Are you looking to find the right breast pump to use when you are returning to work, and traveling on the road a lot? Where you might not be able to express from the comfort of your home or office?
Well continue reading!
Congrats on your baby and plans to be pumping liquid gold. We know it all gets confusing for sure! When thinking about breast pumps, the main considerations are how often you are going to be using it, and where you’ll be using it.
Due to your work circumstances – you need it to be portable – so that already rules out a couple of the electric pump options because the Unimom Forte, Unimom Allegro, Philips Avent – those ones all need to be plugged into a power source so I won’t talk about them.
I’m assuming that if you’re pumping while working, you’ll be doing at least one pump session every day. So of course an electric pump is the best way to go. You want one that can just attach and then pump away while you are driving. (I don’t know about legalities, but I think it would be a good way to pump because you won’t be thinking about milk you’ll be concentrating on driving. Sometimes when ladies think about pumping milk, they don’t get milk, they need to be distracted!)
If you are pumping only one time per day, no more than that, then a manual breast pump would also be suitable. Though these are time consuming to use and do feel like a chore!
A double pump is going to be easier for your situation, as that will cut down pumping time. But studies also show that double pumping simultaneously results in more milk than if you did each breast side separately. So the options are just the Medela Freestyle, or the medela Swing Maxi, and also the Unimom Minuet.
If you are going to be using it frequently, 4-5 times per day in this case, I’d recommend the Medela Freestyle Breast pump. The size of the motor unit is small and compact (it could fit in the car console next to you when driving). This is also a really efficient high grade motor – it has enough motor capacity to pump full time.
Whereas the medela Swing Maxi, and Unimom Minuet these are suitable for less frequent use, but also great pumps! The Unimom Minuet does have a USB charger.
Although none of the breast pumps plug into a car powerpoint/lightier thingie for use, the Medela Freestyle Breast pump does have its own rechargeable battery pack, so this gives you the option of using it mobile, or plugging into a power source if/when you are in the office or at home. (And you could always buy a second battery pack for a backup if you are held up.) That is the main advantage of the Medela Freestyle Breast pump and kind of why I am veering that way for my recommendation. The other pump modes don’t have the battery pack option (only AA batteries) so you would churn through those very quickly, and the motor isn’t quite as high grade.
The freestyle pump also comes with a chilly bag etc too.
I’d also suggest a pumping bra – so that you can just pop this over your bra and it will hold the pump shields in place. You could do this in the car – perhaps with a cardigan draped over you so there’s no exposure at the traffic lights!! But if you are driving rural then it will be easier!
https://www.breastmates.co.nz/medela-freestyle-breast-pump
https://www.breastmates.co.nz/breast-pumps/pumping-bras
That’s at lot of information for you to digest. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if there is anything else i can help you with. I don’t want to make it more confusing.
