As some of you may or may not know, I have been working in the Apparel Industry for over 13 years and have been sewing for over 30 (I started sewing when I was 3... yup, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!)
When I became a Mom and subsequently started pumping, it wasn't long before I started to dread my long, boring and sometimes painful (thanks to my pregnancy-induced Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) pumping sessions! Being the resourceful gal that I am, I went online to find something that would hold the breast pump on my behalf. The three main products that I found were the LLLI pumping bra, the Made by Moms pumping band and of course the Easy Expression™ bustier and halter, none of which overly impressed me and the price tags and online feedback were mediocre to boot!
I shop online a LOT - even more now that I have kids - and I am pretty savvy with regards to evaluating the quality of the product as well as its inherent value for my hard-earned dollar. Of course I always consider the time I'm saving NOT driving to the mall and possibly paying for parking, fighting crowds, etc. This balances the shipping costs to a degree (that is as long as the shipping costs are not 'padded').
I guess what I'm trying to say is, when I started Snugabell™ Mom & Baby Gear, my mission was to create products that, are very high quality (that we stand behind 100%), have a reasonable price, don't cost an arm and a leg to ship and most importantly, make women feel GOOD about themselves and how they look when they're breastfeeding and pumping!
#1 PumpEase™ ships for $4.00 or less anywhere in North America and for about $8 internationally. Easy Expression™ doesn't sell directly off their site. Their online retailers charge a myriad of shipping prices, most of which are ALL over $4.00 within North America (make that a lot over $4.00).
#2 PumpEase™ are available in fun, fabulous and colorful prints. Easy Expressions™ are available in plain white, clinical white, hospital white and sterile white....oh boy! - how will I ever decide? ;-)
#3 PumpEase™ are guaranteed for 1 year against defects in materials or workmanship. The Easy Expression™ website doesn't list a return policy, guarantee, warranty or even a privacy policy for that matter!
#4 PumpEase™ are made from a technical knit fabric that will NEVER 'bag out'. Easy Expressions™ are made from a cotton/spandex knit fabric that WILL 'bag out' and lose its shape after repeated use and washing. This is an inherent quality of cotton/spandex knits.
#5 PumpEase™ are guaranteed to work with ALL pumps on the market or your money back. The Easy Expression™ website states that it works with "most pumps" - sounds like a guessing game to me...hmmmm.
#6 PumpEase™ have a 3-position hook & eye closure at center front which gives you a means to adjust the size of your PumpEase for fuller or less full days. It is also a closure that most women are completely familiar with and can fasten/unfasten 'blindly'. Therefore, when you are trying to pump in the dark in the middle of the night or you are sleep deprived and not functioning too well, donning your PumpEase will be a cinch! Easy Expressions™ has a zipper. I am dumbfounded that a zipper was chosen for a product that is supposed to be worn so close to the body. A zipper is the most awkward closure possible for 'stuffing 10 lbs of potatoes into a 5 lb sack' ...if you know what I mean.
#7 The bold graphics and colors of the PumpEase™ fabrics are stimulating to your baby if you pump on one side and nurse on the other. According to Dr. Sears, "The best way you as a parent can stimulate baby's vision is using black and white stripes or light and dark contrasting colors. So what about those nice soft pastels that used to be so popular in baby toys and nurseries? While these may look pretty to you, they do nothing visually for your baby. Research has proven that black and white contrasts register powerfully on baby's retina and send the strongest visual signals to baby's brain. Stronger signals mean more brain growth and faster visual development. Surround a baby with soft pastel colors, and you might as well be blindfolding him. Surround your baby with black and white or light and dark pictures, and watch your baby's eyes light up." Easy Expressions™....ummm see Reason #2.
#8 PumpEase™ has a fun, current, interactive and modern website with a blog, up-to-date resources page and password-protected online wholesale ordering for our retail partners. The Easy Expression™ website doesn't appear to have been updated in literally years. I know for a fact that their testimonials haven't changed or been updated in well over three years.
#9 PumpEase™ is working hard, through lighthearted humour, frank education and social networking/blogging, to raise the awareness around breastfeeding, pumping and human milk banking. We support the BC Women's Milk Bank monetarily as well as by donating any PumpEase™ that don't 'cut it' with my Mom (she's our Quality Control Department and she runs a pretty tight ship I tell ya!) The PumpEase™ we donate have only cosmetic deficiencies and therefore are still fully functional. Easy Expression™....hmmmm...don't know who they really are or what they're up to?
#10 A PumpEase™ hangs to dry in about 20 minutes. Due to the fact that the Easy Expression™ is made of a cotton/spandex blend, it will take more than double that time to hang-dry. Neither fabric should be put in the dryer as heat 'kills' spandex.
I am thrilled to announce that my newest niece arrived safely on December 23rd at 1:04 am! She tipped the scale at 7 lbs, 4 oz and measured 21" long. My sister Denise was fully dilated when we finally arrived at the hospital! I was the DD as the lower mainland of British Columbia has been abnormally blanketed in more than a foot of snow for over a week now and I am the only one who has a 4x4!
My sister Denise, who was induced for her first daughter's delivery (Olivia is now 5-years-old), laboured at home for about 20 hours. When we got to the hospital, she was fully dilated and delivered the baby in about 20 minutes and 3 pushes! Way to go Denise! Dr C, our amazing family doctor, didn't quite make it in time, but the nurses as Royal Columbian Hospital were fantastic.
