Baby monitors and breast pumps advice

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Baby monitors and breast pumps advice

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1939620 16-Jan-2018 11:17

Hobchild:

Wow I'm so overwhelmed by all the great advice we're getting, thank you.

I've told the wife about the Unimom forte breast pump and she seems impressed with the great reviews it's receiving.

Personally I think I'm more inclined to get just an audio baby monitor with a thermometer than a video at least for now as I think the video would distract me and I'd find myself watching all the time, I can always set up a video feed with an old phone if I feel the need.

Not too worried about the nappy bins as the baby's room is right next an outside door so will be easy enough to just keep a bin directly outside, the change table is setup right next to the door anyway.

Quite interesting about what goes on in different cities hospitals I will have to ask the midwife about Dunedin's process.

When breast feeding their sh*t doesn't really stink - honestly!

Gets a bit smelly with the formula. But when they start on food... OMG it's rank.

dfnt

1514 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1939622 16-Jan-2018 11:17

Our girl is 7 months old now, not going to bombard you with advice as every baby is different.

For the breast pump my wife used the Unimom Forte, it's excellent https://www.breastmates.co.nz/unimom-hospital-grade-double-pump

For video, we opted for IP cameras as the camera/screen units all have terrible video quality including the infant optics one listed above. We got this one through newegg https://amcrest.com/amcrest-ultrahd-2k-wifi-video-security-ip-camera-pt-black.html

Then you can use any IP camera app on iOS or Android, or VLC from your computer to view the RTSP feed. The day and night quality is excellent, you can see them breathing which is hard to see on lesser quality video so you have to rely on audio.

We also got the lollipop camera for when we're travelling, as its easy to setup when you're in a different location https://www.amazon.com/Lollipop-Monitor-Detection-Turquoise-US_Plug/dp/B01NBKSMWE

We got one of these for temperature and humidity https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HDW58GS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As echoed above, you get bombarded with breast is best BS but just remember a happy baby is a FED baby irrespective of whether its breast or formula. We found no difference in smell of poop between breast and formula, but again every baby is different.

kryptonjohn

2523 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1939631 16-Jan-2018 11:23

hsvhel:
timmmay:

Kids are expensive, get used to it!

Have a look at Breastapo. New parents are constantly bombarded with "breast is best", to the point it's approaching brainwashing. NZ midwives and hospital staff aren't even allowed to discuss other options, to the detriment of the child. Agree there are advantages to breast feeding, but if a woman can't breast feed it just serves to make her feel like a failure. No evidence that "breast is best" is ever offered either - not that I particularly doubt it, I just wonder how much better it is.

Though I don't really want to get into a debate here.

I want to support this more than once!
When my daughter was born and issues arouse I quickly found out how restricted the mid wives and hospital staff are around food for a starving new born

I have another due in weeks and will stick to the older monitor we have, video I found was a little over the top when you have sound it’s ample and stops waking to check.
Pump we have is Phillips avent, works fine for some bonding. Was never a fan of strapping in a fake boob!!

Been a while but we seemed to avoid that nonsense at National Womens and then Auckland Hospital, In fact when our girl was born, mum was immediately whipped back to theater for a bit of re-work and I was issued with newborn and a bottle of formula and performed the very first feed.

And she's been a daddy's girl ever since, much to mum's annoyance!

Asmodeus

1015 posts

Uber Geek

#1939665 16-Jan-2018 12:01

We got the Oricom SC850 baby monitor. Great device but not cheap. We got it on a 40% off special though.

It does have video which we find very useful as our guy is 6 months old now and wriggling around like crazy. Often ends up on his stomach in the cot so instead of waiting for him to roll back or get frustrated we can nip in and roll him back. Obviously does audio too, room temperature and plays lullabies which have been somewhat useful. Will be good once he's a bit older too and moving around more as you can pan the camera around from the control. Our friends suggested not to bother with the breathing monitor pad things as they give false alarms and scare the crap out of you so we didn't get that.

As for breast pumps, my wife tried one of the handheld Phillips Avent ones and they weren't very good, despite the price (YMMV). We ended up hiring one of the hospital grade Medela Symphony ones which are excellent (they are the ones they actually use in the maternity ward and do both sides at once). You buy the bottle/attachment kit for about $100 and rent the unit for a couple bucks a day (they cost thousands to buy...)

Also highly recommend the silicon "Haaka" style pump. You just squeeze it, pop it on and it slowly sucks and stays on by itself. Very handy and cheap.

