I bought my first breastpump before the delivery of my 1st child. Don’t know why, but breastfeeding and expressing breastmilk was,to me, part and parcel of having a baby. An ex-colleague of mine kindly advised against getting a hand operated pump citing ‘hand cramps’ as her major issue with them. So my first pump was an electric single breast pump. My first…..not my last!

I went through three electric pumps in the first one and a half years. My major problem was backflow of milk into the darn motor. Once that happenned, there was no chance of using the pump discreetly. The motor would sputter and it would begin to sound like I was taking a ride on a motorised sampan in Phuket everytime I used it. At this stage, the pump would only last a few more days before it ceased all noise making….and operating, permanently. Then came the urgency to replace it immediately so that I could continue to express my milk for my allergy-ridden baby.

After pump number three started giving me problems, I decided to invest in an Ameda Lactaline double pump which I bought from the Breastfeeding Mothers’ Support Group in Singapore. It was really a pleasant upgrade! No more backflow problem, no more noisy motor and it was super efficient in getting me to have a letdown.  Phew!