Looking for the Right Breast Pump

Check with your ob's office or your lactation nurse. They often have lots of info regarding places in your area that rent pumps or places to find good deals on pumps. You could get a decent pump for cheap.

Do you use WIC? I had my son in April and I was breastfeeding him until I got sick. I had my pediatrician write me a prescription for the Medela breast pump and I was able to take it to Miller pharmacy in Fremont and was able to rent it for free for a year. It might be something to look into.

The medela single electric is a great part time pump. It's not very expensive but can hold up well.

I exclusively pumped with it for almost a month and although it's not designed to work that much, it was great. Medela's customer service is awesome too. I had a PISA that was 3 years old and was having problems. Medela sent me a replacement part for free - can't go wrong with them!

I used the Medela pump for both of my babies and I think it was very much worth it. But if you're not going to use it again $300+ is a lot pay for a pump. You may want to call your insurance and see if they will reimburse you for the pump. Some plans will cover the cost of a breast pump. You might have to have a "medical need" for having a breast pump, but it could be covered even if you're going to be separated from your newborn. (I know you said you'll be working only a couple of days and your baby can come with you, but you can tell them you have to work.) This link has some info:

http://www.breast-pumps.com/reimbursement_guide.htm

I know there is more information out there, but here's a place to start. I hope this helps and congratulations!

I only used the Avent hand pump:
http://www.breastpumpsdirect.com/Avent_Isis_Manual_Breast...

So I can't compare it to an electric, but it worked fine for me, since I mainly BF.

I like the Medela Swing. It's a great electric pump. I used with my now 16 month old and it worked great. I found it 1/2 off at a store, sells normally for $150. Or find a used Medela pump. I have Medela Pump In Style I'm trying to sell- used only on one child for about 10 months.

check w/ public health or a medical supply store. They lease them out, all you have to buy are the tubes.

Have you double checked with your insurance company yet? Most major insurance plans will pay all but $50 for you to buy a breast pump. Others will pay for you to rent one.

Honestly, I used a small Medela with my 5 yo and when I accidentally dropped and broke it I bought one at Walmart. It was awful! The comfort of the Medela had me buying the more expensive model with my 1 yo. However, the small $80 electric (plug-in / battery) that just did one side at a time worked wonderfully!
J.

Most insurance companies will buy you a breast pump when you give birth.

Breastfeeding has SO MANY health advantages including research that shows a reduction in the incidence to asthma.

Apparently, insurance companies value the health benefits. Breast fed babies benefit from the mother's immunity so it stands to reason they will require far fewer trips to the doctor.

Also medical supply stores or specialty stores will often offer pumps for rent. As someone else indicated you may need to buy your own plastic tubing.

I used a Lansinoh double electric pump and it worked fine. It had a lot of the features of the more expensive pumps, but I got it at Target for a lot less than the Medela pumps.

My insurance paid for my Medula, have you checked to see if yours does before buying a cheaper one? Also, I have seen many of them for sale, and know that at some point, I will be selling mine which I used for all of two weeks, maybe you could get a very gently used one for not much money.

My experience with the handpumps is that they don't work at all. We couldn't afford an electric one, but my hospital gave me a hand one. I was determined to make it work and did everything I could, but to no avail. Some people sell their old pumps and then you can just buy new attachments for it. That would run about $100. Also, some insurances cover it if the doctor prescribes it for you. My sister was actually able to get an electric travel one that way.

I know in the town that I live in I can rent a hospital grade pump and insurance will pay for it. I know there are other places too where you can rent one, many medical stores will have them. I am all for using hospital grade pumps because they are much more efficient. I just stopped pumping because I have no more room to put the milk and with my schedule it works better for my daughter to get bottles of breast milk, any how I have a Medela Pump in Style that I bought when I was pregnant with my first daughter and it has held up well the second time around. With not wanting to spend such a hefty amount, I would look into renting one.

I bought a playtex pump because it was on sale for around $125 and it worked great. I think they are all good if you get an electric pump that is hospital grade. Just look around for the best prices. Hope this helps!
A.

I thought the Avent Isis manual pump was just about as good as electric for occasional pumping. It was about $50 and really useful.

Lots of hospitals have rental programs. Also you might look into maternity specialty shops as they rent them also. Usually you can rent them for $15 a month, which will save you. You can also just buy the small parts and go to places where you can "hook up" and pump. The tubes and such are very inexpensive. Good luck.

For the first few weeks of breast feeding, I rented a Medela pump for a few dollars a day ($3 I think) from Fairview Southdale Pharmacy. I then ended up buying a new Medela pump. In the hospital, don't forget to ask for the attachments. They will give them to you and then you don't have to buy them.

Some insurance companies will cover the cost of a breast pump, so you should look into that. I got a great deal on the avent isis electric pump!!! I absolutely love it!!! the pump I got actually worked as electric but doubled as a manual pump as well. I never used the manual because the few times I tried, it just seemed to take much, much longer( and my hands would get tired). But Avent is the way to go!!!

I don't know if you would consider buying a used pump. I am about to list mine on Craig's list. It is a Medela Pump in Style Traveler. It is the backpack style. I used it occasionally for my daughter, but I am a stay at home mom, so I didn't need to pump much. My son wouldn't take a bottle, so I pumped only a couple times. I live in Minnetonka. If you are interested in my pump, e-mail me through Mamasource.

I have the Lansinoh double electric breast pump and got it off amazon for $125. I've never used anything else, so I can't compare it, but I've been happy with it. I also couldn't justify the $300 expense and this works great. I ended up being a full-time pumper, and this has done the trick.

The medela single electric pump is pretty good too. Its battery powered or electric and is really small. It can work as a handpump too. I really liked it. I liked the avent hand pump okay too. It worked pretty well with my first son but not so much the second time when I was pumping for my younger son.

I've breastfed 4 babies and have tried different breast pumps. Once you've used a Medela, none of the others measure up in my book. Since you can have your baby with you and don't need the pump as often, I recommend you get the single electric Medela breast pump. I think it runs around $75.00 - I could be wrong, that is what it was the last time I checked and it's been a while. I have the single pump and it works great!

check with your insurance company! many people dont know that their insurance company will cover the costs of a breastpump - so its likely tht you might be able to get the medela for free! :D

otherwise, its up to you. ive used both, and electric is easier to use, but can be tricky to get positioned correctly to actually get something pumped out. handheld can be VERY draining on your hands and wrists, but i found it got more milk out than the electric. i had a handheld with a rubberish piece that fits into the part on my breast - so i used that piece on the electric pump LOL.

good luck. its so hard to find out what works best. its not something you can just "try on" :D

I had a friend that purchased a used Medela pump from a "Once Upon a Child" store and then just purchased a new set of plastic tubing. I also know that "Just Between Friends" or "JBF" (a twice annual children's consignment sale) has these for sale and they're usually pretty reasonable (again, used). You'll likely be able to sell it when you're done with it too...so keep that in mind when you buy it...the better condition it is when you buy it, the more $$$ you'll likely be able to sell it for too! Good Luck!

Hi K.
I used the Avent hand held pump and really liked it.

I agree with the other posts below, the Avent Isis handpump is great! I had that and then also borrowed my sister's Medela pump in style when I went back to work and was pumping more often, but I was just as fast with the manual pump as the electric one.