Breastfeeding Question for Other Stay at Home Moms

Hi M., I am a stay at home mother of 3 boys.I bottle fed my first 2 and breatfed my third baby..I highly suggest that you introduce a bottle at 5 weeks old or the baby will not take a bottle..My baby is 1year and 6 months old and he will not take a bottle..I can not stop breatfeeding him. Also it is good to have other people fed the baby a bottle....the best pump I used is was from the hospital I rented it but since I stayed at home it was easier for me to fed the baby and not pump, that was my problem...It was a medelan pump..Good Luck and congrats.

I like the Avent Isis pump. It is inexpensive, quiet, and easy to clean. When I breastfed my son I only pumped once a day because I produced extra milk in the morning. I found I could pump on one side and breastfeed my son on the other at the same time.

I used the Medela, 'pump in style'. I am a stay at home mom/run my business from home and it worked out great. I thought when I had my son last August that I would just need a hand pump...no way! I used this one the whole time and now my son is 10 months and I have enough milk in the freezer for the next 3 months! It's great!

If you plan on having other children and electric pump may be more suitable. Although more money, it only takes 10 minutes to do both sides. I am pregnant with my 3rd and will be using the pump I had for my 1st. It is fast efficient and small enough to take places.
Even though you will be home all day you may want to plan some outings where you may need several feedings. For example, my husband and and I went away for our anniversary and needed several feedings stored up.
Good Luck

I had my first baby in July. He was 6 weeks early and was in the hospital for 2 weeks so i was forced to pump for the time he was there and then thereafter due to him not taking my breast. In the hospital they reccomended the Medela pumps and boy, was it the best purchase i ever made. I bought the Medela Pump In Style Original Breast Pump ($249) from Babies R Us. Pumping every 3 hours around the clock was exhausting but this pump made it so much easier. It's electric and dual so you can pump both breasts at one time. And it's really easy! It's the best reccomendation the hospital gave me and it's the best one i can give you! It's worth the $250.

I would think you wouldn't need an expensive pump. I think most women who work FT/PT need something like that. If you don't foresee yourself going out much the first 3-6 months, except the occasional date night :), then an efficient hand pump should be fine. If you decide later that you need something faster you can always head to Babies R Us and buy one. But I'd start with a simple one. I am not sure on brands b/c I worked PT and had an electric pump. Congratulations on the baby. Also just a side note you sound like you are really determined to nurse so you may want to make sure you have a lactation consultant in mind in case you run into any snags once you are home from the hospital. My pediatricians office had one on staff which was fabulous!!!

Hi M.

Congrats. If you are planning to stay-at-home you'll probably use the pump very little (and will actually want to use it little to keep supply up). I found that to be the case with me. I did purchase a Medela Advance Pump n Style (at Healthcheck Systems... or something like that) for a lot less than retail. I really didn't use it very much so you might want to purchase just a hand-pump and see how that works and if you find you are away more from your child than expected to make a larger investment.

I too am a stay at home mama. My daughter will be a year old in July and I am still nursing. Initially we had problems because she was jaundiced and not latching on properly so we rented a hospital grade Medela Symphony for a month. We only really needed it for about two weeks. After that we were fine. Since then I've only needed a single hand pump which our lactation consultant gave us for free. She told me not to spend good money on a pump if I was going to be at home full time and only pumping occasionally. She was right. It works great.

I am in the same situtation, and I found that a midline electric pump is nice. You can get one for around $60 and it will work good for how often you'll probably use it. My only recommendation is to pump at least once every couple weeks to make sure that your body will still take the pump and let down. I didn't do it for a couple months, and now I can't let down with the pump...I had no problems at the beginning. You just want your mind/body to be able to accept both for when you want/need to go out without the baby. Congrats!

I think a small hand pump would be all that you will need, at least to start. I have used both the Avent Isis and the Medela Harmony. Both are great pumps and affordable. The Harmony is about $35 and has less parts to clean. I had a problem with my Isis after a couple of months of light use. The neck piece cracked and that was when I bought the Harmony. Medela also makes a single side electric pump that is good. It would be a little faster than a manual hand pump, for occasional pumping.

