When I gave birth to my twins, they arrived about four weeks before their due date. I hoped they would still be able to breast feed, as I knew that this was important for their health and development. Unfortunately my son was whisked away to another hospital with a higher level NICU, and my daughter had such a poor feeding reflex that she was almost impossible to feed, even with a bottle. The only way they would receive the breast milk they needed was for me to use a breast pump.
Because I had been on bed rest for three weeks before the babies arrived, we had not finished our shopping. I did not have a breast pump and the cost of renting one from the hospital was pretty high. My husband went to Babies R Us the day I gave birth and returned with an electronic double pump that was about the same price as two months of rent on the hospital-grade pump. I thought we’d made a pretty good deal, and I set to work pumping.
Had I known then what a difference there was between a hospital-grade pump and the one we bought, I would have gladly paid almost any price for the better breast pump. For one thing, my pump did not offer flanges of various sizes, and as I learned with my youngest child, the right size flange makes a world of different in your comfort level when you are pumping milk.
Hospital-grade breast pumps have much stronger motors than those you can buy in a baby supply store. They create a stronger suction and allow you to finish pumping in a much shorter time. What this really means is you get more sleep between feedings because you aren’t hooked up to a machine as much of the day and night.
With my youngest child, who was also born prematurely, I knew without a doubt I would be renting the hospital pump. She was so tiny she had to eat through a tube at first, so there was never any question about whether I would be able to breast feed. Pumping was my only option. My hospital offered the Medela Symphony, a pump that not only offered stronger suction, but a phased cycle that more closely simulated nursing a baby. I tried it and fell in love. It was so much better than the cheap breast pump from my first pregnancy, it almost made me cry.
If I could go back and do just one thing differently with my twins, I would rent the hospital breast pump. It would have allowed me to provide breast milk longer and with more volume. I would strongly urge anyone who gives birth to multiples, a preemie or any baby with feeding difficulties to consider the hospital breast pump. It might cost more, but you’ll be better off skimping on baby clothes and other supplies in order to give your baby the breast milk it needs for as long as possible.
More by Tavia:
Old-Fashioned Thinking Yields IVF Breakthrough
Surviving the NICU with Siblings at Home
Bringing Home Your Preemie
