Every feeding journey is different. For one Ardo mum, her journey began in NICU and has gone on to become a story of determination, expressing, milk donation and giving something back to other families.
After facing challenges with breastfeeding and milk supply, she began using the Ardo Bellis breast pump as her main pump. She recently shared her experience with us – including the difficult moments, what kept her going and why she now recommends Bellis hire to other mums considering expressing regularly.
A feeding journey that began in NICU
When her little one was being cared for in NICU, feeding wasn’t straightforward.
Her baby experienced difficulties with blood sugar levels and jaundice and spent time receiving phototherapy. With her milk intake needing to be carefully monitored alongside other aspects of her care and home being more than an hour away from the hospital, establishing breastfeeding became particularly challenging.
Despite this, she knew she wanted to continue giving her baby breast milk.
Once they returned home, she hoped to establish breastfeeding, but things didn’t work out as planned. Having experienced cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) with her other children, she ultimately made the decision to continue her journey by expressing.
It wasn’t always easy.
“It has definitely been a struggle, and I’ve almost given up multiple times.”
Alongside the practical challenges of expressing came sleepless nights, feeds, pumping sessions and the emotional demands of caring for a new baby.
But she kept going.
“Giving my baby the best nutrition possible and producing for sick, premature babies is what kept me motivated throughout my journey.”
Finding a breast pump she could rely on
Having tried breast pumps from other well-known brands, finding the right pump became an important part of making expressing work for her.
That’s when she discovered the Ardo Bellis.
Her first impression surprised her.
“When I opened the Bellis, it was more compact than I expected but really easy to get started – so much that I didn’t even need to read the instructions.”
The Ardo Bellis soon became her main breast pump and an important part of her expressing routine.
After experiencing a significant drop in her milk supply during a particularly stressful few weeks, she found the Bellis Power Pumping programme especially useful.
“It’s the main pump I use and safe to say it’s saved my feeding journey. After a stressful few weeks with personal life, my milk supply dropped drastically, but with the help of the Bellis and the super helpful Power Pumping setting, it was quickly back up.”
She also appreciated being able to choose between traditional breast shells and in-bra collection cups depending on her routine.
For her, the breast shells proved to be the preferred option.
“I found the shells work best for me, so a good pumping bra or a little bra hack makes all the difference with having your hands free while expressing – to scroll on your phone or drink a cup of tea.”
She was also pleasantly surprised by how quiet she found the Bellis.
And, like any honest review, there were things she would change too.
“The only downside to the Bellis is I wish it had real buttons instead of the touchscreen style and a lock setting to stop little toddler fingers changing the settings!”
The Ardo Bellis or Alyssa? Finding what works for you
As part of her expressing journey, she has also been using the Ardo Alyssa.
During a recent family holiday, she decided to use the Alyssa as her main pump for the week. She particularly appreciated its convenience while travelling and the flexibility to switch between the hands-free double pumpset and traditional pumpset.
However, during that week she personally noticed a drop in her milk supply and felt that, for her body and expressing routine, the Bellis was better suited to being her main pump.
“Very convenient and saved space with the option to swap out the cups and shells, but Alyssa definitely isn’t as efficient for milk removal as the Bellis for me.”
Her experience highlights something we believe strongly at Ardo: there isn’t one breast pump or expressing routine that’s right for every mum.
Different breasts, feeding journeys, lifestyles and expressing needs can require different solutions.
For this mum, the Alyssa provided useful convenience and portability, while the Bellis became the pump she felt she could rely on for regular expressing.
“If someone was considering full-time pumping, I would definitely recommend hiring the Bellis. My sister is due a baby at the end of the year and I have already recommended she hires it.”
Giving something back through milk donation
But this mum’s story goes far beyond expressing for her own baby.
Having spent time in NICU with both of her daughters, she saw first-hand how challenging establishing a milk supply could be for some families.
It inspired her to become a breast milk donor.
“The NICU did so much for saving both my daughters and my brother. I felt I needed to do something to give back.”
Milk donation had actually been something she had wanted to do previously.
After the birth of her last daughter at 29 weeks, she had produced a significant amount of breast milk. When her daughter later developed CMPA, much of the milk she had stored could no longer be used for her baby.
Unfortunately, due to medication she was taking at the time, she discovered that she wasn’t eligible to donate it either.
It was an incredibly difficult experience.
This time, her circumstances have been very different. Rather than describing herself as an oversupplier, she calls herself a “just enougher” – but her determination to explore milk donation remained.
“Knowing I wanted to donate breast milk, I needed a pump that could support me.”
Today, she is able to express for her own baby while also donating milk to support other families.
For her, seeing the results of all those hours spent expressing is an emotional moment.
“Seeing all the bottles of milk together once they get collected is something that makes me extremely proud and realise all the hard work is worth it.”
“No amount of milk is too little”
One of the messages she is particularly passionate about sharing with other mums is simply to speak to their local milk bank if they’re interested in donating.
Questions about medication or concerns about how much milk they might be able to donate shouldn’t necessarily stop someone from finding out more.
“I always tell them to get in touch with the milk bank who can answer any questions. No amount of milk is too little.”
She would also like to see greater awareness of milk donation among expectant and new parents, so that more families know it may be an option.
And her experience has inspired an exciting next step.
After receiving support during her own journey and experiencing the impact of expressing and milk donation first-hand, she now hopes to train as a breastfeeding and breast milk feeding supporter.
Her message to other expressing mums
There is one final message she wants other mums to hear – particularly those who find themselves comparing their milk output with what they see online.
“Stop watching videos on social media of oversuppliers – it will affect your mood. It’s very normal to get 150ml combined at one session then 40ml the next.”
Milk output can vary, and another person’s freezer full of milk isn’t a measure of your own success.
Her journey hasn’t been straightforward. There have been difficult days, drops in supply and moments when she considered stopping.
But there have also been bottles of donated milk, a baby receiving her breast milk, a feeding journey she is incredibly proud of and a new desire to help other families in the future.
And when we asked her to sum up her experience with Ardo?
“Ardo saved my milk supply!”
Discover Ardo Bellis Hire
For mums who need to express regularly, hiring a breast pump can provide access to a high-quality pump without the upfront cost of purchasing one.
Discover our Breast Pump Rentals and find out whether it could be right for your expressing journey.
Every breastfeeding and expressing journey is individual. Milk output and experiences with breast pumps can vary from person to person.
Ardo provided Bellis hire to the mum featured in this article at no cost in exchange for sharing her honest experience. Her comments reflect her individual experience and opinions.
