Hygeia EnJoye Breast Pump Giveaway

A super exciting giveaway, win Hygeia EnJoye LBI breast pump!  (You can read my review here.)  I had the chance to meet the Hygeia team in September and loved everything about this company from the people that run it to their values to their incredible products.  There is no doubt they genuinely support breastfeeding mothers and set about doing so responsibly.  Getting to talk with Kate Gulbransen, Certified Lactation Educator (CLE) and Hygeia’s Social Media Manager was a real treat and I’m pleased to bring you an interview with her to share more about this company, the WHO code, and her favorite pumping tip.

 

TLB:  What should TLB readers know about Hygeia?

Kate:  Hygeia’s number one goal is to support breastfeeding moms.  We’re also committed to the environment, so all of our breast pumps are recyclable and, unlike most personal use pumps on the market, designed to be safely used by multiple moms.  This means fewer breast pumps end up in landfills.

 

TLB:  On the Hygeia website it states that Hygeia is WHO code compliant, why is this something that is important to Hygeia?

Kate:  The WHO Code was established to protect mothers and babies worldwide from predatory and aggressive marketing of infant formula and breastmilk substitutes.  We know that infant formula and bottle advertising affects breastfeeding rates and duration, so the WHO Code sets basic ethical guidelines for manufacturers. Our goal at Hygeia is to create products that encourage and support breastfeeding, so promoting the WHO Code is a important part of our core values as a company.  For more information about the WHO Code, I recommend this post from The Best for Babes Foundation. http://www.bestforbabes.org/what-is-the-who-code

 

TLB:  When a breastfeeding mom is in the market for a new pump, how does she decide what kind of pump (manual, single electric, double electric, hospital grade, etc.) is right for her?

Kate:  Choosing a pump can definitely be a daunting task!  The first questions I would ask are how the mom plans to use the pump.  Is she planning to go back to work full time?  Is she pumping for a preemie?  Is she wanting to have a small supply for occasional separations from baby? Regardless of pumping goals, I also recommend that all moms learn hand expression.  Stanford University has a great intro to hand expression video to help moms http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/HandExpression.html

Manual and single electric breast pumps are a good option for moms who don’t expect to be separated often from baby, but would like to express to have a small supply on hand for short-term separations.  Again, hand expression can be a great alternative to the pump!

Double electric breast pumps are a good option for moms who are planning to go back to work full-time or have more frequent pumping needs (donating milk, etc.).  In choosing a pump in this category, make sure to consider the pump’s warranty (a warranty of under a year is a red flag) and battery/car charger options if you don’t always expect to have electrical access.  Another consideration is whether or not the pump is safe for multiple users, as many pumps in this category are designated “single user” and cannot be safely shared.

I recommend hospital grade breast pumps to moms who are initiating milk supply, pumping for premature/sick infants, or who aren’t responding well to consumer-grade breast pumps.  These pumps are typically rented rather than purchased, and are designed for long-term heavy use by multiple moms.

Regardless of pump selection, it’s important to make sure you have a proper breast flange fit.  Here’s a good resource page on ensuring proper sizing: http://lactinv.com/breastfeeding_qna.php?article=proper_fitting_of_breastshields

TLB:  What’s your favorite pumping tip?

Kate:  Hands on pumping!  Doing massages/gentle breast compressions while pumping can significantly boost pumping output.  I send this link from Stanford University to every pumping mom: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

Hygeia is giving away an EnJoye LBI Deluxe Tote Set ($319 retail value) to one lucky Leaky with the winner’s choice of a black or brown bag.  This pump is great for long-term and frequent pumping needs including maintaining milk supply as well as collect breast milk and single or double pumping.

More information on the EnJoye from the Hygeia website:

  • Proven performance for working moms with long-term and frequent pumping needs. Plus, your satisfaction is guaranteed
  • Features the unique Hygeia CARE Button for Customized, Audio, Recording, Experience so you can record your baby or other sound to enhance your breast pumping experience
  • Offers single or double pumping flexibility
  • Electric or battery operation with the included internal battery pack. The rechargeable battery is ideal for battery-dependent pumpers
  • Green breast pump, Can be shared by multiple mothers when each has her own personal accessory set
  • Recycle the EnJoye when you no longer need it. See recycling instructions.
  • Mimics your baby’s unique suckling patterns with customizable speed and pressure controls
  • Safe, because all parts that come into contact with breastmilk are
    BPA/DEHP Free

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To be entered, please leave a comment on this post.  This entry is REQUIRED in order to be entered for a chance at the giveaway.  Please be sure head over to Hygeia on Facebook  and thank them for their support of TLB and this amazing giveaway opportunity.

