Advice on Breastpumps...

I'm a medela snob. But I pump every day. Medela motors last forever when others burn out. I LOVE MY MEDELA.
I also think it is quieter than most electrics. And um... gentle. Check e-bay for a good price. Hospitals can also sell them at wholesale price. Unless you are pumping every day, you don't have to buy the high end one--but they are nice.

Manuals are good for occasional use. I have an ISIS manual but never liked it much. My medela came with a small manual, and I use that when I need a manual. A good rule of thumb: if the pump is made by a formula company... well, they are in the business of selling formula. Enough said.

BTW---Here's a cheap trick for hands free pumping:
(Note, only works with electric pumps that have long hoses, NOT handhelds--too heavy)
Get a sports bra and make SMALL holes over the nipple. Stick the breastshield inside the bra, poke the end out (yes, you'll look a little bit like Madonna) and attach the connector--tada!! Hands free pumping without paying an extra dime.

2 moms found this helpful

Well depending on your insurance you can get a breastpump FREE from the hospital. My dr wrote a prescription for a pump and after lots of research I got the Ameda pump. There is no leaking in the tubes and easy assembly and cleaning on this because the milk does not go into the tubing which I had issues with the Medela. My insurance covered $250 towards a breast pump. I opted for the $275 pump because it included the big bag with freezer packs and storage area, extra bottles and also a car charger. I was a District manager and traveled on the road. I used it all the time and it was great. Its a really neat bag and wasn't too big or obvious what it was. Check with your Dr about the prescription and also with your insurance provider. I just let my girlfriend use my pump also. We just sterilized everything again and she loves it. I also had a manual pump but I didn't have that great of luck with it, it might have been that I didn't know how to manually do the let down or use it properly. Good luck and congrats on the new baby.

2 moms found this helpful

Hi A.,
The Double Select Breast Pump by Medela is awesome if you are looking for an electric pump. If you are going to only pump a few times a week, then the manual Avent ISIS is a great manual pump. I used them both. The electic one I used at home and I used the manual one when we traveled so I didn't have to worry about outlets or batteries. I like the playtex brand bags for storage. They are more expensive than other bags, but they don't break whereas some of the cheaper ones do. You don't need to buy the clips for the bags either unless you only need a few. I just used masking tape around the bags to close them. As far as bottles, I absolutely loved the Playtex Nurser. My daughter barely spit up and didn't get extra air with these bottles. Just make sure you squeeze all the excess air out of the bags before feedings and these bottles are amazing!!! If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me.

~M.

1 mom found this helpful

Hey there. I really liked the medela storage bags for the milk. They double zip and if you lay them flat in the freezer they stack nicely. I have a medela pump in style. I loved it. It had a car adapter, I only had to use once, but I was so greatful it was there. (I was in a wedding and was overflowing by the time I had a chance to feed/pump. I thought I was going to explode!)

Good luck with the rest of school. I am also in RN school, but part time in the second year. It is a balancing act with a little one at home, but so far it has been worth it. Just crazy! My son is 20 months, I wish I could stay at home, but it is so nice to see other mom's my age doing the same thing. Good luck with your brest pump search!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi my name is L. and I have a 17month old daughter. I hope this information helps you.
MEDELA Pump IN STYLE!
Sorry I might be a liitle off on the spelling. This is the one and only pump you will ever need. All the hospitals recommend it. I loved my amd the best part is when I did have any problems or needed help there was a number I could call and get assistance. It comes with a warrenty and they will do anything to make you happy. They have alot of products you can get with it. You don't need the pump in style advance, the original works great. Here is a link to there site, I am pro breastfeeding and used this pump every day 4 times a day at work. It still runs like the first time I used it.

www.medela.com

1 mom found this helpful

You have already been given some great advice... I purchases a manual breast pump after I had my first daughter almost 2 years ago and I liked it ok... After having my second daughter 4 months ago I was talked into an automatic type breast pump (which I thought looked scary), and I love it... My hand would start to get tired using the manual and the automatic I can plug in or use batteries...
I am not sure of the brand but I purchased mine from Walmart, and the price didn't seem too bad. Good luck!
It gives a little freedom to be able to pump milk, just remember when you go out to wear breast pads. :)

1 mom found this helpful

Hi A.,

I am a local doula and I use, across the board, a Medella breast pump. You can rent them from many places, you can find them on Ebay and purchase new accessories. I think they are fantastic, especially if you wish to pump some milk ahead of time for storage for those times you want out etc.

Good luck to you and your growing family.

