My Breastfeeding Journey

Life’s hectic with Luke in the family now, going through the newborn journey without a nanny and taking care of Leia Lauren in their active four-turning-five stage. With so many things going on in a day including work and making sure that all my kids have their undivided attention, I need to be managing my time really well, and that includes regularly expressing to ensure that I keep up with a constant supply of breastmilk for the little one.

Why not latch? Some asked.  Well, I would if I could.  Luke, like his sisters, doesn’t take well to latching. I do what’s best in my own circumstance.  I was determined to try expressing as I did with Leia and Lauren, though with them it only lasted 3 months before they moved on to formula milk. Breastfeeding twins was a challenge. They had such a huge appetite and I struggled to keep up 😂.

At this point of writing, Luke is approaching 5-months and I count my blessings to still be able to produce 1- 1.2L of breastmilk a day for him. My goal is to go for a year if I can!

With Leia and Lauren, I used the Spectra S9+ which was generally an effective electric breast pump but had some disadvantages that probably ended my breastfeeding (BF) journey earlier than I hoped for. One of them was the pumping duration and the other was its in-built battery life.

My pump sessions used to go for 30mins as I was used to the gradual build up of suction power. Multiply that by 6x a day that’s a lot of time spent on pumping. Battery life was another problem. The Spectra S9+ had an in-built battery that could only last me 2 pumping sessions on full batt. But in reality, i rarely leave home with a pump that is fully-charged. That also means that if I am out for a full afternoon, I would have to either find a charging point or not be able to pump at all. There is no USB attachment that allows me to connect to a powerbank. Suffered painful engorgements as a result and a whole lot of inconvenience. Assembly of the pump was also a challenge- the suction parts were not easy to put together, considering I had to do this a few times in a day.

Well this time round, I had the chance to try out Pigeon’s new GoMini Electric Double Breast Pump and it instantly solved both the issues I mentioned above. And that’s perhaps why I’m able to last the BF journey longer than before.

With this new model from Pigeon, I was having 15min pump sessions as the suction is powerful and because the gradual build up wasn’t an option, I quickly grew into the habit of pumping fast. Taking a shorter time to express makes all the difference, especially that dreadful middle-of-the-night sessions.  There is just something about the ergonomics of the suction cup that enables me to yield an average of 200ml each time, more than the usual 120-130ml that I was able to produce before. And that’s coming from this sleek piece of engineering, not those ‘rice-cooker’ models out there.

Powering the pump is no longer an issue as all I need is a power bank that connects via micro-USB. Be it in the car, working in cafes (using laptop power), or on the flight, I was able to keep up with the regular schedule. 

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Another main difference is the flange.  Not only is the Pigeon’s one detachable, hence more practical than the fixed flange on the S9+ while using hands-free dual pumping bras.  Pigeon’s flange is designed with a subtle curve that holds the boob better resulting in a stronger suction. Having it detchable has also made it so much easier to have the insides thoroughly cleaned.

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To top it off for me, I appreciate a product that is simple to use (yet effective) and fits into the whole eco-system of Pigeon products.  We have been bottle users since Leia Lauren days, and its a plus to be able to pump directly to their bottles. The kit currently comes with a narrow neck teat that allows me to attach and feed the baby direct. The wide-neck bottle adaptor is also provided. Reduced spillage and contamination risk and also less bottles to carry around.  

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That’s about the reasons why I prefer and still use the Pigeon GoMini.  As for tips on how i still get yields of over 1L a day, the key is to eat well, hydrate regularly and making sure that I keep to a consistent pump schedule. Having a trusty and reliable pump is never a bad idea.


Disclaimer: This is a partnership with Pigeon Singapore, all opinions are entirely our own.  If you are keen to shop for your own Pigeon GoMini check out their webstore link here!

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