 

For 1 additional entry, (limit 3 entries per person) Tweet OR Facebook (only one counts, you can do both but both a tweet and FB share can only count for 1 additional entry) about the giveaway and comment again here posting url to that tweet or status.

For 1 additional entry, (limit 3 entries per person) share on public parenting forum the link to the giveaway and comment again here posting the url to that post.

 

That’s it – three simple tasks and you’re entered three times for a chance at a great giveaway.  Thanks to Hygeia for their generous giveaway and sponsorship of The Leaky Boob, providing support for breastfeeding moms everywhere.  This giveaway will remain open through November 22, 2011 and is open to USA entries only.  Good luck and have fun!

 

This giveaway is closed.

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Congratulations to Emily Kay:

“Would love this pump for my next baby!”

Big thanks to Hygeia for their incredibly generous support and giveaway.

Hygeia EnJoye- a pump that sucks… good.

Before I get sucked into my review of the Hygeia EnJoye pump I need to share something important:

A breast pump is not essential for all breastfeeding mothers.

You can, as woman have been doing for a very, very, very long time, have a successful breastfeeding relationship with just your boobs and your baby.  Fancy equipment is not required.  At least, not most of the time.

However, should you decide you need a pump for whatever reason (some I can think of: you work out of the home and want your child to have your milk while you are separated; you chose to be a milk donor to a milk bank or through direct donation; due to issues with latch/preemie/other problems you have to offer your child expressed milk; or any other reason that really isn’t anybody’s business but your own) then getting a good quality pump that fits your needs is a good idea.

 

I have been breastfeeding off and on for the last nearly 13 years.  Mostly on.  In that time I’ve used a lot of breast pumps.  So many that I can only name a few of the brands and the rest I have to describe like “the one that was a double and kind of had a teal colored base and never had enough suction but was pretty cheap so I bought the same brand when I burned out the first one…”  I burned through a lot of those breast pumps.  There are pumps I declared I hated and pumps that revolutionized my pumping experience.  Most were in between.  I’ve used every major brand on the market including the ones highly lauded and popular as “the best.”

My reasons for pumping varied: I was a working mom and had a performing career in opera and I had an emotional need to know that I could hand my baby to The Piano Man and he could feed her (my sexual abuse past made this a crucial element to my success in breastfeeding).  With all 5 of my nurslings my reasons for pumping shifted slightly (including changing careers and going into midwifery) and with my 3rd I had a full time office position and regular evening rehearsals that meant I really depended on my pump.

There was a time when all I cared about an electric pump was that it could get milk from my breast but over time my expectations for pumps changed and my standards went higher.  I’m sure that to some it sounds like I got snobby, I mean, really, if it gets milk from your breast hasn’t it served it’s purpose?

Call me crazy but I started wanting things like longevity (I do have 5 kids after all), no pain, settings I could control, easy to clean, great suction and it not to weigh a ton.  Even further down the road I started to care about things like safety, no mold growing inside the motor, the ethics of the company, multi-user capabilities so I could loan it out while I wasn’t using it, and responsible marketing and bonus points for being environmentally contentious.  That last point applied to all our purchases as a family but I never expected to find it in a breast pump.

Enter the Hygeia EnJoye.

For starters, it already gets the bonus points.  It is perfectly safe with it’s closed system to share, sell, or hand-me down when your done with it giving it 1 green star.  Even better, it is recyclable and the company will help you out with that just to be sure it doesn’t end up in a landfill.  More green stars than I can count.

I’m not going to lie, for some at $320 this pump may seem expensive.  If you’re not going to be pumping often enough then maybe it’s not worth the expense.  For me, it’s worth it and it’s a competitive pricing with comparable pumps that, in my humble but experienced opinion, don’t really compare.  Plus, I’m done with cheap pumps.  Over them, burned through a lot of them and I want a pump I can count on to suck… good.  And because Hygeia really likes to surprise people, they even have a return policy and amazing customer service.  Something rather rare in a pump company.  The last time I tried to get anywhere with a pump I wasn’t happy with (not Hygeia but a brand that shall remain nameless) I pretty much got laughed at.

