Choosing the right breast pump for you: manual vs electric

Being a new mom you’ll soon find out that those first few months after giving birth to your baby all that you’ll want at first is to hibernate at home with your little one and have bonding days filled with breast feeding and diaper changing. Eventually though, you may start to feel a bit claustrophobic and find yourself wanting to get out a bit and talk anything other than baby, nappies, or naptime. And if you’re breastfeeding when you start to feel this way, a breast pump will be your best friend because its a great way for you to get the alone time that you need while making sure that your baby still enjoys the breastmilk that’s so good for them. These are the pro’s and cons of a manual vs an electric breast pump:

Electric breast pump pros and cons:

• An electric breast pump is more expensive.
• An electric breast pump is less work as it does all the suction automatically
• An electric breast pump expresses milk faster than a manual pump.
• It is able to express a lot more milk than a manual pump does, making it a great option for moms who have to return to work.
• Electric breast pumps  usually have speed settings, allowing mom to adapt the pumping to her comfort level.
• It does not result in hand fatigue, as no manual action is required.

Manual breast pump pros and cons:

• A manual breast pump  is exactly that, manual – so it requires work from you which may be tedious.
• Expressing with a manual breast pump will take longer also because it’s manual.
• There are no speed settings, it goes as fast as you can pump
• It is cheaper than an electric breast pump expect to pay around R 700 for a manual.
• It is quieter than electric breast pumps.
• It’s generally smaller and more portable than and electric breast pump.

Parenty recommends:

Vital Baby Flexcone™ Manual Breast Pump (R600.92)

Vital Baby Flexcone™ Electric Breast Pump (R2257.20)

Tommee Tippee Manual Breast Pump (R599)

Tommee Tippee Electric Breast Pump (R 1499)

Medela Swing Electric Breast pump (R3 199)

Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump  (R689)

*Exact pricing may vary as per retailer

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