I’m big on breast-feeding and ever since I had Florence am really keen to encourage other people to do it too! In fact I probably used to be a little militant about it and was definitely quite unforgiving about people not even trying but I ‘ve got a little less opinionated on the matter now. I still think people should try but I can’t really be bothered to bang on about it and I think as long as I feed my babies then that’s all that matters. I do however know exactly how hard it is and I know when the onus is entirely on you that it can be exhausting and relentless. Florence never took a bottle and that was probably the hardest thing – far harder than the struggle through mastitis and getting her to latch properly in the first place. I expressed like a maniac but she never ever accepted it. She never accepted any form of milk in any receptacle be it teeted, with straw, spout or regular cup. She was just like that and there was nothing I could have done to change it.

Jimmy however is completely different and from day one when I had expressed to relieve my engorged breasts and then gone to sleep, my husband and Mother just gave him the bottle. I was worried he might not latch back on again but he had no problems whatsoever and has continued to feed well from both. I can’t tell you how much easier it has been this time round knowing that my husband can help with the feeds. He was completely powerless last time and everything was down to me. This time it’s all just so much more relaxed. Jimmy still has breast milk and the best but in the bottle which means I’ve been able to go out a few evenings and even go on my best friend’s hen do at the V festival. Expressing milk has given me freedom and it’s enabled Jonny to have a bond with Jimmy that he never could get back when Florence was a baby. He used to call us the circle of two that couldn’t be penetrated. It was just a jokey thing really but I did feel for him and I also felt for me because I could have done with the help really!

I have never found it hard to express as I am lucky and have lots of milk. I usually hand pump and feed from different sides at the same time. Feeding at the same time as pumping makes it super quick and I can get a bottle done in a feed so I never bothered to buy an electric pump but have always been a bit intrigued by them. I know some people feel a bit like a cow being milked and that puts them off but in all honesty I just didn’t really need one so never tried one before now because of that. I had no idea if it was better or worse but was very interested to learn when I took on the task of reviewing the Calypso Electric Breast Pump by Ardo. Firstly what struck me about it is how small and compact it is. I had envisaged something massive and not dissimilar to the one I was presented with at our recent hospital stay when Jimmy was dehydrated with a tummy bug but the Calypso Electric couldn’t be further from this picture!

The Calypso Electric is actually not much bigger than any of the hand pumps I have reviewed recently so that was my first impression of it. That it is small and despite having the bit which plugs into the wall, the pump and the bottle part, it actually stores away quite nicely. It comes as a single but for £9 more it can be made into a double pump which is another thing that impressed me. Like I said, I’ve always found it easier to pump if the baby is feeding from one side and I pump from the other. The stimulation from one side to the other makes the flow quicker so to have a double seems ideal.

After a few initial teething problems while I got used to it, I really got the hang and found that if I wanted to express while Jimmy was sleeping it was by far the most effective way of doing so. While I still pump with a hand-held when I feed him in the morning I have found that the Calypso is ideal for a quiet moment while I’m watching television. I like to use it as a double because of the stimulation meaning my let down is quicker but if Jimmy wakes up and needs a feed I simply take the tube out of one side and shut it off with the plug while I continue to electrically pump one side as he feeds from the other. I have also found that the tubes and cable don’t get on my nerves like I thought they would. I had imagined getting all in a muddle with wires and long bits everywhere but it’s not been like that at all.

So I’ve been using it for a few months now and have found it handy under those circumstances but recently it really came into itself for me. I mentioned Jimmy’s brief stay in hospital because of a bad tummy bug and it was while there that the Doctors advised me not to feed him for around 48 hours, hence the massive pump they brought me. We were only in over night so when I got home I still needed to keep pumping and for around a week Jimmy wasn’t really feeding that well and I was getting engorged. Using the electric pump was so much easier for me as I could pump from both sides at once, it was super quick and I didn’t have to think about anything. I was exhausted and an electric pump like this one was just what I needed. To make matters even easier the Calypso has standard sized bottles and fits any other standard sized bottles so when I ran out of Ardo ones because they were in the fridge with their lids on I could use others that I had! At times this pump has been very handy indeed.

I realise that I personally don’t need an electric pump as I get on well with a hand-held and they are much cheaper but this pump could be absolutely saving for some people (as well as pretty handy for me too). If you don’t have that much milk I think it would be really super because it is very stimulating and feels quite naturalistic when pumping as opposed to the slightly clinical feel of the hand-helds I have used. I thought it would totally be the other way round but actually not and because it does all the work for you I think for a new Mum it would be really reassuring because you’ll know you’re not doing anything wrong! One tip I have for if milk is in short supply is to just leave it on for 10-15 minutes and hold it. Even if there’s nothing coming out it will do eventually and because it has been stimulating it will suddenly all start coming out and you’ll fill the bottle soon after. I tried it after I had fed and fed and fed and literally had nothing left and that seems to be the case for me anyway.

Problems are few really, it can be fiddly to remember putting on the lid has to be done in an exact way and sometimes it can get flooded at the top if you have lots of milk like me but all in all it’s pretty decent and easy to use. I strongly recommend expressing milk as it works so well for us to be able to feed with a bottle sometimes and I can honestly recommend the Calypso. Even if you are worried you don’t have much milk, like I mentioned above, I think this would be just the sort of pump you’d need and it would be ideal if you were back at work and needing to express quickly and discreetly. If you have sensitive breasts it also comes with silicon covers for the breast shell and this definitely makes it gentler on the skin. With the fact that you can quickly, at the push of a button, adjust the vacuum strength and the speed of the cycles you can really make it bespoke to your needs. I started out thinking I would need it on high for everything but realised slower and steadier worked best for me. One of the major plus points is that it comes with extra pieces and you can have them on rotation in the steam steriliser. A really easy pump to use, brilliant picture by picture instructions and it just felt really discreet. Perfect and not at all as I had expected!

One bottle in pieces ready to be washed (a handy bottle brush comes in the box too), two assembled bottles and the pump ready for use. As you can see, the parts are small and don’t take up much room in the steriliser. They’re also easy to take away with you.

All in all I’m very impressed and even more impressed to learn that Ardo not only sell pumps but offer them on a hire basis which means you don’t have to find the money for an expensive product you may not use for very long or might just want to try out. Saying that, I think this pump is excellent value for money and at just £9 more for a double I would absolutely say that I think that is by far the better option. Ardo are a dedicated breast pump company with many awards under their belt and it’s easy to see why. I loved it and although I am quite established with feeding and pumping, I just know that for a first time Mum, struggling with breast-feeding like I once was, this would be the ideal electric pump to have.

For more information on all Ardo products and to purchase please see the website www.ardobreastpumps.co.uk.

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