Breast pump questions

cf1126

Does anyone have any suggestions for a type or brand of breast pump? I'm a FTM and I looked online at Target but they range from like $30 to $300. Any and all feedback welcome!

JennaRaek

With DS I had the The First Years Breastflow MiPump Double from WalMart and didn't care for it. It was loud and didn't seem to work as effectively as I thought it should. The one side would lose all suction and was a pain in the ass to get going (and I only used it for 5/6 weeks). This time around I'm borrowing my SILs Medela pump like the one the PP talked about. She never used it as her milk never came in. It has good reviews and everyone I've talked to has loved it. I know it's very expensive and I'm not sure if I would/could buy it if my situation was different. Are you having a baby shower? I got a lot of gift cards at mine. Maybe you could put them all towards a good pump? Just a thought.

I agree, I'd check with your insurance company. However, my company's insurance does not cover pumps. I was super bummed, but nothing I can do about it. There are some loop holes in the ACA, unfortunately.  Good luck!

thompnia

JennaRaek said:

With DS I had the The First Years Breastflow MiPump Double from WalMart and didn't care for it. It was loud and didn't seem to work as effectively as I thought it should. The one side would lose all suction and was a pain in the ass to get going (and I only used it for 5/6 weeks). This time around I'm borrowing my SILs Medela pump like the one the PP talked about. She never used it as her milk never came in. It has good reviews and everyone I've talked to has loved it. I know it's very expensive and I'm not sure if I would/could buy it if my situation was different. Are you having a baby shower? I got a lot of gift cards at mine. Maybe you could put them all towards a good pump? Just a thought.

I agree, I'd check with your insurance company. However, my company's insurance does not cover pumps. I was super bummed, but nothing I can do about it. There are some loop holes in the ACA, unfortunately.  Good luck!

I used the MiPump double electric with my son and absolutely loved it! I brought it back and forth to my college classes and my internship. It worked very well for me.

kylik90

With DD, I used nothing but Medela pumps (high powered and manual). I absolutely love them! This time, I'm lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom so I won't need a high powered pump and I kept my manual. So if needed, I'll have my hand pump. 

Definitely talk with your insurance company and find out if they cover or help cover pumps first before buying one!

JennaRaek

thompnia said:

With DS I had the The First Years Breastflow MiPump Double from WalMart and didn't care for it. It was loud and didn't seem to work as effectively as I thought it should. The one side would lose all suction and was a pain in the ass to get going (and I only used it for 5/6 weeks). This time around I'm borrowing my SILs Medela pump like the one the PP talked about. She never used it as her milk never came in. It has good reviews and everyone I've talked to has loved it. I know it's very expensive and I'm not sure if I would/could buy it if my situation was different. Are you having a baby shower? I got a lot of gift cards at mine. Maybe you could put them all towards a good pump? Just a thought.

I agree, I'd check with your insurance company. However, my company's insurance does not cover pumps. I was super bummed, but nothing I can do about it. There are some loop holes in the ACA, unfortunately.  Good luck!

I used the MiPump double electric with my son and absolutely loved it! I brought it back and forth to my college classes and my internship. It worked very well for me.

I'm so glad it worked for you. I had read so many reviews and when it stopped working right I was disappointed. Maybe mine just had something wrong with the one side. Who knows!

jneden

Agree with PP. Call your insurance company first. A lot of them cover the whole cost. Mine covered the Ameda Purely yours breast pump. It worked great. Also, I recommend getting one of those hands free bras for when your pumping. It gets tiring/boring just sitting there holding the pumps. Its so much better to have you hands free to eat/read whatever!  

minirella

I rented a pump from a medical supply company - they only had Medela. I suffered from low supply and I wasn't in awe of the Medela but it did the job. I had a difficult time finding the right fit on the breastshields. Medela is the only thing I've used so I have nothing to compare it to.

My insurance back then (2010) did not cover pumps but it does now (100%) if I go through one of their specified medical supply companies. I'll be getting another Medela since I already have lots of their storage containers and the shields.

kc192

I had a Medela Freestyle and loved it. I only work a few days a week but I do not have a lot of time to sit around at work and pump, and honestly I didn't want to sit around at home and pump either. I wanted something fast and efficient so an electric double made the most sense to me. I like the freestyle because it can be battery operated so I didn't have to be in a car or by a plug or something to pump. I work outside so this was particularly important to me. And I liked that Medelas had such great reviews and that they were common enough that the replacement parts were easy to find.


