When I had my older girls , hubby and I rented a breast pump from the hospital for about $80/month. What were we thinking?  With my oldest I bought the cheapest hand held manual pump I could find and I think I got carpel tunnel after a week! This time around I had to get a pump and a good one even though I am a SAHM. My son was nursing fine, but after having guest after guest several days in a row,we ended up feeding him the sample formula that we got from the hospital and thus I  missed nursing a few times.  Skip nursing a couple of times and you will FEEL it! I had to sneak out and get a pump. I headed to Target to look for something not so high priced but that worked well and was comparable to a hospital grade pump. I know that my hospital rental was a Medela so that is what I was looking for. There was a double pump with case and all the works for over $300 which was a little much for me, I saw 2 different travel size pumps, one double with some bells and whistles and a single one for just over $100. I ended up purchasing the Medela Swing for $149.99 and I LOVE it.  It came with 2 bottles, a carrying bag, electrical cord, extra valves and great instructions. It is a single pump but is great for those that need to pump occasionally. It makes a quiet purring sound when turned on and has a 2 step pumping process. I HIGHLY recommend this pump. Visit Medela’s site for info on all of their  products! www.medela.com

I decided to nurse my son, just as I did my daughters. Although I nurse most of the time there are still times when I need to pump. I will write another post about which Pump I purchased last week and am in LOVE with! Anyway, a while back I won a giveaway on a website www.hisboyscanswim.com from Snugabell , which was a wonderful contraption called a PumpEase. I just tried it out today and can’t believe how much easier it made pumping! It basically looks like a tube top from way back that has 2 slits in the front that hold the breast shields. Why didn’t I think of that? Literally you don’t have to hold the bottles while you pump! You are completely hands free!

Why do you need a PumpEase™ hands-free pumping support?
you would like to multi-task (do other things while pumping)
you are returning to work
you want to donate to a Milk Bank
you are adopting and want to induce lactation
you need relief from frequent painful engorgement
your baby has a medical condition, such as a cleft palate or tongue-tie
your baby was born premature and is still in the hospital
you have mastitis, milk stasis, a blocked duct or thrush
you need to maintain your milk supply during a lapse in breastfeeding (e.g. travel, medication, hospitalization)
your baby does not completely empty your breasts (tongue-tie, ineffective suck, latching problems)
you want the freedom to be able to leave your baby with your partner or caregiver for a feeding
your partner wants to feed, and therefore bond with, your baby
you need to boost your milk production
you have flat or inverted nipples (pumping can be helpful at drawing out the nipple)
you gave birth to multiples

Check out www.pumpease.com