OT:Need Reccomendations for Br. Pumps.

[rt2dz]

Get a Medela. It is worth every last penny. I've tried so many and gone through them (they break, don't work well, are uncomfortable) I could have saved money buying my Medela from the get go. I bought mine online from a store out of Canada and save about $200--it was brand new, but also the model from the previous year.

 

[pjupton]

i will be an infrequent pumper as i am a SAHM but have ultra sensitive skin and even a cheap bra irritates EVERYTHING. Thanks again.

If you aren't planning to be separated from baby very much, a double electric pump may be overkill. A manual pump or even hand-expression may be enough for you. If you aren't returning to work or planning long separations from baby, you may find you very rarely need to pump.

Whatever you choose to buy, I'd suggest NOT opening it up until close to the time you need to use it. If you should change your mind or it turns out you need to rent a hospital-grade pump for a while, you can't return a pump after the box has been opened.

Remember, don't complicate your life too much with pumping. Feed the baby, not the freezer! IMHO, pumping just so other people can feed baby is a big waste of time... there are so many other things dad, grandma, etc can do with/for baby and it is so much easier to just nurse directly.

 

[HLAuburn]

My vote is definitely for the Medela Pump In Style. When DD was several months old, I went back to work just one day a week, but I still couldn't have pumped without it! It's fast, easy, and effecient, and IMO, a manual would have never worked!
They're not exactly inexpensive, but it has been worth every penny. You can get good deals on NEW ones (in sealed box) from ebay and if you stop using it or don't need it anymore, you can sell it and recoup some of your costs.

I'd also recommend waiting until the baby comes to really see what your BFinf/pumping needs are going to be.

Good luck and congrats on the baby!

 

[Dani&Pao'sMom]

Hi, congratulations for the baby and congratulations for your decision to breast feed. My DD is 9 months old and she has exclusively drank breast milk. Had I been able to buy anything I wanted, I would've gone with Medela. However, at the hospital they gave me a very very used Avent pump and I just couldn't beleive how easy it was to get the milk flowing with that pump! With my first daughter I used a double electrical pump by The 1st Years... very effective but very painful. I agree with the post saying you should wait until your baby is born... and if possible try different styles before buying. We don't have the rental option over here (that I know), however, I tried with different pumps that I borrowed from my friends and Avent was the winner. Although I must say that if I'm not careful and I twist too much my wrist while pumping it hurts later. I also agree that if you will be with the baby most of the time, a manual pump would be better and stay away from Gerber etc. If you decide to get Avent.... try it with and without the sillicon that holds your breast and "simulates" the baby's suction movements... didn't work for me, easier without that piece. And allow me this piece of unasked advice... please please please feed your baby daily with a bottle of your milk.... although it is much easier to do it directly from the breast... etc... you never know when you'll need it and much better if your baby is used to bottles in case of anything.... my oldest was 3 months, had never had a bottle, I kept going to the daycare to breastfeed (luckily it was very close to my office).... one morning I left her at 7am and at 10am I was in the hospital... gall stones... I was there for 3 days.... she went from 7am to 11pm between crying and sleeping.... until hunger won and she took the bottle... with formula because I was too medicated to give her my milk and I didn't have frozen milk at all!

Well, sorry for the long post it is just that when I had my first I didn't know much and my friends weren't very informative at all!

Karla

 

[Dooda]

another vote for the avent hand pump and bottles

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Karla, wow! thanks for that! i was planning on allowing a bottle just in case. I also really don't want anyone else feeding him. i know that sounds greedy, but other than my husband i was was the sole feeded for our dd although it was from a bottle (she is adopted). i really love the bond it creates. No one understood and everyone made fun of us for it. it hurts but then again what do i care what our families think they are all nut cases anyways! haha...

 

[SylviaL]

My sister gave me her Medela PIS and it has been used for 7 babies so far and it still works well. I am a SAHM and neither of my boys would take bottles. I froze milk, for my own security. Later on, I used the frozen milk (only keeps for 2-3 mos--I can't remember) for their cereal which they both ate until they were a year. My older DS is allergic to cow's milk so the breastmilk worked well. I bought this special bra that allows me to pump both br*sts at the same time and my hands were free. I also used the Avent Isis which I really liked. I traveled with it. I would also bring it if I was going out and knew I would get engorged. Good luck!

 

[mommystieg]

I used an older electric/manual Medela for the first two girls and used the Avent Isis for DD#3. I returned to work and was able to pump with the Isis until DD#3 was 6 months old and started having "production issues" -- I am currently renting a Medela Symphony and it works great. If you are only going to pump occasionally you probably won't need the hospital grade pump.
I saw the comment about how long you could freeze expressed bmilk and I found this: http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/storagehandling.html
Congratulations

 

[Berrygood]

I rented the medela commerical breast pump from a nearby hospital. It was $60 for the first month and then $30 a month after that. I figured $1 a day wasn't too much to give my DD the best. I also invested in the medela handsfree double pumping bra and accessory kit. It allowed me to get set up and keep working while I pumped both sides at the same time. I was fortunate enough to have a private office at the time. I'm a multitasker so even if I was just sitting there, having my handsfree to sort mail or whatever was a big plus. A friend loaned me a pump in style and the car adapter for that was handy, but the rental unit was much quieter so I used the PIS only when we traveled. I had a bag that held the pump and all the parts as well as a cooler section to store the milk so I could keep it in my office as opposed to the company fridge.

