While my experience includes racking up more than 350x worth of pumping sessions over the last 3 months with at least 10-15 mins per session, I have, so far, only been familiar with one brand and type of breast pump.

Breast pump as a device was not something I initially gave much thought about to be honest. In fact, I dreaded thinking about having to buy a breast pump just because it seemed so intimidatingly complicated. I mean, there were all sorts of pumps and brands available and how do I know which one is the right one? Besides, those things can be so hideously expensive! It really was far too much to think about for my little can’t-be-bothered pregnant brain then.

All I knew was that if I ever needed one, and, being the lazy fart that I am, I’d want an electric breast pump. So, when my mom offered to get one as a gift for me, I really could not be more thankful! It was a welcome break since I have absolutely no idea what are available in the market, and till now, I don’t really have the patience to go research about it.

My mom has a knack of finding something of superior quality and will not think twice if she has to pay a premium for it. Knowing how she’d go about with buying such things, I completely entrusted her with her choice of investment. (Disclaimer: I have absolutely no influence over her decision.)

That’s when I got the Medela Freestyle® Breastpump.

Like I said, it is the only pump I know, and so there really is nothing else I could benchmark to. I remember regarding it with a certain level of uneasiness when I first saw it with all its parts loose. It did look rather intimidating for use, but once assembled (thanks to my geeky husband who could tell the pieces apart, and which goes where!) it actually looked pretty neat. I was surprised at how compact the pump really is and how it snugly fits in the palm of my hands.

Style and function wise, I really have no complaints about the product. What is cool about it is that the pump is designed to mimic the 2 distinct phases of how babies breastfeed – The Stimulation Phase (fast and light sucking to start milk flowing) followed by the Expression Phase (slow, stronger sucking for more and faster milk flow).

It also has a memory feature that lets you set the different levels for each of the two phases of pumping – a function which I hardly use.Apparently, it also remembers how long it took for you to “let down”! (haven’t quite figured that one out yet)

I like the double pump bit as it saves me a lot of time rather than having to pump just one breast at a time. I can even do it hands-free if I like by using the accessories that come with it, although, so far, I haven’t had a need for that. Along with other accessories, it also comes with a handy cooler bag for storage with a contoured ice-pack, making it suitable for working women to tote it along when on-the-go.

This is one pump that is suitable for daily use and robust enough for multiple uses throughout the day. It is pretty idiot proof and contrary to the instructions I received from other experienced moms-who-pump to always, always sterilise the pump after every use, the manufacturer’s instructions says that I will only need to sterilize the pump once a day; but ensure that the loose bits be rinsed with hot water and wiped clean after every use. After scouring for tips on pumping, this little instruction of sterilizing once a day came as a very useful and workable tip for me.

I almost fainted when my mom (unwillingy!) revealed its price tag. It was quite a hefty investment, but looking back at how well the Medela Freestyle® Breastpump has served me in the last 3 months, it is definitely worth every penny. It certainly is extremely useful, sturdy and very working-mother friendly.

Thank you, Mom!

Our entire apartment building had a major power cut for the whole day of yesterday as mandated by the authorities just so they can proceed with some maintenance work to “ensure that safety measures are met”. Out of the several apartment buildings in our soi, only our building was short-listed. Funny how they insisted on having these safety checks by cutting off all electricity that passes through this building while there are yards and yards of live cable wire with colossal thickness are lined up along our soi, dangling in plain view right above our heads.

But that does not matter, because when the Thai authorities ordered a decree, there is no defying their logic and so, mote it shall be!

While they did inform us about it a few days earlier of the impending power cut which was to happen from 830 am – 6.30 pm on a weekday, I still think it was not the smartest thing to do. I thought, as logic has it, the duration of the power cut was way too long and granted that while most people tend to be at work, these smart-arses seemed to forget that there are babies and nannies still left in the building.

Perhaps these smart-arses forget that nannies and babies are human and that they surely can be left to rot for 10 solid hours in a humid, stuffy apartment. Oh! Never mind about the frozen foods thawing away and perishables being thrown away too! They are, after all, not their problem.

So when I got a missed call from our Nanny whilst I was in training, I just knew things were not looking too good at home, as the basic comforts are compromised. Good thing we were prepared to expect the worse, and as soon as I got back in touch with her, Nanny and baby were ready to look me up at the hotel where my training was held. Half an hour later, she was at the lobby with Spud, Spud’s tote-bag and lo and behold! The cat’s bag!

Puzzled as I was, I swear she had me convinced she also brought along the cats! When I said I did not quite expect the cats as well, she had a quizzical look on her face. She was confused as to what I was talking about and then told me that she had to pack the expressed milk with the ice packs and so, seeing that there were three of those bags, she felt there was no harm using one of them since they look like a cooler bag to her.

Her response was so originally cute, I had to laugh! She was so earnest about it and I felt that I was partly to blame for not telling her earlier what those bags were for and where the original cooler bags were stored. I did not mean to embarrass her, but I was glad she was not offended when I highlighted to her that those bags were actually for each of the cats. She took it in her stride, apologized profusely and then had a hearty laugh about it.

I don’t quite know how the other families with babies cope, but not surprisingly, I heard several babies went into a crying fit throughout the entire time. One of the neighbours I bumped into this morning told me that it was super horrible for her. I imagine it to be worse for infants!

In the end, it worked out well. I was glad that by pure coincidence I happened to be at some fancy hotel for training. Getting them to come to the hotel was the right thing to do since the hotel offered a much better condition than having to battle through and rot away in the furnace-like apartment. The staff of the hotel was also kind enough to offer one of their empty meeting rooms for Nanny and Spud while I was engaged in training down the hallway!

That being said though, I do think we now have one hell of a great nanny who can be counted upon when dealing with unexpected situation and take it all in her stride. I count our blessings for having a-so-far ridiculously awesome Nanny.

I’m only hoping that this 10 hour cutting of electricity is not going to happen again in the next few years!