Feeding Stuff...Tons of Feeding Stuff

Feeding is the prime 24 x 7 baby activity and where a whole plethora of issues and problems will surface for the parents and drive them to the edge of insanity.

We wanted to breastfeed our BB given the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding. 

More to come later in the blog on our grouses on the various issues and problems we encountered with breastfeeding that no one told us. It is one of those things which falls under the category of "Things you absolutely need to know but everyone is reluctant to tell you"

But for the time being, here's the feeding stuff we end up buying.

1. Ameda Purely Yours Ultra Breast Pump
2. Medela Pump-In-Style (PIS) Advanced
3. Maymom AC adapter for Medela's Pump In Style Advanced
4. Pumpin' Pal Super Shields, Angled Pumping Flanges
5. Pumpease Hands Free Bra
6. Kiinde Kozii Baby Bottle Warmer
7. Green Sprouts 10 Pack Waterproof Absorbent Terry Bibs, Girls
8. My Brest Friend Professional Pillow, Blue
9. Philips AVENT BPA Free Standard Nipple Protector
10. Philips AVENT Comfort Breast Shell Set, 2-Pack
11. Philips AVENT BPA Free Freeflow Pacifier
12. Philips AVENT BPA Free Natural Polypropylene Bottles (NewBorn) 3-Pack
13. Philips AVENT BPA Free Natural Polypropylene Bottles (3 Months on) 3-Pack
14. Philips AVENT BPA Free Natural Medium Flow Nipples, 2-Pack
15. Philips AVENT BPA Free Natural Fast Flow Nipples, 2-Pack
16. Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags, 100 Count
17. Rid-Wind Simethicone Baby Drops
18. Pigeon Disposable Breast Pads


The 2 prominent brands for home breastfeeding is Medela and Ameda. Medela is very well established in Singapore, all the hospitals use it, all baby fairs feature their booths and their stuff is easily available in major kiddie shops.

We did our research and narrowed down to Ameda and Medela in a neck to neck race. Initially we just bought the Ameda due to the fact that its pump system is closed, meaning there is no chance of milk getting into the tubing, hence providing for better hygiene and with no need to clean the tubes. It's price is also lower than Medela PIS Advanced and most web comparisons can't really distinguish a clear winner between the two. It comes with different sized flanges, (Standard, Mid and Large) but we personally think that for typical Asian sizes, Standard should be just fine. We purchased the Ameda from Ameda Direct (http://www.amedadirect.com/). It also comes with 3 different sized flanges and 6 milk storage bottles. The price is lower compared to buying from local retail plus free within-US shipping, promotions and free gifts. It is fortunate that the Ameda pump uses a universal voltage power adapter, so saving me the hassle of buying one for use in Singapore. It can run on AA batteries for using while on the move.

Ameda Purely Yours Ultra Breast Pump

However, after using Ameda for a while, J started to wonder if Medela would perform any better. We had some lactation issues which we would go into at later blog posts, but suffice to say that out of desperation, we wanted to try every single option available. Another important consideration in getting an additional Medela pump is when the 4 months maternity leave is up and J needs to go back to work, she would be able to place one of these pumps in her office, hence save her from carrying the pumps everyday. Another factor is the difference in pricing between local retail and online. The local Medela distributors wanted to charge S$799 for a Medela PIS Advanced. We managed to get it for half the price from Amazon. So for slightly less than the price of a single local retail Medela pump, we managed to get both. Speaks volumes about the cost of living here in Singapore. The set comes with only 3 milk bottles and 1 set of standard sized flange. Due to the difference in electrical voltages between US (110v) and Singapore (230v), I had to purchase a separate third party AC power adapter from Maycom. Medela also allows for AA battery operations.

