Life here seems to be dragging on here. (It doesn't help that LEL has been showing off her "terrible two's" side quite regularly.) I am 2 weeks away from baby A's arrival and I am getting excited and anxious. I have previously updated you on my shrinking to-do list, so I know I am prepared. One of my last to-do's didn't go as planned though.
I have been researching breast pumps for weeks. I don't want anything too pricey. My hope is A will be a good nurser and I won't need a pump but for special circumstances; but knowing how difficult LEL was, I am not banking on it. My double mastitis diagnosis came just 2 weeks after LEL was born, thought to be because she didn't nurse enough, clogging my ducts and creating an infection. After that awful experience, I kept my pump near by, fearing if I didn't keep things moving, I would end up with another infection. LEL would eat for about 5mins? 10 if I was lucky, and that was with having to wake her up often. Once she stayed awake more I thought she would be better, but then she hated to be tucked under my shirt or blanket. I began pumping more and more so she could have the benefit of my milk from a bottle. Even then, I dried up fast and we were all done with the experience by the end of 4 months. My pump did break down, sort of. It was a double pump and one side got clogged somehow and stopped working. It was a cheaper brand, so I chalked up the issue to just that- cheap.
This time I was trying not to let the price scare me; but over $300 for a pump? I just can't do that. I decided on a pump that had good reviews (4 out of 5 stars) and wasn't too pricey (around $130). I found it on sale on Amazon, and Chris had a gift card knocking the price down to only $60 (or so). I ordered it. It came a week or so later.
I opened it, set it up and...nothing. Well, ok, not nothing. It did turn on for a few seconds, but then it shut off. I tried again and again with the same results.
"Huh?" I thought. "What am I doing wrong?"
I read the manual cover to cover a couple times. I checked online, watched some demos...and then frustration set in.
I wasn't doing anything wrong. The stupid thing was broken. I remember a couple weeks ago when my other package was delivered. There was no knock, no doorbell, just a loud thud as the box slammed against my front door. Now, in that box, there was a couple stuffed animals and a book. I wasn't happy, but I knew nothing would be damaged. I started thinking about the pump delivery. There was no knock, no doorbell. I didn't hear a thud, but I did nap that day in the back of the house, I could have been out of earshot.
I was not happy. I couldn't prove UPS damaged it, but it was odd this well-respected machine was a bust out of the box. Who knows why it was broken, the only thing I cared about was the fact it was broken, and now I needed a plan B pretty fast.
I read about the return policy and was mad that "personal products" could not be returned. That didn't help my mood. Turns out, you can return them as long as they are marked as "defective." Since the product was dud, I could return it. I was happily surprised how easy Amazon makes it to return items. I print off a barcode and place it in the box, repackage the item, ask UPS to pick it up, and tada: done. It felt too easy, but sure enough, the box disappeared off my porch and replaced with a sticker confirming the pick-up.
Now my plan is to go to Target and pick up a decently priced pump and hope for better luck. If that one breaks, I am getting a manual pump and calling it quits. Seems so silly that something that should be simple turns out to be so complicated. At least I have a couple weeks to correct the bogus purchase.
Here's to the countdown! 14 days!
M.LEWIS
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