05-06-2011, 13:30
Hello all its been a long time, I debated heavily weather to start a new thread but have decided to stay here and get it re-titled.
I have built my own pumping kit as described by someone on the pump page her invention is fantastic and all credit to her. I am going to purchase a Noogleberry but this will be a temporary solution until I can.
I have 2 Tupperware style bowls (actually pudding bowls for baking in the oven) for domes. They measure 15cm diameter by approximately 10cm deep. Aquarium tubing that I put in the dome attached to a wine vacuum pump. I covered the connection between the tubing and the pump with bluetak as it was the only way I could seal it I was thinking tape but it didn’t work.
I didn’t really want to post anything about it at first because firstly I feel a bit of a fraud having build a DIY pump and so I cant really talk on the noogleberry forums or ask many questions here. And secondly I wanted to record the pumping photographically but I have lost my SD card for my camera so I can’t. However I have had some problems and need somewhere to record the progress so I will continue despite these things.
Pros, cons and my experience so far.
There are some obvious pros:
· Cost; I put it together for about £12.
· If you have a situation like mine and you cant easily obtain/have delivered/ own a pump, buying these items does not obviously shout breast pump and are easily obtainable.
· It works so far. I get a good swelling, which lasts practically all day from 15mins session in the morning. I do about 15 in the morning and maybe up to an hour in the evening but this is not always possible. It’s kind of hard at home because people come in an out of my room constantly. My parents don’t respect boundaries they have the attitude you are under my roof so you own nothing and we can go into your cupboards etc if we want to its our house. In many ways it’s fair enough it is their house but it makes doing anything like pumping for long sessions impossible. I am constantly listing out for footsteps on the landing.
Cons:
The cons become apparent as you start to pump regularly
· I have over pumped seriously once, I tried leaning forward to get a better suction and over pumped massively I have red dots and purple boobs! Not good. I held off for a few days until it all went down, the purple faded within minutes but the dots stayed for a few days.
· Over pumping I think is easy because you cant see what colour/how your boobs are doing in the bowls, as they are cloudy/translucent. Only flesh touching the side of the container can be seen and it’s misleading.
· It’s a bit awkward to experiment with pumping technique. Pump and hold is really the only option. I pump until I feel a pull and have a seal and them I just go about whatever I am doing until I have to stop/am interrupted. If I am fortunate to have a long session I will take them off after some time and them put them on again tiring to pump a little harder do there is more pull than before. But it is a bit of a rigmarole.
· As the bowls are not designed for breast pumping I’m not sure about the depth vs. the diameter thing. I have noticed on noogleberry, the diameter and the depth are the same. Mine have difference. I don’t know if this will be a problem. I have to keep using this makeshift pump until September.
I have a few problems, which are not due to the DIY pump, like one breast is bigger than the other, quite noticeably. The bigger one the nipple touches the end of the dome when I pump the left is only half way filling the dome. When I stop pumping and ware a bra the difference isn’t so great. But being a DIY pump its kind of hard to fix the problem as suggested by Anastasia previously. I was thinking wait for the noogleberry to fix it or just grow them to the size I want and them continue pumping that breast until it catches up it just will need more time. I’m not too worried.
I have built my own pumping kit as described by someone on the pump page her invention is fantastic and all credit to her. I am going to purchase a Noogleberry but this will be a temporary solution until I can.
I have 2 Tupperware style bowls (actually pudding bowls for baking in the oven) for domes. They measure 15cm diameter by approximately 10cm deep. Aquarium tubing that I put in the dome attached to a wine vacuum pump. I covered the connection between the tubing and the pump with bluetak as it was the only way I could seal it I was thinking tape but it didn’t work.
I didn’t really want to post anything about it at first because firstly I feel a bit of a fraud having build a DIY pump and so I cant really talk on the noogleberry forums or ask many questions here. And secondly I wanted to record the pumping photographically but I have lost my SD card for my camera so I can’t. However I have had some problems and need somewhere to record the progress so I will continue despite these things.
Pros, cons and my experience so far.
There are some obvious pros:
· Cost; I put it together for about £12.
· If you have a situation like mine and you cant easily obtain/have delivered/ own a pump, buying these items does not obviously shout breast pump and are easily obtainable.
· It works so far. I get a good swelling, which lasts practically all day from 15mins session in the morning. I do about 15 in the morning and maybe up to an hour in the evening but this is not always possible. It’s kind of hard at home because people come in an out of my room constantly. My parents don’t respect boundaries they have the attitude you are under my roof so you own nothing and we can go into your cupboards etc if we want to its our house. In many ways it’s fair enough it is their house but it makes doing anything like pumping for long sessions impossible. I am constantly listing out for footsteps on the landing.
Cons:
The cons become apparent as you start to pump regularly
· I have over pumped seriously once, I tried leaning forward to get a better suction and over pumped massively I have red dots and purple boobs! Not good. I held off for a few days until it all went down, the purple faded within minutes but the dots stayed for a few days.
· Over pumping I think is easy because you cant see what colour/how your boobs are doing in the bowls, as they are cloudy/translucent. Only flesh touching the side of the container can be seen and it’s misleading.
· It’s a bit awkward to experiment with pumping technique. Pump and hold is really the only option. I pump until I feel a pull and have a seal and them I just go about whatever I am doing until I have to stop/am interrupted. If I am fortunate to have a long session I will take them off after some time and them put them on again tiring to pump a little harder do there is more pull than before. But it is a bit of a rigmarole.
· As the bowls are not designed for breast pumping I’m not sure about the depth vs. the diameter thing. I have noticed on noogleberry, the diameter and the depth are the same. Mine have difference. I don’t know if this will be a problem. I have to keep using this makeshift pump until September.
I have a few problems, which are not due to the DIY pump, like one breast is bigger than the other, quite noticeably. The bigger one the nipple touches the end of the dome when I pump the left is only half way filling the dome. When I stop pumping and ware a bra the difference isn’t so great. But being a DIY pump its kind of hard to fix the problem as suggested by Anastasia previously. I was thinking wait for the noogleberry to fix it or just grow them to the size I want and them continue pumping that breast until it catches up it just will need more time. I’m not too worried.