Medela Pump-In-Style (PIS) Advanced

Maymom AC adapter for Medela's Pump In Style Advanced

The Ameda pump comes with 3 sized flanges, standard, medium and large while the Medela comes with a single standard size flange, which is almost the same size as the Ameda standard. J had to switch between different sizes for testing on comfort and output, and eventually settled on the standard for both. However, the Medela is slightly smaller and somehow it does not provide as much comfort (read: pain). The Pumpin Pal Super Shields touts itself as "the most comfortable flanges". They are certainly the most expensive for a few pieces of plastic. Another touted benefit of this flange is since it is angled, it allows for the mother to lean back in the chair to pump instead of having to constantly lean forward, improving comfort.

Pumpin' Pal Super Shields, Angled Pumping Flanges

Speaking of expensive, here's another way expensive item, the Pumpease Hands Free Bra. Expressing milk using a dual electric pump means mothers have to constantly hold the bottles throughout the whole duration - which quickly becomes tiring. Medela offers a hands free kit basically comprising of two pieces of plastic, bra hooks and rubber bands with decidedly average reviews. Since we have both the ameda and medela pumps we needed one which could work with both. Hence pump ease. It is actually a modified tube with 2 holes and quick release hooks at the front. One can probably modify a normal tube for the same effect. We purchased 2 of these for medium and large sizes to account for the weight loss following delivery. So far so good and holds up well under constant use. But still, Pumpease is way too expensive for 2 modified tubes.

Pumpease Hands Free Bra

We also considered warming of milk bottles, especially at night, when one is tired and sleep-deprived. The best reviews on Amazon is for this Kiinde Kozi touting benefits such as "even warming of milk preserves nutrients" and a thousand and one other glowing reasons why you should buy it. I bite and bought one. Unfortunately, as with most things electrical bought from the US, it uses 110v voltage with 100 watts requirement and hence I had to buy a heavy, bulky and expensive down convert transformer. It circulates the warm water within the container to help disperse the heat evenly and its quite a novelty to use. However the timing guide provided seems to be underestimated and we always set a time window much higher. In hindsight, it is probably better and simpler to just get one of those ordinary bottle warmers from Pigeon, Philips..etc

Kiinde Kozii Baby Bottle Warmer

Some buys are simply due to impulsiveness. Such as these Green Sprouts 10 Pack Waterproof Absorbent Terry Bibs, Girls. They are a dollar a dozen at baby fairs and stores but for some reason I could vaguely remember it seemed like a good idea to buy online and get it shipped all the way to Singapore incurring hefty shipping costs in the process. There's nothing special about these bibs but somehow have so many glowing reviews I thought they must have something more going for them. They don't. At least the colors are nice.

Green Sprouts 10 Pack Waterproof Absorbent Terry Bibs, Girls

Seemingly the must-have item for breastfeeding, the brest friend pillow helps mothers maintain a good posture for breast feeding. This item is readily available in Singapore but comes only in cloth-covered versions. The drawback to that is the need to remove and wash the covers. There is a plastic covered "professional" version which allows one to simply wipe clean. So we purchased and ship it all the way to Singapore. The shipping cost is fantastic due to its volumetric size. In hindsight I suppose one can get away with borrowing, renting one, using the cheaper cloth version or other cheaper brands of pillow as it is only useful for the first few months after which the mother would know the best position to nurse the baby without the pillow.

My Brest Friend Professional Pillow, Blue

I initially got this in case of sore nipples, a common problem when breastfeeding. As it turns out later, it also serves as nursing aids for mothers to help the baby latch on properly. It is used at the Thomson Medical Center's lactation clinic as well. There are holes at the end for nursing. Somewhat useful but when there are breastfeeding issues, every option is worth a try.

Philips AVENT BPA Free Standard Nipple Protector

These shells are for use in extreme cases of core nipples but somehow J finds them bulky and awkward for use and gets all gunky and sticky when used with the sore nipple cream. So it goes into cold storage almost immediately.

Philips AVENT Comfort Breast Shell Set, 2-Pack

Another frivolous buy. We decided not to use pacifiers due to their effects on baby teeth development (possibly crooked teeth on long term use) and possible baby dependency on pacifiers. But somehow I got weak-kneed sometime and decided to get these as some sort of last resort insurance standby, which never get used even during the worst periods.