Oh and I should mention that Dixie has a really good latch, has been feeding beautifully and Mom Denise will be pumping in 4-6 weeks with her PumpEase™. She is also looking forward to using her MoBoleez™ once the snow melts and she can get out of the house!
Dixie, named after my Dad Richard - who almost always went by "Dick", is a truly beautiful baby. What an amazing Christmas present! Drop a comment below if you are a Christmas baby or if one of your children are.
Happy Holidays to all of our customers, readers, friends and family! To celebrate Dixie's arrival, we are offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders until New Year's. Use coupon code 'FREESHIP' at check-out. No worries if we're out of stock in your preferred size/print, order anyways as we are expecting production to arrive from our factory any day now.
On the occasion that I slow down enough to think about it, I am truly amazed at how many talented people I know, most of which whom are women (sorry guys!) and who work in a myriad of industries from graphic design to sales & marketing, photography, catering, relocation and many more. We support each other in our businesses, enjoy each other's talents and network, network, network! I am proud to say that one of these women - one of the most talented photographers that I have met in a very long time - is now the official Snugabell™ and PumpEase™ photographer! Introducing Claire Reid!
Amazingly enough, Claire's and my husband work together and therefore we met purely by chance. Our first 'conversation' was via Facebook and we immediately clicked! We have now worked together on two commercial shoots as well as two family photo sessions - one environmental and one in-studio. What a difference a professional photographer makes! No more cookie-cutter family photo sessions for us (sorry Sears)!
The most recent family photo session had SO MANY fantastic shots that there was no clear 'best picture'. We had a helluva time picking! With Sears (sorry again....well, not really), we were lucky to find one shot that would suffice for sending out to family and friends for a Christmas card... and now we have the opposite problem!
I could go on and on, however as they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." So here is an example of Claire's work and one of our many faves from our studio shoot a couple of weeks ago. Believe it or not, this was near the end of the session when Michaela was starting to get grumpy... did I mention that Claire has the patience of a Saint?
If you live in the lower mainland of British Columbia, leave a comment below and you will be the lucky recipient of a coupon for $100 off a session with Claire Reid herself.
On November 17, 2008, 'A' TV did a 4 hour live morning show from one of our retailers, Mothering Touch, in Victoria, BC. Well, apparently the (male) host liked our product! I think we should give him a job! Check out the 50 second clip and tell us what you think.
Alhtough I don't recall who first shared these words with me, I have been holding onto this little tidbit for years now. It is a good reminder of the countless benefits of breastfeeding and therefore I thought I would now share it with you.
A - helps avoid allergies; immediately available; antibodies are passed from mother to baby through her milk; nutrients are more easily assimilated
B - creates close bonding between mother and child; reduces risk of breast cancer; contributes to optimal brain development; breastmilk doesn't stain clothing
C - comforting for baby; convenient; changes as baby grows; no constipation; colostrum is the perfect first food
D - digests more easily; cannot be duplicated; allows delay of solids; fewer dental problems (promotes proper jaw, teeth and speech development so there is less need for expensive orthodontics later)
E - easy; enjoyable; enhances relationship with your baby
F - fulfilling; always fresh; gives you a free hand for reading, etc; fewer health problems means a happier baby
G - giving of yourself; a great way of meeting emotional and physical needs; less garbage and other environmental wastes
H - breastfed babies are healthier; babies are meant to have human milk
I - inexpensive; immunity factors are only found in breastmilk
J - joyful experience; ready in a jiffy
K - spend less time in the kitchen (mixing, washing, sterlizing, warming...)
L - loving; you can join a fun mother's group like La Leche League; less spitting-up and stomach upsets
M - delays the return of postpartum menstruation (but not necessarily ovulation); something only a MOM can do for a baby
N - perfect balance of nutrients; night feedings are easier; natural
O - prevents overfeeding; less diaper odour; reduces the chance of obesity later in life
P - prolactin helps you feel motherly; helps prevent serious health problems; milk supply is pure
Q - quiet time together; best quality nutrition; pratically unlimited quantity
R - relaxing; less rashes for baby; recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society, the World Health Organization and The Breastfeeding Committee for Canada; completes the reproductive cycle: conception, pregnancy, birth, lactation
S - satisfies all the senses; superior infant food; saves time, effort money and resources
T - always the right temperature; travel is easier; time-tested through the ages
U - uniquely suited to each baby; contracts uterus helping to expel the placenta and control blood loss; universality of breastfeeding is a link with mothers all over the world
V - especially valuable in special situations (prematurity, jaundice); taste of breastmilk varies from skim to creamy during each feeding
W - helps mother's weight loss by using extra calories; no need to worry about baby's food supply; encourages normal weight gain for baby; called "white blood" because of the life-giving properties
X - x-tra cuddling builds strong ties of love
Y - it's yummy of course!
Z - these are only a few of the zillions of advantages to breastfeeding your baby!
I'd love to hear about any other ABC's of Breastfeeding that you can think of!
adapted by Sandra Yates, 2003, from the original by Mary Clarke, Andrea Meyer and Mary Jo Rodgers, Minot, ND, USA, with a few additions by yours truly, Wendy Armbruster Bell, 2008
Interested in a FREE PumpEase™ and a FREE MoBoleez™? Refer a new Retail Partner to us and if they place an order you'll win BOTH products! We'll even cover the shipping!
Snugabell™ Mom & Baby Gear Ltd © 2008