Ardo & blogfest 2014

I was sponsored by Ardo to attend this years Blogfest on 8th November at King's Place in London, I've never been to a blogging event like this so obviously I was very excited and interested to see what it was actually going to be like. I had originally planned this post to go live while I was at Blogfest but Isabelle has been a bit of nightmare sleeping so I've just been so exhausted to think properly and thought it probably best to leave until after so I make a little bit more sense - hopefully.. If you don't already know then Ardo is one of my favourite brands I've discovered since starting my blog, it's the brand that has helped me to continue to breastfeed Isabelle who is now 7 months old, almost 8 months old so obviously they mean alot to me because they've made my wish of continuing to feed my baby come true and without the help of a brilliant breastpump I don't think I'd of been this successful. It might be natural but it's not always 'easy'. 

I just want to mention now that I really like the packaging of the box, I like the calm colours they've chosen for the box and the breastpump.

At Blogfest we got to meet some great bloggers which I've been following for a while, there were some great brands there such as Mark Warner holidays and the fantastic 'unilever project sunlight' as well as coca cola and talk talk. It was great to be able to tell the brands all about Ardo who were the reason it was possible for me to be there.
So why did we need Ardo's help?...
When Isabelle was 11 weeks old we found out that actually we didn't just have a terribly grumpy baby and that she had a reason to be that upset most of the time, to not want to sleep or even lay down - we found out that she's got cows milk protein allergy and actually she was in pain with terrible wind for the first 11 weeks of her life. I decided straight away that I wanted to continue to breastfeed her no matter what, giving up chocolate, cheese, milk was going to be so hard for this cheese loving chocoholic but Ardo have really helped me and I'll be forever thankful for this! There's also lovely people behind the lovely company.

I had another pump before Ardo Calypso but it was awful, it had the loudest noise which woke the baby up and gave me a headache! Not what you need when you're having a hard time already. It really hurt my breasts which made me not want to use it, it also only got an oz or two out of each boob making me convinced I wasn't making enough milk to feed my baby and therefore got down about that. So when the Ardo pump arrived and I gave it a try, I fell in love! It's easy to set up and understand, meaning I was already more relaxed. Michael actually set it up for me, like he had the original one when I was having a meltdown.


Using the ardo breastpump made it possible for both Michael and big brother Oliver to get involved with feeding Isabelle which they both loved! The two photos below are both their first times feeding her my expressed milk.

What I love the most about Ardo Calypso double electric breastpump?

It's a closed system designed with vacuum seal technology meaning it gives 100% protection against contamination of pump or milk, meaning if you hire one or keep it for the next baby its definitely clean and safe to use for your little baby.
Because it's double you spend half the time pumping, I'd definitely suggest getting a double because of this! You're a new mum, you've not got much time so being able to do both breasts at the same time is a great feature.
You get the option to use it plugged into the mains or with batteries!! How good is that? So you can use this pump wherever you go. It's a compact design which looks good, easy to carry and all fits together easily.
You can decide which setting is best for you with it's adjustable settings  for vacuum and cycle, meaning you don't have to just have what the pump thinks is best! You can find what is comfortable for you, what setting gets the most milk out and you can change it throughout the pumping. Talking about getting comfortable, you can also pick from a selection of breast shells included because Ardo understand that no ones breasts are a 'standard size' so we need the option of which one fits best, I've tried a few different ones and settled for which I prefer. There's also a soft massage insert if you require this but actually I've never used it because actually I've never felt like it needed it but it's great to have it included.

But my absolute favourite thing about this breastpump? The fact it is super quiet!! I can express one breast while Isabelle is asleep on my lap and she literally wakes up to anything, sometimes even a light switch being turned on! I've got a very light sleeper but the fact that she can sleep through me pumping with the Calypso shows that its just so so quiet. (which is also good as mentioned before for not giving you a headache!)

I think it's so important to get a breastpump that you're going to be happy using or let's face it - you just won't bother using it!

• Individually adjustable settings for vacuum and cycle
• Vacuum Seal technology gives 100% protection and prevents contamination of pump or milk
• Provided with selection of breast shell sizes and soft massage insert
• Compact design and reduced sound level allow for quiet discreet expression
• Mains or battery operated
• Reduces pumping time by 50%

I absolutely love that not once has this pump hurt me. I wish I had Ardo from the start the only reason I didn't was because I hadn't heard of them. I got a 'well known' brand which turned out to be rubbish. Research is the key ladies!! This breastpump would suit all breastfeeding mothers who want to express milk, ideal for those returning to work or that like me, express at night because it's so quiet. It is designed for frequent use. Ardo understand mums, so they've made a breastpump that is comfortable to use. Understanding that all mums are different shapes and sizes they include within the box a range of breast shields - 26mm, 28mm, 31mm. I think this is a fantastic idea meaning there is no need for you to rush off to buy another part because it's not comfortable. You can also try each to see which one feels best for you. It's designed with 64 different combinations with 8 suction strenght/speed settings at a touch of a button. The pump has a stimulation phase just like your baby until your milk starts to slow then you  can switch it to the expression phase.
When using this pump as a double, I get around 7oz in 10 minutes. I think thats pretty good? But I've only got my boobs to compare to obviously so comments re that would be interesting to hear.
What you get in your box?
1 x Calypso Breastpump
tubing
2 x 150ml collection bottles
2 x 26mm pumpset 
2 x 28mm breastshell 
2 x 31mm breastshell
OptiFlow 26mm insert 
Cleaning brush 
Bottle holder
AC mains adapter
and last but not least, very important instructions!

Well done to Ardo for including all of this in the box!

At Blogfest I learnt lots of things, my first is that if you have a baby who has just learnt to crawl (that day!) then don't take them! Honestly I took Isabelle and I loved having her with me, I'm obviously still breastfeeding but I do think I'd of got more out of the day if I hadn't of taken her. I had to have her on my lap and she cried so much I had to leave the first session about google+ but with thanks to a few blogging friends she sat through another two sessions with only a little moaning. My favourite brand we met was Unilever with their #clearaplate which is such a fantastic idea. We learnt lots about youtube and vlogging which I hope to start in the new year.