OT:Need Reccomendations for Br. Pumps.

[rt2dz]

Just wanted to add a few notes...

Breast milk will keep up to 6 months (used to say 3) in a regular freezer, and up to a year (used to say 6 months) in a deep freezer. Of course, alsways check for unusual smells & discolarations.

I don't agree at all about waiting until baby is born. If you can start pumping from a few days out, you'll have a supply on hand when you might need it at the spur of the moment. My 2nd DS got sick at 2 weeks and then needed to nurse so frequently, it was several months before I could even get the chance to pump.

Even a SAHM will find pumping regularly (or having a nicer double electric pump) to be a great benefit. You never know when you'll get sick and need to pump-n-dump due to medicine, or God-forbid something were to happen to you. Much better to have a frozen supply on hand and have a baby who'll take an occasional bottle. To get to sleep through one of the night time feedings can be a godsend. If you have older children (or plan to have more), a nice electric double pump can speed the time it takes for you to pump and spend the time with the older kids.

And don't forget milk supply is all about supply and demand. When your child drinks less, you start producing less (over time not overnight). That's why when your child goes through a growing spurt, they start eating more often and longer--to up your milk supply. Pumping can help keep it up if it is a temporary decrease (ie, sick child).

If you buy a used pump--any pump regardless of brand, electric or manuel--, you need to buy all new tubes and suction cups, etc. You can only re-use the motor. I've known some people who have gotten great deals off ebay on new pumps and don't forget to check out comparison shopping websites to get deals. Just googling it can give you lots of online stores to price compare with.


I'd also like to recommend a GREAT book to have on hand. We (DS#1 and I) had A LOT of problems with bf'ing in the beginning--even the lactation consultant told me that I'd given it my all and if we couldn't get it, not to feel bad. I went through soooo many books, but this is the one that saved it all for us (we went on to bf until he self-weened at 9 1/2 months)--The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver by Claire Martin with Nancy Funnemark Krebs. Foreword by William Sears and Martha Sears. ISBN # 0-684-85784-7. It has been my lifesaver with my other kids, who nursed longer. I find this book better than La Leche, sorry.

 

[PaulaSue]

Ditto a double Medela

 

[Dani&Pao'sMom]

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...

Just ignore them! Yes, the bond it creates is great.... I must insist on the bottle everyday... I know every baby is different, my friend's oldest DD was exclusively bf up until 10 months... her first bottle and she took it like a pro... my oldest had a bottle everyday for her first 3 weeks of life... after that I felt very confident I had mastered the bottle issue.... until I got sick and you know the story... don't risk it! feed her once a day with your milk (you can share with hubby ) and you'll get peace of mind.

I just want to confess my ignorance... I didn't know you could only re-use the motor. I thought that it was enough to sterilize the suction cups I had recomended to borrow from a friend or rent different pumps before deciding what to buy (budget wise it would be my best approach) however, if there are issues regarding the suction cups etc it might not be the best. I had shared both electric -painful- 1st Years pump and Avent pump with a friend... had I knew what I learned here... Does this apply to any electric pump or just Medela?

As I said in my first post, had I had my way, I would've bought Medela PIS because of the great reviews (as you can see here) but I tried Avent first and had a great experience and couldn't justify the purchase of another one when I didn't have a complaint on Avent. Now, I won't know what I missed since we are not planning on another baby!

OT: I couldn't find the post where it says that about 6 months the milk supply was decreased.... the same happened to me. I was pumping 8 oz each time and by 6 months it decreased to 5 but it was about the same time DD started on solids. I've checked with some friends and the same happened to them. It seems to me that since they are eating food, they need less milk.

 

[Honeybehr1]

My son was a preemie and I pumped for the first three weeks. I rented one from the hospital and it worked great for us. He wasnt able to latch on and it was a horror so we kept with the bottle. I am glad we didnt rush out and buy one.
I did get one to take home from the hospital that was a manual one and I hated it, hence why Dh called and rented an electric one

 

[pjupton]

I had recomended to borrow from a friend or rent different pumps before deciding what to buy (budget wise it would be my best approach) however, if there are issues regarding the suction cups etc it might not be the best.

A new collection kit (flanges, tubing, etc) should be purchased for each user, regardless of if the pump is designed for single or multiple users. Also, flanges (breastshields) actually come in different sizes, so if one size isn't comfortable, a larger may size feel better.

OT: I couldn't find the post where it says that about 6 months the milk supply was decreased.... the same happened to me. I was pumping 8 oz each time and by 6 months it decreased to 5 but it was about the same time DD started on solids. I've checked with some friends and the same happened to them. It seems to me that since they are eating food, they need less milk.

More than likely, this is was NOT a sign of decreasing milk supply, but instead an issue of "pump resistance". Around 4-6 months, milk changes from being made all the time to being produced on demand as baby nurses. This is why many moms notice they feel less full around the same age even if they never pump and actually see milk output in bottles. A pump simply isn't as effective at telling mom's body to "make milk now" as a baby is. The best way to measure milk supply is to look at the baby, not the pumping output. I still developed pump resistance and found I could get very little milk for the pump (less than an ounce per side) but I had two growing, thriving boys who ate little in the way of solids, so I figured that all was well.

How to tell if baby is getting enough milk?
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/enough.html

I was the one who suggested to the OP that there probably was no need to pump daily and build up a huge freezer stash. I hear of so many moms that knock themselves out pumping only to find themselves with a freezer full of old milk a year down the road, or even worse, a raging case of oversupply because they are feeding the freezer as well as the baby instead of letting the baby regulate mom's milk supply. Nothing wrong with the occasional bottle, but for a SAHM with no real supply issues and not planning long separations from baby, excessive pumping can create more problems than it solves.

 

[KristiKelly]

I use the Medela Pump In Style. I bought it when my oldest was born in 1997. Used it again in 1999-2000 with DD. In 2002 I loaned it to a friend who moved to Louisiana while using it and then moved to Colorado. I contacted her when I was pregnant with baby #3 and she had "misplaced" it but said she would buy me another one. I never saw the "other one" and never heard back from her. I started looking on the internet and contacted the lactation consultant at our Hospital about the Medela compared to Ameda. She said that they sold both but recommended the Medela. She said that "if something goes wrong with it, Medela is easier to deal with". Also, the hospital has replacement parts for Medela that I could have for free so I bought another Medela. The Medela Pump In Style is worth every penny. Contact a lactation consultant at your local hospital and get her thoughts. Good luck!!!

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Like others here, I have used the Medela Pump in Style and the Avent Isis. Although I preferred the Pump In Style, I think the Isis sounds better for you.

I pumped a lot, and I have tough titties , so I really needed the strong suction of the electric to get it flowing. The Isis has a soft, silicone insert that goes in the breast shield that makes it so much more comfortable. For me, it was too comfortable, but you say you have sensitive breasts, so I think you'd be happier with the Isis. Plus, if you're SAH, you won't be pumping enough to really need the double, electric action. The Isis was fine for a weekend trip that I took, and occasional use, although sometimes my hands got a little tired squeezing that trigger over and over.

 

[cwnhokie]

I bought mine, I think it was Pump in Style, off of Ebay, it was new from a lactation consultant, for huge savings. It came with lots of little extras and online and telephone support. I rented with my first from a pharmacy.