The Right Choice
DYANNE HOLLAND is the mum of two students at All Hands Together; here, she shares her family’s experience with this school for children with different learning needs.
We’re a New Zealand and British family who have been in Singapore for six and a half years. Our son Dexter (four and a half) has been with All Hands Together for 18 months in their early intervention programme, and we’ve seen him flourish in this time.
Mainstream nursery just wasn’t suitable for him, and I researched extensively to find an inclusive school environment that would nurture and guide him.
Choosing All Hands Together was one of the best decisions I’ve made – from the moment I met with Gayathri (the owner and director), she set our minds at ease and it just felt right.
What I love is the sense of community. The support we receive is continuous and not limited to school hours. Gayathri and her team are always on hand with advice, guidance and suggestions. The opportunity to connect with other parents who genuinely understand what having a child with special needs is about is also invaluable.
Most importantly, my son is happy and excited to go to school every morning, which is beautiful to see. He loves the ample opportunities for sensory play, which is his favourite. More recently, he is loving music therapy.
When our older son Oscar, who’s now seven years old and has ADHD, was struggling in mainstream primary school last year, we didn’t hesitate to move him across to All Hands Together. He’s only been here a few months and we can already see that he’s less anxious and is able to be his true self. As parents of a child who was struggling, this is one of the best feelings in the world.
It’s easy for breastfeeding mothers to underestimate the importance of a well-fitted breast pump. I remember wasting time getting the shield of my pump to fit snugly over my breast for the most effective suction and expression. Having a breast shield that fits comfortably can provide a pain-free and efficient breastfeeding experience, further empowering you to give your best to those you love and enjoy precious moments with your baby.
The first step to choosing the right breast shield for breastfeeding is to understand your body. Every mother’s body is different; your nipple and breast size will differ from other mums. Some mothers also have more difficulty with let-down and will require a breast pump that can effectively stimulate the flow of milk.
Fully customisable breast pump shields
LoveAmme recognises the issues faced by breastfeeding mothers; that’s why they designed their bestselling MadeToTravel Double Breast Pump. The brand is internationally recognised by mothers in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong who know that MadeToTravel can be a time-saver for every breastfeeding mother.
LoveAmme also offers the widest range of breast shields in the market – there are six available sizes ranging from 17mm to 30mm. The FlexSkin breast shields are made of a soft silicone material that conforms to a breast’s contours.
Once the breast shield has been fitted on comfortably, mums can begin using their MadeToTravel for expressing milk. Even those with flat or inverted nipples will find comfort, and experience spill-free pumping!
Unique phases that mimic baby’s development
The MadeToTravel is the only breast pump with two stimulation phases, Stimulation and Dual Stimulation:
• Stimulation mimics a baby’s initial light and fast sucking for a faster letdown of milk.
• Dual Stimulation provides better stimulation for faster let-down and is particularly helpful in relieving engorged breasts. This phase is designed to help mothers who have difficulty achieving let-down during breastfeeding.
Once let-down occurs, mothers can choose between two expression phases, Expression and Deep Expression.
• Expression is a long suction cycle that mimics a baby’s deep and long sucking after let-down happens. This helps to empty the breasts more effectively by extracting more milk in each suction.
• Deep Expression is MadeToTravel’s specially formulated dual-level suction that feels like breast compression during pumping. It provides a deeper and more complete extraction of milk as compared to the Expression phase. Mothers with inverted nipples may find that this phase helps in emptying the breasts more effectively.
Each of the four phases have eight standard strengths and another eight turbo levels to choose from. So, there’s a phase and strength for whatever your situation is: regular breast milk expression, assistance with increasing milk supply, unblocking ducts, easing mastitis or engorgement. Even if you feel an onset of milk rushing in during breastfeeding, you can easily switch from the standard to turbo cycle.
Choose to double pump if you need to save on pumping time, empty milk reserves more efficiently and prevent blocked ducts, or easily switch to single pump if all you need is to get quick relief from engorgement.
Easy and convenient breast milk expression
The MadeToTravel Double Breast Pump is designed to be your on-thego breast pump system. At only 224g, it’s lightweight and portable enough to fit into your handbag. This allows you to express breast milk anywhere, and when the rechargeable battery runs low, simply plug it into any USB port.
You can also choose from three T-joints, which enable the MadeToTravel breast pump to fit milk bottles from leading baby bottle brands.
The pump is quiet enough to use while your baby is sleeping or even during a video call, which allows mums to continue multi-tasking through the many roles they have. It can also be used in a semi-lying position, so you can rest while the pump does all the work.
A clear LCD display shows the pump duration and automatically powers off after 30 minutes. An auto-lock saves customised settings so you don’t have to programme it each time you power it on.
Breastfeeding support for new mothers
Many on the team at LoveAmme are mothers who understand that breastfeeding can get overwhelming for new mums. That’s why they’ve set up a WhatsApp Message hotline 8463 5060 that connects mums with a Breastpump Consultant who can answer questions about breastfeeding and LoveAmme products.
To get started with LoveAmme, first go to loveamme.com/ resources/feeding-tips/nipple-ruler and determine the right breast size for you. Then, get your customised MadeToTravel Double Breast Pump at any Mothercare store, Shopee, Lazada, Mummy’s Market or Not Too Big.
Win $250 worth of products from brands of Kim Hin Innovation Labs, including LoveAmme. For a chance to win, enter by 1 July at expatliving.sg/competitions.