ETA: I didn't just sit around outside pumping... LOL my post kind of made it sound like I did! I pumped in my car at work, but loved that it didn't have to be turned on.

mellizzard

I highly recommend you checking out this website https://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=22729026) / calling the Breast Pump Solutions Team (1-855-567-8669). They get your information and contact your insurance company on your behalf and will contact you via e-mail for which pump(s) are covered under your insurance. Then all you do is compare the pump(s) covered and respond with which one you want.

I called on a Monday and had my 100% covered Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breastpump Starter Set delivered within the next week.   :-bd

cf1126

Did not know I could have my insurance pay for it! Thank you ladies, I ended up going with the Medela In-style. I have had to pay for all of my pathology out of pocket and have a pretty large deductible so I had no idea that this would be covered

indianaalum

JennaRaek said:

With DS I had the The First Years Breastflow MiPump Double from WalMart and didn't care for it. It was loud and didn't seem to work as effectively as I thought it should. The one side would lose all suction and was a pain in the ass to get going (and I only used it for 5/6 weeks). This time around I'm borrowing my SILs Medela pump like the one the PP talked about. She never used it as her milk never came in. It has good reviews and everyone I've talked to has loved it. I know it's very expensive and I'm not sure if I would/could buy it if my situation was different. Are you having a baby shower? I got a lot of gift cards at mine. Maybe you could put them all towards a good pump? Just a thought.

I agree, I'd check with your insurance company. However, my company's insurance does not cover pumps. I was super bummed, but nothing I can do about it. There are some loop holes in the ACA, unfortunately.  Good luck!

If you are in the US. your company MUST pay for some type of pump according to new federal law ("obamacare". You might want to recheck

JennaRaek

indianaalum said:

JennaRaek said:

With DS I had the The First Years Breastflow MiPump Double from WalMart and didn't care for it. It was loud and didn't seem to work as effectively as I thought it should. The one side would lose all suction and was a pain in the ass to get going (and I only used it for 5/6 weeks). This time around I'm borrowing my SILs Medela pump like the one the PP talked about. She never used it as her milk never came in. It has good reviews and everyone I've talked to has loved it. I know it's very expensive and I'm not sure if I would/could buy it if my situation was different. Are you having a baby shower? I got a lot of gift cards at mine. Maybe you could put them all towards a good pump? Just a thought.

I agree, I'd check with your insurance company. However, my company's insurance does not cover pumps. I was super bummed, but nothing I can do about it. There are some loop holes in the ACA, unfortunately.  Good luck!

If you are in the US. your company MUST pay for some type of pump according to new federal law ("obamacare". You might want to recheck

It doesn't though. I don't know what loop hole they found, but they did something. I have awesome insurance. I don't pay a dime for anything. But they won't cover a damn pump. I've called twice now. I plan on trying again though. 

kefttsc

JennaRaek said:

indianaalum said:

JennaRaek said:

With DS I had the The First Years Breastflow MiPump Double from WalMart and didn't care for it. It was loud and didn't seem to work as effectively as I thought it should. The one side would lose all suction and was a pain in the ass to get going (and I only used it for 5/6 weeks). This time around I'm borrowing my SILs Medela pump like the one the PP talked about. She never used it as her milk never came in. It has good reviews and everyone I've talked to has loved it. I know it's very expensive and I'm not sure if I would/could buy it if my situation was different. Are you having a baby shower? I got a lot of gift cards at mine. Maybe you could put them all towards a good pump? Just a thought.

I agree, I'd check with your insurance company. However, my company's insurance does not cover pumps. I was super bummed, but nothing I can do about it. There are some loop holes in the ACA, unfortunately.  Good luck!

If you are in the US. your company MUST pay for some type of pump according to new federal law ("obamacare". You might want to recheck

It doesn't though. I don't know what loop hole they found, but they did something. I have awesome insurance. I don't pay a dime for anything. But they won't cover a damn pump. I've called twice now. I plan on trying again though. 

Only if you have a new obamacare policy are they required. I chose to keep my old policy so that I could keep my doctors (obamacare would have made me change the doctors I have seen for 15 years). My policy covers no pumps.

cinderella4282

I work full time and plan to return to work again after Baby #2. I made it through 11.5 months with DD using the Medela In-Style - double electronic pump. I am buying new hoses and shields but hope to use the same pump. It was AMAZING!! I could pump completely in about 15 minutes and then another 5 to clean up.

If you aren't going to be pumping a lot ( i was pumping 4-5 times a day) then a manual or less expensive pump would be perfect for you. Sometimes it is good to wait on buying one until you know for sure that breast feeding works for you and little one. 

I had a few friends that got sucked into it and then breast feeding didn't end up working for them and switched to formula. They had bought the pump and played with it already, so they were stuck with the $250 thing.

Good luck with your decision