Hi M.. When I had my kids, I did work. I do stay home now though. I used the Medela pump in style and it worked great, but I had to pump every day. Since you are going to be home, I am assuming that you will not need to pump that much. I have heard that the Avent pump is a good one and works great for people that dont have to pump all the time. It is alot less expensive too. A couple clients of mine have used this breast pump and they stayed home and one worked and used this one and loved it and she had to pump 2 to 3 times a day. Good luck.

S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

Haven't read the other responses yet, but if I were able to stay home while nursing I would probably only use my Avent hand pump. I actually had better luck with the Avent then with my Medella PumpInStyle, but the manual pump was just too inefficient for pumping at the office. It was great for releaving pressure at home when Baby decided to sleep through a regular weekend feeding or for supplementing my at-work supply (meager as it was) with an evening pump at home when I had the time to sit and relax.

The nice thing about the Avent is that it is relatively inexpensive and small enough to stick in a large purse or diaper bag. If you aren't pumping full time, this is definitely a good one to try out and if it doesn't work well for you, at least you didn't spend $100+ on a fancy Medella.

I haven't read all of your responses, but I am a SAHM and have been nursing for the past 8 months. I bought a medela hand pump, and have been happy with it. I breastfeed most of the time, and only pump for an occasional bottle if I go out to dinner, or will miss a feeding for some reason.

Hi M.,

I'm not a stay at home mom, but when I was on maternity leave I used the Medela Pump In Style. I found the Avent hand pump taking too long. I pumped w/ it for a short time at work. Then decided to bring the elctric one to work. If you have the time or are only pumping small amounts, I'd go the hand pump way. The electric one is nice. Check with the hopsital you are delivereing, you may be able to rent one. They are expensive. I too froze allot. It's nice to have a supply on hand for when you are out or stop breastfeeding (your baby is still getting breastmilk even though you have stopped). Freeze small amounts (2oz bags). It's quicker to thaw and you will not waste as much.

Good luck and congratulations.

Hi M.~
I kind of have experience in both ways. With my son, I went back to work, but now with my new baby girl, I am staying home. I went and bought the expensive Medela Pump in Style. I am finding that I'm really not pumping much since I am home. I usually only pump 1 time a day, which is first thing in the morning. So, for me I probably didn't have to make such an expensive investment. I could probably deal with the evenflo pump, or other inexpensive brands that Target or Walmart carries. My friend bought a pump from Target for about $30, and it worked just fine for her.
Good luck and CONGRATULATIONS!!!
J.

I work but was home (on maternity leave) for 3 months with my son. I had an Avent Isis hand pump and when I went back to work, upgraded to an Ameda Purely Yours. Had I been a SAHM I would have just stuck with the Isis. It's easy to use, you can stash it in your purse, and perfect if you just need enough milk to feed your baby while you go out for some adult time or to relieve yourself when you return from being out. Plus, it's cheap - $40.

I really like the AVENT ISIS hand pump. It's easy and efficient. I used it when I stayed home just to have a stash in the freezer for little outings or Dad feedings and what not. With my second I went back to work for a short time and even used it daily for the bottle he had while I worked part time. I really liked it. Best wishes to you with your new little one!

Just wanted to pop in and say Congratulations! :)

You should join the other expectant and breastfeeding moms at
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/index.php

They have lots of great advice and support!

I found that I loved my Avent Isis manual pump. I think I paid about $50 for it 7 yrs ago. Some women say they never pump at all, but it really does help to pump a little to relieve engorgement in the beginning so baby can latch, and is always nice if you HAVE to be away for an emergency, get stuck in traffic, etc. and are extra-full.

I BF my daughter until she was 3.5 yrs, so if you have any questions at all, feel free to message me. I had a really rough start for the first few weeks with latching on, etc. and I found that being around and talking other women who know what they are doing really helped me. I *highly* recommend going to a La Leche League meeting or two before giving birth if you can, and if not, definitely go after the baby is born!

Oh, and "Way to go!" for choosing to breastfeed! :)

-Amanda
aspiring IBCLC

Get an electric one - you can rent it because they are expensive and you don't know how long you will need it - they are about $30 per month. You can get them from the hospital.

I used that when I had my son and I was a stay at home mom. It makes pumping easier and less stressful. My sister had a manual pump and it was too hard so she never used it.

