Joanne: I would recommend this product for its efficient milk pumping and relatively quiet operation when in use. The first time I used the Avent Electric breast pump, I attached the tubing in the wrong place (the illustration could have been clearer and I didn’t notice this in my newborn haze). Clare: To improve this product it would e useful if it came with a bag that could be used for transporting all of the bits while you travel.

With the Avent you express straight into the supplied bottle, but if you then want to freeze the milk, you’d need to transfer to a different container. The benefit of having this many levels is that I could experiment with what works best for my own individual milk flow, and found each session could sometimes be different than the last. This is not so much of a problem at home (although you will need to turn the TV up), but it you were to use it at work or on holiday it would not be very discreet. Philips claim that the Avent breast pump has a quiet motor and I personally found the volume to be acceptable.

The massaging cushions and rhythm worked particularly well on the one breast that seemed harder to feed from naturally. com were concerned before purchase that the one size fits all wouldn’t be suitable, however after using, found that the shield worked well. I also loved the fact I was able to pump while sitting upright, however, I hadn’t found that I needed to lean forward with the Medela Swing Pump either, so didn’t find a noticeable difference in this.

In addition, the battery pack has a useful light indicator to let you know if charge is running low. You can always lean back and relax as the expressed milk flows directly into the bottles or containers of your choice. It would be great for mums that are going back to work and need to express as it is compact although it can be a little noisy.To prevent them being knocked around during the wash cycle I popped the smaller parts into a mesh laundry bag to keep them together.