My 10-year old pump gave up already, thus for two weeks I wasn’t able to express milk. So when we had second son’s eyes checked last Friday, I also went to the baby section of SM department store and bought a new breast pump. It took me weeks to look for a replacement since I seldom leave the house as 1) no one will be left to take care of our baby, and 2) leaving the house means bringing the little munchkin with me. As much as possible I do not want to bring him to crowded places – malls in particular – for risk of exposing him to many people and possible germs.

Anyway, going back to my breast pump story –

Though I very much enjoy breastfeeding my now two-month-old son, it would be convenient as well if we have some stored breast milk in the refrigerator. I could ask husband or any of the boys to give our baby a feed should I need to 1) attend to some household chores, 2) catch up on some me-time, or 3) run an outdoor errand. Having Yael’s own stock of milk also assures this mother that her baby drinks his milk even if she is not around. Also, pumping definitely lessens the heaviness of her breasts.

So for nursing moms like me, distance isn’t an issue in breastfeeding our little darlings. Our babies can still enjoy the benefits of breastfeeding despite our absence. Breast pumps are invented to help lactating mothers express and store milk for their little angels. These pumps also come in handy for moms who want to breastfeed but their babies cannot latch well.

There are a variety of breast pumps in the market nowadays. My old pump was battery operated and husband bought me an adaptor so I would not worry about battery replacement. The pump I just bought is a manual one as I find electric pumps too expensive. The important thing is, I own a reliable breast pump that I could readily use anytime anywhere.  The good thing about the pump I bought is it has an adaptor which could easily fit both regular and wide-neck bottles.

Breast pumps are not for working moms alone. Even stay-at-home mothers may find these pumps helpful. I am a homemaker and seldom do I leave the house or leave our baby with someone else. But still, I got a breast pump because it gives me peace of mind knowing there are bottles of stored breast milk for my baby. I could ask husband or any of the boys to look after our Yael should I want to relax for a few minutes. I could also run an errand and leave the baby with them without me worrying about our little angel starving. Or I could offer it to my precious darling whenever my nipples are too sore for another breastfeeding session. Regular breastfeeding, coupled with expressing milk, also increases any mother’s milk supply. And I plan to breastfeed our baby as long as he wants. I am even contemplating on sharing my milk with my three other boys (without letting them know, of course; a naughty laugh follows).

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