Other handy gadgets we have/had are an Avent bottle warmer (yes you can just use hot water but the warmer is better, best prices on Trademe), a baby shusher (we got this one and it's great, prob better prices around though), an Avent steriliser (borrowed and not using any more now), and a good quality non-contact digital thermometer. Also highly recommend a nappy genie ;)

You'll need a snot sucker for the first few months too. Manual ones work fine, wouldn't bother with electric. Fun fun!

Borrow what you can man, this stuff adds up!

EDIT: And a Heatermate w/ oil column heater or similar for when it gets nippy again.

Hobchild

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1944238 21-Jan-2018 00:22

Was reading this today which only seems to echo some of the posts here, a little worrying that they are more concerned about the act of breastfeeding than they are about feeding a hungry baby.

Asmodeus

1015 posts

Uber Geek

#1944839 22-Jan-2018 16:07

Yeah there's a real problem with that here. The lactivists are well entrenched...

dickytim

2514 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1945110 23-Jan-2018 06:32

Hobchild:

Hello fellow geekzoners I'm about to have my very first baby in a little under two months and although we think we have most things sorted I'd like advice on baby monitors and breast pumps. If you have any recommendations on brands, where to buy, what not to buy etc I would love to hear from you. Even better if you think you have a something you would be willing to sell I'd love to hear from you too.

Thanks in advance

we had an Oricom unit that came as a kit with the apnoea pads (sense movement, alarm goes off when there isn't any)

I sold the Oricom unit, kept the apnoea pads and purchased 2 x D-Link DSC-850L monitors off 1-Day, they work on your phone or browser.

We had to use a breast pump extensively, our midwife loaned us hers, it was a commercial one, you can also hire them from pharmacies etc.

These also work incredibly well https://ecosprout.co.nz/products/haakaa-silicone-breast-pump?variant=16667810883

Where are you, if you don't mind me asking the sex etc. If you are in Auckland I can check out what we have left over.

BTW you are in for the most amazing experience of your life, enjoy every second, and every stage.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

dickytim

2514 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1945117 23-Jan-2018 06:58

Hobchild:

Was reading this today which only seems to echo some of the posts here, a little worrying that they are more concerned about the act of breastfeeding than they are about feeding a hungry baby.

We birthed at Middlemore and transferred to Pukekohe, they were both awesome, as baby was losing weight they gave us formula without question, right through breast feeding my wife had trouble, if baby wasn't on the breast she was trying to express, that is all day every day. Our midwife did find a donor for breast milk but at 3 months we needed to go onto 100% formula.

Our little girl is off the chart for height and 98th percentile for weight, she is also almost walking on her own at 10 months on Thursday, so no slow development there.

There are many complaints that need to be addressed to the DHB, HDC and Human Rights Commission around how non-breast feeding mothers are treated and some of the literature around the birthing centres, my favourite was that on a DHB posted one of the pro's for breast feeding was the contraceptive effect, I can tell you that it is not the case as I know many women who got pregnant during breast feeding!

timmmay

20591 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1945120 23-Jan-2018 07:12

dickytim:

Lokhor Shut your mouth, you don't know what you are talking about. TAKE FORMULA, this is the first baby and you don't know if your wife will be able to breast feed. It is a-holes like lokhor who attach a stigma that would sooner see a baby starve than be given formula.

Get this through your thick skull, not everyone can successfully breast feed...

Dickytim, that was totally uncalled for. You can make your point without personal abuse. You should expect communication from the moderators.

Hobchild

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1968061 5-Mar-2018 00:20

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread and provided advice. This is Damian Hunter King born 2:39pm 1st March 2018

Fortunately we were lucky enough to not have any trouble feeding by the breast so we had no need for formula, our biggest concern was how thinly stretched the midwives were so I strongly encourage everyone to support the Dear David campaign as something needs to be done and soon. Due to his mother's gestational diabetes he was born with a low blood glucose but fortunately we had stored a lot of colostrum so he came right after a feed of that.

Regarding my original post we did end up buying a Haakaa breast pump and so far so good as mum's supply is only just transitioning to milk we find it's not fantastic but I have high hopes as it's a lot easier then just trying to squeeze some into a glass. We will end up buying a Unimom Forte, there were enough positive reviews on this thread for me to make that decision, we'll just wait until her milk really starts coming through, and we ended up buying a cheap video monitor off 1day so we'll see how that goes when it arrives.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4