Mum’s Journey: My First Experience with My Medela Symphony Breast Pump

He is more “awake” each day and loves smiling. He is an absolute delight. He’s still a celebrity at Charlie’s school and is surrounded by 7-year-olds every day.

Many of my friends – even the ones who have well and truly finished having babies – love to have Coby cuddles, which makes going out much easier than I thought it would be...

It’s So Important to Take Care of Yourself While Breastfeeding

I’m now back at Pilates, which I love. It’s really helped my pelvic pain settle down.

I’ve also found that post-natal classes are a great way to engage with other mums who are going through the same challenges as I am. They know what it’s like to have a baby, while still wanting to get out of the house. Like me, they want to look after themselves.

I could hardly walk after my first class back. I really felt the muscles that I hadn’t used for a couple of months!

I’ve also started walking with other school mums, which is good exercise with the pram. It’s also a nice way to catch up in the community.

My Routine with Coby is Also Going Great!

Coby and I have kept our four-hourly feeding routine going, which works really well for us. This is especially true around school drop-offs and pick-ups.

At this point, four of our feeds are from the breast and two are from the bottle. Although I have a deep freezer full of milk, I still express twice a day to maintain my supply. I also want to keep my stores up for the future.

I Love the Medela Symphony

The Medela Symphony is what I used both times in hospital. I used it at the hospital first and then hired one for use at home. I even took it to the office when I went in for a couple of meetings and to the hotel I stayed in one night when Coby was still in hospital.

When I’m home, I always use the Medela Symphony. But, when I’m out, I mostly use the Swing Maxi.

I’ve had a few friends make comments about how much they struggled with expressing but they didn’t have access to the double, electric pumps that I have been lucky enough to use.

When expressing is quick and seamless, as it is with the Symphony, it’s so easy. I used the symphony for 12-months with my first baby, Charlie and I can see myself doing the same this time. I want to give Coby the benefits of breast milk for as long as I can. I think he will be eating Weet-Bix with breastmilk if I can keep my supply going!

If you can hire a Symphony from your hospital or local pharmacy I would definitely recommend it. Don’t forget the double kit, which is very convenient.

I’m sure that using it diligently from the start really helped to establish my generous supply. Expressing also really helped me when I had what I think were swollen Montgomery glands around my areola a few weeks ago. It was so painful to breastfeed that I had to stop feeding from that side all together for a few days.

Having the Symphony enabled me to keep my supply going without needing to have Coby feed on that side.

Tonight is a Big Milestone

Tonight is going to be our fist dinner out together without Coby. My mum plans to do her first bottle with Coby. As for me, I’m really looking forward to some nice quality time before Stu heads off and I have my first few days of being home on my own with two kids. Watch this space!

How would you describe your journey as a breastfeeding mum? What advice do you wish someone had given you before you started breastfeeding? Let’s have a chat here or on the Medela Australia Facebook page!