HTH

 

[Jakesmom504]

Congratulations! I have the Medela Pump in Style, theh backpack one. I breastfed for 10 months so I got a lot of use out of it, and it worked great. My girlfriend also used her SIL Medela from years ago and it still worked great so I highly recommend it! Good Luck!

 

[DazedandConfused]

Congratulations!! First, I want to say that I didn't read all the posts so please forgive me if this is the same info as others posted. I bought a Medela Pump In Style 8 years ago for my oldest then used it with my 4 y.o. but had medical problems and ended up with a hospital rental which was awesome - loved it! I would have continued with it but insurance wouldn't cover it - but if I hadn't have already spent $180 on the medela pump I would have paid for the rental - it was that good (pumped really fast). Anyway, my neice borrowed and still has my pump in style for her son who is 13 months and she loves it. So, It's gone through 3 babies. The first year I owned it, I worked full time and nursed exclusively for 14 months so, it got lots of use. i had an evenflo hand pump which was aweful but I don't know of others. The pump in style is a great pump but the hospital rental was better just not as econmical. Best of luck with your pregnacy! Congrats again!

 

[my3princes]

I bought a pump in style when my 2nd son was born and used it for 9 months, then again for my 3rd son 4 yrs later. It worked just as well as the hospital grade pumps and I was able to sell it when I was done for 1/2 of what I paid for it. Well worth it.

 

[pjupton]

Just a note about sharing the Medela Pump in Style, buying it used, or selling it when you are done - Medela markets this as a "single-user" pump since the motor is not completely sealed off. Milk could back up into the motor which cannot be thoroughly cleaned. Rental grade pumps such as the Lactina, the Classic, and the Symphony are designed for multiple users since the motor is sealed off. Everyone has their own opinions about the safety of sharing single-user pumps and I can't speak about any other brand than Medela.

http://www.medela.com/NewFiles/faq/preownpump.html

Also, pumps do eventually wear out and lose suction. If you have any concern that your PIS is not pumping as effectively as it used to, you can get the suction checked by someone who sells/rents pumps. I'm sure that sharing it between 2 or 3 moms and several babies would probably void any warranty.

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

I had the Medela Pump-in-Style as well. Went back to work, pumped for about three months and went to formula -- my milk dried up just about the time I finally started enjoying breast-feeding!! It got to where I was taking prescription supplements, herbal stuff, pumping EVERY TWO HOURS (ugh) and still didn't have enough milk.

 

[Colinsmom]

I strongly recommend that you don't make a purchase until your baby is born.

I don't quite agree. My baby wouldn't latch on consistently at the beginning, and I was VERY glad that I had my PIS sitting at home waiting for me, rather than sending DH out to Target or BRU to buy a pump! Since I was already at home at that point (long story), a rental wasn't as easy to get my hands on.

Definitely leave it sealed in the box, though, so you can always return it if you end up using a rental for whatever reason. Once you open a pump, you cannot return it.

 

[DonnaDavid]

If you're planning on returning to work and you want to start building your freezer stock, then I would also recommend having the pump when your baby is born. You can pump a lot of milk in the first weeks before your baby is taking much.

I also would recommend the Medela PIS and the Ameda PY. The Medela pump should not be shared - Hep B is no fun so why take a chance. The Ameda pump can be re-used as long as you buy new tubing. And the Isis is a wonderful hand pump - comfortable and inexpensive for occasional use.

Congrats in advance!

 

[pjupton]

If you're planning on returning to work and you want to start building your freezer stock, then I would also recommend having the pump when your baby is born.

Great advice for someone heading back to work while baby is still young! The OP has said she will be staying home and just needs to pump the occasional bottle - no need for a huge freezer stash or a $300 pump when a $40 will probably do the job.

I thought all Ameda's were multi-user pumps, thanks for confirming!

 

[ahutton]

I used my Avent Isis for my 2 DDs - both were exclusive mommy-milk until 6 months old, and for both I was back to work at 6-7 weeks old. As long as I stayed hydrated, relaxed when I did it and pumped at the same time of day my supply stayed adequate. I also loved that I could pump and put the whole assembly in the refrigerator and then use that to pump off just enough to help if I was overproducing. The cool pad felt WONDERFUL when I was too full, and I had big issues with that with my 2nd. We didn't expect to have any more kids so I gave it to my cousin's wife - she's on her 2nd baby now with that pump. I bought a new one when I had DS - I tried what they had in the hospital when DS was in NICU - it was awful. Very uncomfortable, terrible at getting letdown.

I loved that I could pump to get things started, to control supply or to manage engorgement. My kids all had different issues with feeding and it was a life saver.

 

[Steph H]

Wow! So glad to see all the positive bf support here for you! It's great to see some many bf'ers.

I used Medela PIS, and will use it when the next one comes in February (assuming it lasts, but I assume it wil). I don't know that you'll need a PIS when you're just staying home and pumping occassionally. I'm on a nursing mothers board (I actually moderate the Pumping forum!), and many SAHMs there give rave reviews about the Avent Isis. If you're interested in the board, which has lots of great bf information, feel free to PM me and I'll send you the URL.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!

 

[Bugsmom73]

Another recommendation for the Pump in Style.