T.

1 mom found this helpful

A.,

I too am a stay at home mom. I do pump on occasion. I have the Avent ISIS manual pump. It was around $50. It works great for the occasional pumping. I don't think you really need to get an electric one, especially if you don't need to pump large quantities of milk. I see that someone mentioned getting a used pump off EBAY. Whatever you do, don't do it! Here's a website that explains the DANGERS of using a used pump. The site is http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/pumps.shtml . Pumps are "single-user" only, unless they are medical grade pumps.

Hope this helps.

R.

Congrats on the baby on the way!!

1 mom found this helpful

I LOVE my Medela Double Pump In Style. I have 2, one being about 10 years old and still in amazing condition. I rented a Avent hospital grade pump from Kaiser and it wasn't nearly as powerful or easy to use as my PIS. I keep one at work and one at home and love its ease of use and speed. If you aren't going to pump a lot I have heard TONS of good things about the Avent Isis.

As for bags, I love the Lanisoh bags, never had an issue with bags breaking or leaking. You can stand them up in your freezer or lie them flat, love them. They also come in a little easy dispense container, like a small pack of tissues.

Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

hey just wanted to throw out there (i'm sure you'll get tons of moms recommending the same) that the Medela Pump-in-Style was GREAT. i had really wanted to try the avent pump (LOVE their products) but i got a medela free so i went with that and loved it so much i've decided to hang onto it for the next one.
what i loved the best was that it comes packaged in a great carrying bag that is so discreet i took it to work for months and several people had no idea that i was carrying a breastpump- and they all knew i was breastfeeding!

1 mom found this helpful

MEDELA!! They have several different kinds and styles. The one I got 2 years ago was in a backpack, but I think they discontinued that one. they're awesome, though! (They just don't work on an airplane at 30,000 feet! haha)

1 mom found this helpful

Medela Pump and style and all of their accessories. I worked full time with 2 babies. One I went back to work after 6 weeks and worked more than 60 hours a week and the second one I went back to work after 2 weeks while in a dual master's program. I fed both children exclusively with breast milk for one year and weened after that. That breat pump was worth every penny!

Instead of buying one I would check the hospital where you deliver your baby to see if you can rent one. I believe those are much better, especially if you can get a pump that can pump both breasts at the same time. My hospital let us rent ours for free for the first two months and then our insurance covered the cost aftewards.

I just had my second child in Jan and I tried to brestfeed him but he became jaundice and I broke down and gave him a bottle(bad mistake) so now all I do is pump. I have bought many pumps and the best one ever is Medela advance it is kind of expensive (300.00) but it works wonderful I also bought the Medela hand pump (35.00) which works great as well. Either of those I doubt you will be disappointed

I used the avent "manual" pump. I loved it, it was quite portable and easy. I think one of the tricks for me with pumping was that I started early way befor I needed to, but that way my body would give it up either baby or the pump. I know a lot of people who waited till like 6 months to try to pump and thier bodies just wouldn't do it.

Any way I know people who have used the very expensive pumps a loved them too, but for me I worked in a warehouse with all men and had to pump in the bathroom, I was very thankful for my manul, not only was it quick and efficitent but it was QUITE.. that was a big deal cause I was always trying to be stealth.
OH and it was great for raod trips too, I could pump on the road and feed a bottle and we didn't have to stop as often.

Good luck
H.

Just to add to the Avent praise. My daughter used an Avent manual and really liked it. I watched her use it and it seemed easy to use and operated smoothly. She had tried another in expensive manual and it was difficult to use. I don't remember the brand but it was one offered by a company that also sells other baby supplies. I think it pays to buy from a company that specializes in breast pumps.

Hi A.,
I had 2 breast pumps given to me as shower gifts and I tried them both. One was an Avent manual pump and the other was a Safety 1st double electric pump. Though they both worked fine, I much preferred the Avent manual - it was just so much easier for me to use, didn't have to be near an electrical outlet, and more comfortable too. I found the electric to be clumsy to use (at least for me). Hope this helps.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Medela Pump in Style double pump. I didn't use a pump with my first either and it was SO hard! I ended up needing formula and I'm really hoping to avoid that with my second. She's almost 6mos and so far so good. I pump about a bottle a day, but sometimes skip if I'm tired (have to pump in the a.m.). It takes about 10 minutes for me to get 4-5 oz. I've tried using two sides at once, and that hasn't worked as well...not sure why. So I do one side at a time. It's spendy, about $150, but I think it's well worth it.

Medela Pump in Style all the way!