having, however, you’re cleaning your pump, parts, your bottles and everything like that. You don’t need to clean the tubing.
For the breast pump, continued to clean that will basically leave water in the tubing. And it’s generally self-contained. We really don’t need to do that, or it can cause more problems than just leaving it alone. Certainly if you see something. In the tubing you’d want to wash it out really good with, soap hot, water, maybe boil it with your other things that you’re doing. Soap and water is just the standard. We want to do soap and water with all your parts, your pieces, your bottles, your nipples, and let them, they can air dry. Once a week. I like to recommend that moms do some sterilization, the easiest way to do this. There’s a lot of microwave sterilization specific for breast pumping moms, to put their parts in, you put it in the microwave, you set the timer for, I think it’s a minute or two minutes, and then you take everything out and let it air dry. Is it a bag or is it. It is a bag. It is actually, it looks like kind of a, a sturdy Ziploc bag is what it looks like. Do you have to add water to it or? Yeah and it depends on the type of microwave and the power that your microwave has, but yeah, you add just a, I think it’s a couple of tablespoons of water and walk away and then come back, let it cool. And let them dry on a, on a nice clean towel. Right.
As always, always good to start anything, whether you’re pumping or bottle feeding, just wash your hands beforehand is always just a good reminder. And a great reminder. Yeah.
Or how would you recommend cleaning bottles? You know, again, I think you can hand wash them. Some of them are dishwasher safe and that’s going to sterilize them. But a lot of times you don’t have the ability to put multiple bottles in the dishwasher and, have more bottles left. It’s always a good plan to have at least two complete sets of bottles so that you always have one ready to go. And one that’s maybe being cleaned. Especially for those moms going back to work, you want to be prepared for that again. Did registry. Baby gift items for sure. Absolutely. For. Absolutely. Yeah, I do like, using the dishwasher, especially at night or at the end of the day. If you’ve collected bottles from being out and about daycare or whatnot. They have some nice baskets that you can put the. The rings of the right bottle that holds the nipples as well as the nipples of. They’re not falling through, but it is a nice way to sterilize them too. Are actually commercial sterilizing tools on the market too. It’s just one more piece of equipment that you have, but it takes about 30 minutes to sterilize something. If that works for you, then that’s an option as well. Yeah, for sure.
Okay. So in summary, we talked about some pumps. Best pumps that we liked was the spectra. And as far as bottles, the bottles that we made recommendations about, again, we are not paid by any sponsorship. But we mentioned a Como Tomo, Mimi Jumi jumie bottle, as well as the Dr. Brown’s bottle. if you feel like your baby is really gassy?
And then just kind of quickly reviewed best practices when cleaning pumps and bottles. So hopefully you guys found this information helpful. If you would like some notes, you can click on the link down below. And pull down a quick summary of our discussion today. Also, if you’re interested in working with me and helping to coach your baby from first breast to first steps, you can reach me@fbthenumbertwofs.com. Until next time be well