Even with the electric pump - it still takes 20 minutes to pump on average.

I have a hand one and an electric pump in style advance and I used them only a hand full of times at most only to relieve engorgement mostly and one time maybe to make a bottle which she wouldn't take anyway. If your home your baby will most likely not take a bottle and you will just end up pumping unless you're out a lot leaving your baby. Don't bother spending a lot - just get a hand held to have it handy. I found it worked more effectively since I did not pump regularly. It takes more time to start up but then once its going it is good and ready.

M.

I would not buy anything until after you deliver, you will have a better idea how breastfeeding is going by the end of the first week.

With my first I bought the Avent Isis hand pump, and like everyone else loved it. However I only needed to pump the occasional bottle for dad, and a little bit in the beginning to relive engorgement.

My second (born in April) is a lot fussier. For the first four weeks I had to pump before every single feeding, and sometimes after (long story, she was a sleepy baby loosing weight...) Now at 6 weeks I pump just once or twice a day. However after 6 hours at home it was clear the isis was not working as well as the Medela I had in the hospital and I bought one that day, I got the Medela PIS and its great! (I have a great lactation consultant who sells/rents equipment at great prices and she brought it to me that day!).

So you never know what will happen, what you do (SAH or WOH- I SAH by the way) doesn't matter, their can be complications or issues beyond that. Good luck!

Hi M.,

I am a SAHM of 3 (41/2yr boy, 3yr girl & 9mo girl). I used the Avent Isis hand held pump for all 3 & it worked great. Small, compact and it could be used anywhere. Just pump when you begin to feel "let-down". That is like a tingling of the chest...you'll know when ya get there.

Good luck with your pregnancy & Congratulations!!!
C.

for mt first i used the breast pump they gave me at the hospital (you need to ask for it) once i was home i only used it to relieve the pressure of engorgement. i breast fed my first 9 months and my second i am feeding now. an expensive pump is not nessisary. save your money for other things. besides... giving baby a bottle of breast milk may hinder the latching process. good luck and if you need help there is always LLL.
T.

Hi M.,
You may not even need one, but like some of the other moms said, it is nice to have one on hand just in case. I used an avent manual pump when I was going to be away (which wasn't often, but it was still nice to have. When my daughter was born, I was induced and my milk didn't come in right away. I rented a pump from the hospital to help that along. It would take forever with a hand pump. So renting is always an option. Good luck and enjoy your new little one (our next one is due in August too!).
E.

Hi M.,

I bought an electric pump, just because I couldn't get the manual one to work. I must say that I really didn't use it much. With being a stay at home mom, I rarely gave my daughter a bottle, and besides that, she never would drink from a bottle anyway. When I wasn't here to nurse her, I nursed her before I left and then as soon as I got home. If you plan on being away from your baby for a long period of time though, an electric pump is just so much easier to use. Though it is much more expensive.

I loved nursing my baby, and she nursed until she was around 16 months. Lots of luck and congrats!

Congratulations on your baby! Since you are going to be a stay at home mom, I would think you might not even need a pump, especially if you schedule feed. You will always know when the baby needs to eat and you can plan around that. If you do need to pump at all, I really like the Avent Isis hand pump. I would suggest to you to try pumping sooner rather than later, though. I waited until I needed to (about 6 weeks) and had some trouble. I wish I'd have tried earlier, just to get the hang of it, and get my body used to the idea, so to speak.

M.:

You have some great suggestions already. Having a pump is not a "necessary" purchase when having a baby. Some mothers never pump, some hand express, a hand pump is an option ( this isis excellent) some mother want to have an electric pump. One mom rented a hospital grade "just in case"... so think about what will make you feel better.
Hollister makes an excellent pump comparable to the Pump in Style but for significantly less money.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

Congrats!The best pump for me was the avent handpump. Simple and easy to clean. My son nursed every other hour, and I had a lot of milk. The pump was a life saver, and he also took to the avent bottles the first week he was born, so if I had to leave him for a couple of hours he adjusted just fine. I would purchase this one before spending the money on electric pumps or renting. It is worth every penny and the avent mircowave bottle steralizer was also my favorite item.