When Smunchie was a newborn and we were trying to get her to gain weight thanks to her struggle with a heart defect, I pumped around the clock, every 2 hours as well as direct at the breast feedings.  It was exhausting.  My hospital grade Medela Lactina is what worked round the clock with me.  Rather used to the loud “whispers” my pump had made to me for months before getting the Hygeia EnJoye I was shocked at how quiet the EnJoye was.  Seriously, I couldn’t believe the thing was on at first.  Made me wish I had used that pump all those times I was pumping in the middle of the night with a sleeping baby and husband because not only was it super quiet, it was just as effective.

Months after having the EnJoye and while I was in the middle of pumping we lost power due to a storm.  Thanks to the rechargeable battery I was able to keep pumping away.  This made me excited, think about the possibilities of where I could pump!  The compact size of the EnJoye and it’s handy-dandy attractive bag made it easy to transport and could go with me wherever I would need to pump, the rechargeable battery making it that much more simple.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly because I swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

What I liked:

Pretty much everything.  The size, the bag, the entire system (being closed and safely mold-free), the fit of the flanges, the options with the controls, the strength of the suction, the quietness of the machine, the multi-user capabilities, the recycling program.  And the company.  Hygeia sent me this pump 10 months ago.  They’ve waited a dang long time for a review on a rather expensive product.  But because I know that the moms that are in the market for a pump are going to use it for more than a week or two I wanted to give a time tested review.  Ten months.  This pump has been used just about every day for the last 10 months and nothing has needed to be fixed or replaced in that time (with the exception of an accessory set).  Which is amazing since I stopped pumping about 6 months ago.  So how has it been in use all this time?  I handed it down to a first time mom with twins, a good friend of mine.  Perhaps my favorite feature: I can loan this pump out safely to another mother with zero risk of there being any health hazard.  Not mold, not disease, nothing.  Which makes me feel really great.  I spent the same amount of money on another pump by another company several years ago and all I can do with that pump is throw it away.  Not the Hygeia EnJoye, it is an investment that keeps on helping moms give breast milk to their babies for a long, long time.

The suction was great for me.  Not quite as strong as my Lactina but I still expressed my normal amount of milk in about 10 minutes so it certainly wasn’t a problem.  It worked consistently used as a double or single electric pump.

What I didn’t like:

Um… ok, there’s nothing I didn’t like.  There were things that didn’t impress me maybe but it wasn’t that I didn’t like them.  There is a Hygeia CARE button that allows you to record something (such as your baby’s cry) for 5 seconds to play back when you pump to help you let down to the pump.  This is a personal thing, I don’t usually need help letting down to a pump.  However, I know plenty of women do and I can see how this could be a really important feature for those women.  The button did provide lots of entertainment, Smunchie would burst into tears every time she heard the sample recording of a baby crying and then the big girls discovered they could leave me “secret messages” with it.  Nothing like pumping, having a baby hit that button and hearing your 10 year old say “mommy, I think we need to get some ice cream.”

Overall:

This is my favorite pump, ever.  It is the only pump I feel 100% confident recommending any more.  I trust the company (which, by the way, makes an awesome hand expression cup and educate women on hand expression, a handy tool for any breastfeeding mom), I trust the pump and I’m thrilled with my own personal experience with the pump as well as that of my friend.  My thanks to Hygeia for offering up a product that is competitive with other pumps on the market but goes above and beyond.

New Sponsors

Welcome to the newest sponsors for The Leaky Boob…

Hygeia – eco-friendly, recyclable breastpumps and support

My Posh Pads – Fashionable Organic Bamboo Nursing Pads

Nursing Bra Express – Nursing Bras, Breastfeeding Accessories, and Advice for Active Moms.

Thank you to these and all our sponsors for supporting breastfeeding women and the people that support them.  Please be sure to check to check out these and all our sponsors.  They make it possible for TLB to continue being a safe place of community and support.

If you would like information on sponsorship opportunities please email Jeremy @ theleakybob.com.