My Milk Buddies

Breastfeeding and Breastpumping are true struggles. It's no joke, and I applaud women who exclusively breastfeed their kids for 6 months.

A lot of women initially struggle with breastfeeding and their supply. I get asked often, how I built such a large supply even if I don't have a baby? Truth be told, if Kat was alive, I don't doubt that my supply would be double, if I could handle it! Hearing your baby cry, her touch, helps the let-down process. Working with a machine isn't the same. However, I have milk buddies that made this easier for me.

PS. This is not a sponsored post, but a purely rave review of my suppliers =D

First and foremost, I could not pump without reliable equipment. I'm going on my 4th month, and I tell ya, without these technological gifts from Heaven, I wouldn't know what to do. All equipment below provided by my Milk Buddy Mi'Ann of BabyMama. She is an angel, she answers all my texts right away, and delivers everything the next day. So reliable. She must be heaven-sent to moms who can't get out of the house!

Ameda Purely Yours Double Pump, P8,800

This pump is a STEAL. In my first few months, I was already scouting for a pump at the malls, and they were all so expensive! Good thing my good friend Kim Yu, a breastfeeding advocate, suggested that I check BabyMama's site. I bought the pump about a month before Kat was born, because we weren't even sure she would make it to term. Once we felt that she would make it, MiAnn had it delivered to our doorstep, and the messenger got the money upon delivery.

I think I use the pump more than an average mom does, because Moms use it as an alternative when they are away from their babies. I use it every 3 hours, except for when I'm out at events. Now it's about every 4-5 hours. The motor still works perfectly (I just have to change the valves every now and then from wear.) That's a darn sturdy little pump.

Spectra Milk Bags, P200 for 30 pcs

Well, of course I need milk bags to store the milk. (Regular plastic bags shouldn't be used to store your baby's milk). These are the cheapest I could find. They are freezer safe, and leak proof (trust me). They can hold up to 7oz of milk. I used to have 1 bag per pumping, but I found out that I could combine two pumps into 1 bag, therefore saving bags. I will miss these little bags when I stop donating milk.

The Amazing Simple Wishes Bra. They should call it the Wishes-Do-Come True Bra.

If you are a working mommy, or a busy mommy who will need to pump all the time, please please please BUY THIS ITEM RIGHT AWAY. I used the pump for about a week without this, and precious drops of milk were spilling down. When I purchased this, it held the horns perfectly in place, and, dare I say, helps the pump provide the perfect suction. I was able to work without any problems because of this amazing piece of clothing. Amazing. I know the photo may look odd, but yes, moms are THAT HAPPY when they have the Simple Wishes Bra. 

Babymama Tote Bag

Eventually, whether I liked it or not, I needed to leave my cave of a room and face the real world. Go back to work, have check-ups. And I still needed to bring the pump with me. I was not in the mood to go shopping in the baby section (for obvious reasons), and decided to buy the Babymama Tote straight off the website. It comes with a small insulated bag that stores the milk with ice bags, and has convenient pockets inside for bottles and wipes. It was sturdy enough to hold all my pumping paraphernalia, and has been my loyal companion in all my events.

P100@, you'll need about 2 bags, 4 if you're always on the go. 

If you're always on the go, you need to have ice bags (the ones in mercury drug don't stay cold the whole day). These ice bags are almost frozen even for 12 hours. I keep the milk in between 2 packs inside the insulated bag when I'm out, and they're always still cold even when I get home late. They are very, very cheap too. I still use the same ones I had when I started.

Fenugreek

I was so fixated on doing the donations properly, I went straight to Healthy Options to buy Fenugreek, a well-known milk supply increaser. I would later find out that BabyMama ships this as well. Take it 3 times a day for 3 days straight, and boom! Your milk supply will increase by almost double if you're lucky! I used this for the first month, then on weeks when I received a lot of SOS msgs for milk and needed to increase my supply.

All the vitamins a breastfeeding mommy needs in a delicious chocolate-y package.
Damn you brownies, damn youuuuuu.

My other Milk Buddy is Paolo Loot of Mommy Treats. If you would like to enjoy taking your fenugreek and other vitamins, try her brownies. I got so addicted to them, I would take 2-3 a day. If I ate it all, I would still crave it, and look for regular brownies.. but it's not the same!  I haven't had the brownies in about 3 days, and my supply dwindled considerably. Need to order more of those yummy brownies soon! They come sealed in "Food For the Gods" type of foil wrappers, so you can bring them anywhere. I would suggest buying 2 week supplies at a time, since she doesn't bake everyday. These are perfect for moms who hate the taste of fenugreek.

Those are 2 of my important Go-To websites for anything related to breastmilk. Without them, I would have given up sooner. What are your favorite breastfeeding sites?