Philips AVENT BPA Free Freeflow Pacifier

There are usually better and easier ways to do things. In this case, being a guy who is easily charmed by the "latest" supposedly "bestest" advances in any product, I was instantly taken in by the latest in baby bottle feeding product released by Philips under their Avent Natural line. This line features a re-designed teat which supposedly offers the most comfortable and natural fit as compared to a mother's breast. Unfortunately this series was not yet offered for sale in Singapore. So I did the natural thing and bought them online. It is also cheaper as well. But then much later on, we subsequently found out that there is no difference in using whatever teats or bottles, be them generic Pigeon's or Medela's. The baby doesn't care a hoot so long as she gets her milk. And you will probably get other bottles included in sterilizers or breast pumps. If I get to do it all again, I would simply buy one of those all-in-one Philips or other brand packs which includes everything, bottles, teats, sterilizers, warmers, brushes...etc. Why give yourself needless work when you can get everything in one nice package? Also, I would avoid Philips Avent line because their bottle neck sizes and teats are different from others, which at least generally have the decency to standardize them so you can pump the milk direct into any storage bottle, attach any mix-and-match teats, warm it up and serve. Cuts down on hassles and needless sterilization, which can only be a good thing. So either you go all Philips, including buying their Avent breast pumps, sterilizers...etc or forego it for maximum compatibility. Anyway these newborn 120ml bottles comes with stage 1 newborn teats (0-3 months).

These are larger versions of the same series and comes with stage 2 (3 month+) teats. Incidentally, the difference in teats is due to the number of holes they have. Newborn teats only have 1 hole. Stage 2 teats have 2 holes and so forth. So theoretically, if one is not going to have more babies, they can perhaps DIY holes in the teats as needed without needing to specially buy them. But of course, totally untested since I, as usual, already bought them before understanding. 

These are the stage 3 (6 months+) Philips Avent teats. Pair. 

With maternity leave in Singapore capped at only 4 months and WHO's recommendation that babies be breast fed for at least 1 year and the mothers' returning to their careers, it is inevitable that milk storage is important to have a stash of milk ready for contingencies. Lansinoh milk storage bags have the best ratings on Amazon and our experience with them is good. Freeze them laying flat and they makes for easy card-like storage in a suitable container. Update: Thanks to J's foresight in storing a huge stash of frozen milk, we were able to continue feeding the BB even after J went back to work after 4 months' maternity leave - with additional pumping in the office, we managed to supplement for close to another 5 months, which by then BB is already on solids and formula milk. (And the diminishing supply of daily pumped breast milk). So advice - store as many as you can, as often as you could because it will be gone before you know it!

Sometimes you wish someone would have alerted you beforehand things you probably will need. A colicky baby is every parents' nightmare and you will never know if you will face it until the night of reckoning itself. Would explain more in later posts but suffice to say that in hindsight, I would definitely have bought these Rid-Wind baby drops. The active ingredient is Simethicone, a perfectly safe medication which is not absorbed by the baby and which reduces the surface tension of liquids causing smaller bubbles to group together for easier expelling by the baby either by burping or farting. Somehow we found that Guardian stores are selling them at almost twice the price than at NTUC Unity. Anyway, Simethicone is also one of the active ingredients in those anti-colicky medications given out by pediatricians. (the primary being some anti-cholinergic, which works by inhibiting the brain signal transmissions which really don't sound like a good idea ). And except that they charge you easily ten times more. We now use it for bottle feedings and have at least 2 new bottles of Rid-Wind on standby at any time.

Rid-Wind Simethicone Baby Drops

Breast pads are essentials for breastfeedings. At least a few pairs of cotton reusable pads for economical use at home and a box of disposables for outdoors.

There are those who swear by gripe water. Being the unthinking impulsive buyer, I naturally bought one for standby initially, but later on started having doubts on it. Online searches for gripe water throws up inconclusive evidence of its effectiveness. There is no hard concrete evidence that the ingredients work and there are speculations that it could actually be the sweetness that soothes the baby. Some even warn against babies ingesting dill oils. So to err on the safe side we decided to give gripe water a miss.