Breastpumps.. What to Choose?

With all the emphasis on the importance and benefits of breastfeeding, many new mummies are opting to breastfeed rather than feeding their precious ones with formula milk. Same goes to me.. I breastfed my Little Jen exclusively for 6 months and then continued until 8 months after which I started him on formula milk during the day. Being a working Mummy, my pump was my best friend especially during the first 8 months. I survived with a single electronic Avent UNO pump.

Now that i am expecting twins, I am not too sure if I can cope with only a single electric pump. I had to pump both sides every 4-5 hours and each side would take up to 10-15 minutes to reach the 5 oz mark. Each pumping session would take about 20-30 mins. On good days, I could complete the pumping within maybe 15 mins. For twins, I shall have to double the time and effort but I am not too sure if I can stand spending so much time 'milking' myself. It sounds almost impossible with a single pump. 

With a dual pump, I can pump both sides simultaneously and may just have 20 oz within a good 20-30 mins. This means I can focus more on my work or just reward myself with more rest time. 

To know whether a single or dual pump is better is easy and here comes the difficult part...

The single Avent pump costed me RM899 when I bought in 2010. A dual pump now can easily cost me more than RM2000. It may be worth the price if you compare the price tag with the total cost for formula milk 6 months to a year down the road, for twins. BUT, I still think it is really pricey. 

To buy a new unit from US sounds like a good option, since the price is less than half the local price of Avent Duo. BUT.. my Avent Uno broke down once right after 1.5 months of heavy pumping. I had to send it to the service center in Damansara and lived with the manual pump for a whole month. I have to think twice about buying an imported unit without any local warranty. 

A friend I knew from an online social network suggested me to try Ardo Calypso. She commented that it was better than Ameda and quieter than Medela. From online search, it seems like the service center is the same as Ameda's and no bad comments on the service. This is a closed system, so, less likely the milk will get into the pump system and get contaminated or cause contamination. 

The price? Less than RM1000 for the dual pump. 

Looking forward to seeing the real thing during the coming Motherhood 2012 expo at KLCC this 24-26 Feb. Hopefully I can see the display set.. :-)