I just had my second son last week and I'm in the market for a breast pump. I had the Medela single deluxe electric with my first son and hated it (the motor broke twice, it took me 2 weeks to pump one bottle). Does anyone have any advice for a good pump? I only need to pump for the occasional time I'm away from my son (I'm a stay-at-home mom), so I don't need a hospital grade pump. I also don't want to spend a lot of money since I don't think I'll be having more children (and don't need to pump very often).
Avent. I used the dual electrical and single manual for both of my kids, and loved them. Every single piece can get sterilize, so there are no icky parts. I used the Avent bottles and that made the world of difference, because I did not have to transfer the milk. When I pumped, the milk would go straight to the bottle, then to the freezer, then to the bottle warmer and finally to my baby. - Very hassle free.
i heard the platex one works great! i personally got the medella in style (i think it was) double pump. maybe just get a simple hand pump unless you really want an electric.
J.,
i was given a bailey medical pump by my neighbor who is a nurse. it worked great and it isn't expensive...
I have two pumps... Both I did not spend a lot of money on. I like them both. One is a first years dual automatic... Works good. Then I just got an evenflo dual automatic that is fast but loud compared to the first years. I keep the first years at home since it is slower and the evenflo at work.
Actually, you may be able to rent a pump for far less then buying. There are also some hospitals that offer short term (hourly) rentals, so you can stock up from time to time, but not actually take the machine home with you.
Warning: Some women just can't pump. I made enough milk to feed a regiment (the lactation nurses at the hospital where my son was born reeeeeeaally wanted me to be a donor, and I honestly would have loved to)...but the pumps just didn't work!!! I could never get more then an ounce...but they weighed my son before and after feeding, and he never took less then 20 ounces!!! (Should have seen that little belly expand). We tried off and on for months, but irritatingly, my boobs would not be fooled. No matter how much i wanted them to be. We went through everything from their spiffy ones to the 10 dollar cheap handheld ones to expressing. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Darnnit!
But I nursed not only my son, but my friends daughter when she went in for surgery. No problemo. Well, I'm not letting my ego get dented over a machine.
For emergencies (used twice...once for a date, the other for a midterm) we kept a can of enfamil lipil in the pantry. But it did also mean that my husband never ONCE had to get up in the middle of the night. Sigh.
Hi,
I have a Lansinoh pump. They don't make them anymore but it's the EXACT same pump as the Ameda purely yours (I have confirmed this with the company and a lactation consultant). It's AWESOME. I use it 3 times a day, and it's way cheaper than the Medela. The lactation consultant told me it's a great pump and it has excellent reviews on Amazon.com. Good luck!
With my first child, I used the "Philips Avent ISIS Manual On The Go Breast Pump."
You can check it out on www.amazon.com and see the reviews there.
Its a REAL handy on the go manual pump, easy to use and clean, and not expensive at all comparatively. I liked it.
I had used the Medela prior, but didn't have luck with it and I didn't like the Medela I had. I liked the Avent much better and I was more successful with this pump and cheaper than the Medela I had.
But, since I was/am a SAHM, like you, and only used it for occasional use... it worked out well for me. But after awhile, I just hated pumping... and since I was/am a SAHM, I just direct nursed, and just planned my outings/errands around my daughter's nursing needs, and I would be home by the time it was time for her next nursing.
I just after awhile, did not like to pump, and I rarely had to pump anyway since I was with my daughter 98% of the time. But, I did like my Advent manual pump very much. It works well.
All the best,
Susan
Hi J.!
I loved my Medela double "pump in style", but it sure wasn't cheap. I found my pumping was much more effective when I was double pumping as opposed to single pumping (and when I was first trying to build up a supply of pumped milk, I would sometimes pump on one side (when DD was done nursing on it) while DD ate on the other side - didn't give much, but enough to start my storage bank. Anyway, a double pump might really help, but if you aren't looking to spend much money, you might not want to go that route. Have you looked into rental at all? Not sure how much that costs, but it's probably worth looking into. Or, do you have any friends who might be finished with theirs? You can purchase new tubing and all the other plastic parts so that everything is sanitary. Hope that helps give you a couple options!
~R.
I previously posted this months ago for someone else. I still stand by my recommendation and I can still pump 8 ounces when I need to. It is awesome!
It looks like I am the only one who recommends the Avent ISIS IQ Duo and maybe that is because it is a relatively new product. I heard too many mixed reviews to go with the Medela pump, so I chose this one. I absolutely love the fact that you can create your own pumping style. You pump at your own pace and pressure and then press a button to mimic the maneuver. It is great for truly being able to reproduce your baby feeding. I start really slow for the let down process and then speed it up when I need to pump a little faster, which also really helps to empty my breasts. I can pump anywhere from 5-11 ounces without a problem! It may be a little more expensive (like other pumps) but a 15% or 20% coupon at Babies R Us really helps to knock the cost down.
The evenflo pump worked great for me. My d*ughters father and I
Had little money when my little one was born and I needed to pump to produce more milk and for about a week while my daughter was in NICU. So we went to Walmart and found this pump (no more than $25) and I was preparing myself to be disappointed, but I was not! I used it for over 4 months, and it still works! Best of all it's portable! Hope this helps. :) God bless.
I depepends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for just a little hand pump, I have friends who swear by the Avent Isis. For hand pumping, I use the Medela Harmony. It's alright. Not great. If you're looking for a good double-pump, I love my Medela Pump in Style Advance. Love it love it. And I've been pumping at work 3x/day for the past 15 months, so it's gotten a TON of use. For a less expensive double-pumping option, I've heard good things about the Lansinoh (available at Walmart I think) double-pump, but again, I've never tried it.
Stay away from the Evenflo pump. They call it EvilFlo for a reason! That thing will shred your nipples!
I got mine a year ago so I think there is a different model. I use The First Years Double Electric Battery Pump. It was around 50 bucks at Target. I have used it tons!
