Advice on Breast Pump

I loved my manual Avent pump- smooth, durable, fantastic, easy to use- I got to where I could put mine back tofgether in the dark!. Keep in mind though, pumping when your milk first comes in & early post partum can be really difficult & hurt!!! Spend the time & enjoy nursing, use a lactation consultant to make it go even smoother. It won't likely take long to wean the baby to a bottle, but you can both nurse & bottle feed. My oldest had absolutely no problem switching back & forth- which she did from time to time starting at 4 weeks! It doesn't have to be all or none, and nursing is...well, can be... a great experience.

Congrats on your pregnancy. As far as pumps go ... medela Pump in Style .. ALL the way!!!! B/c of latch issues with my first ... I ended up pumping exclusively for 7 months with him .. it was great and held up fine ... that was in 2000. then for baby #2, 2003, I EBF her ... I used the pump on occassion and it worked fine ... then had 3rd in 2006 and while I also EBF him - I pulled the pump out yet again ... it worked, but my 3rd never had a bottle ... but it would have worked if I needed it. ;-)

While you're not looking for advice on whether or not to pump - gotta put it out there as someone who has done both ... give BFing a try! It IS soo much easier. I mean, I loved the flexibility of EP for my first and others could feed him .. but it's also why I was determined to BF my 2nd ... b/c I knew it would be more difficult to find pumping time with a toddler around. I've got friends whose kids easily interchanged between breast and bottle .. that's not too difficult.

B/C you do want to pump exclusively, I really think you should at least BF in the beginning. A baby will be able to kick start your milk production better than a pump. So, if you're dead set on pumping - that's fine ... but start it off with BF so that your milk gets good and established - JMO! :-)

Congrats and I hope all goes well ... give an update later on! :-)

Yeah, i would advise you to go with a professional pump. You get what you pay for in breastpumps! Trust me!

M.,
I loved my Medela. It is a great pump, amd that was 6 years ago. Just remember that the baby does a better job of emptying the breast. I would let the baby nurse as much as possible to get your supply started.
I wish you the best. I nursed mine for a year and it was the best experience.
L.

M., congratulations on being a soon to be mommy! I am a new mom to a 2 month old little boy and it is great!

OK, I was BF'ing for the first 3 days...then I had to supplement with formula until my milk came in and was pumping to get it going. I got on a pattern of just pumping. NOW, I can not get him to latch on at all! I still want him to get the milk, so I just pump and make up bottles.

I got the Pump in Style and LVOE IT! I use it at home. It is a double pump so it is quick. Last week we were going on a road trip (8 hours) and I didn't want to take that huge pump with me. We are also going on a plane to Florida in September. I was looking for a smaller pump that is just as good to take. I ended up getting the Medela Swing pump. It is a great pump but is mainly good for traveling/working/etc.

I am starting back to work on Monday and will be taking the smaller pump with me and leaving the larger Pump in Style at home.

Good luck with the baby/labor/BF'ing...it is a wonderful time!! Just remember that crying is a way that babies communicate at first! Ha! :)

The most Medela In Style Advanced pump was the one that worked for me. It was the one with the electric pump in the included bag. It was painless, it was quick and very efficient. Which is really important in a breast pump. I went through 3 or 4 different pumps and ended up getting this one anyway.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=240325...#

If you plan to have other children this will also be worth every penny. I used every single thing included in this pump. I plan to use it with my next baby.

Its even quiet so when my son woke me in the night to feed I would put him back down to sleep and then pump before I went back to bed without waking up my husband.

Truly a great investment.

Hope this helps!

First of all, congrats!!!

I used the Medela Pump in Style w/ my daughter and it was fantastic! There were times when I pumped 6-8 times a day and I never had any issues. I highly recommend it.

I used an Ameda electric breast pump and it was soooo loud! I wish I'd not tried to save money and went with a Medela.

Surrogates often pump for the babies they deliver for weeks or months after. They're pros at keeping the milk coming without breastfeeding! Here is a link to several discussions on the topic:

http://www.surromomsonline.com/support/search.php?searchi...

I pumped exclusively when I started working & used Ameda Purely Yours. It was a great travel pump- came in a backpack & had an insulated bag to keep milk cold. Do get a pumping bra- it is like a halter top w/ holes that the pump shield fits in. This way you can pump hands free!