Buyers Guide - Breast Feeding
Breast Pump - both manual and electric are available. However, unless you have spent many years in the gym, you will find a manual pump to be too much effort. Electric pumps vary in quality, effectiveness and cost. Some professional pumps (such as those from Medela) can also be hired from hospitals.
Bottles and Teats - most parents will try to stick to a single brand for their bottles and teats. As there is no standard for bottles and teats it is hard to mix brands, therefore it is more cost effective to stick to a single brand. It is also worth using a brand that is regularly available. This is important if you travel often, especially overseas, where you may need to buy additional teats or other accessories. Not all brands are available outside the US, where brands such as Avent seem to be universally available.
Support Pillow - A support pillow is regarded as essential by many breast feeding mothers. However, you may not need to buy one! At home you may have spare pillows that can be used. A pillow designed for feeding does have advantages, such as typically being ‘U’ shaped to fit around your body and being quite firm to allow the baby to lie or sit comfortably.
