Breast Pumps

kvh22

It's a little early but lots of discussion happening already so let's consolidate it all in one place so everyone has it for reference when it comes time to order.

Everyone in the US should be able to get one for FREE through insurance. Apologies to those in other countries as I'm not up on all of that elsewhere.

Discuss...

mrskoz428

I haven't reached out to my insurance about what kind of breast pump they would cover. However, I was looking at the Medela In Style Advanced. It has some of the best reviews from both customers and "experts". Idk though, it's close to $200.

eatinwatermelonseeds

@mrskoz428 I believe that's the one I had. I really liked it and I believe it's the only reason I made it as far breast feeding as I did. But I honestly didn't really have a choice since it was just given to me by the LC. It's very nice though. 

anonellis

I had a strong preference for the Spectra S2 over the Medela Pump in Style Advance.  I also paid to rent a hospital grade pump the whole time I was pumping (over a year...ouch that was expensive) and actually felt like the spectra and the hospital pump were comparable.  My insurance covered Spectra, although they told me I could order from one of three companies and only one of those companies carried it.  

The Medela PISA I think is more ubiquitous and it’s slightly easier to find Medela spare parts (although amazon prime has everything!) and as far as I know is the most commonly covered by insurance.  

Some people love manual pumps but they are MUCH cheaper so don’t waste your free insurance pump on one of those!  

mrskoz428

@eatinwatermelonseeds I'm going to reach out to my insurance and see what they offer. I have the above on my baby registry and hopefully someone covers it for me. :-)

DuchessOfCambridge

If you go to www.healthybabyessentials.com you are able to fill out your insurance info and they tell you right away what pumps are covered. I’d urge the use of the website for an easy first step to see what’s covered for you!

My insurance states in their guides they only cover Ameda and Medela pumps. This is not true. I had a much bigger selection on the website and paid $75 for the Spectra S1, but could have gotten the Spectra S2 for free. When you put your insurance info into the site, it only tells you what is available for you, it won’t allow you to order it until you get a Rx from your provider. They also have a great helpline if you want to talk to someone about it.

kvh22

@mrskoz428 I would recommend taking it OFF of your registry unless you figure out you can't get a free one through insurance. No need to waste someone's generosity on something you can get for free (although, look at it as paying for it with your premiums, so you've already paid for it)!

kvh22

@DuchessOfCambridge I have heard that some people need a prescription from their doctor but that was not my experience. My insurance knew I was pregnant so all I had to do was input the info and the medical device provider mailed it to me. I compared their prices (I used Aeroflow) to amazon and actually found a few parts were cheaper than anything I could find elsewhere so I ordered those from them, too. I didn't know what bottles DD would like so got adapters from the Spectra to Madela bottles as I got a great kit for milk storage off of my registry from Medela. The adapters were $4 each. She ended up liking the Philips Avent Bottles which work with the Spectra but I pumped into the medela storage bottles with the adapters for freezing smaller portions since it was so much simpler to wash.

mrskoz428

@DuchessOfCambridge sadly, my insurance provider isn't on their list! I'll just have to call later on. My registry isn't active right now and probably won't be until we know what we are having, I just have it built so I can share it quickly.

eatinwatermelonseeds

@mrskoz428 mine wasn't either, but I was able to go to my insurance website and find it. 

eatinwatermelonseeds

@mrskoz428 nevermind I lied. I didn't find brands 😂

anonellis

@mrskoz428 if you’re planning to go back to work, it’s great to have two pumps, one to leave at work and one to have at home.  Maybe it’s because I live in a city and commute via public transportation but I would have gone nuts lugging a pump back and forth in addition to everything else.  I had one I paid for and one free from insurance.  

A lot of people don’t end up pumping for as long as they’d planned for various reasons so I don’t know whether it’s worth it to register for an extra or whether it makes more sense to wait until you’re actually going back to work and then pay for one yourself.  

DuchessOfCambridge

Oh boo, I didn’t give all that great help 😂 @kvh22 I had no idea some people didn’t need a Rx, good to know! Makes sense, like I’m pregnant, give it to me. I haaaated the Spectra bottles. We did Avent, the Spectra ones always leaked for us for some reason

anonellis

@DuchessOfCambridge is the benefit of the S1 that you can use it on batteries?  I have a free S2 that I loved and didn’t see an option with my insurance to pay a little for an S1, but may try to figure out how to do that this time...

mrskoz428

@DuchessOfCambridge it’s awesome if your insurance is listed! 
@anonellis I am a teacher, so I have a feeling I won’t be able to pump as long as I wish. I don’t really know how often one has to pump, but I will really only have two opportunities per day, max, since I’m with kids the rest of the day.

DuchessOfCambridge

@anonellis yes, it doesn’t need to be plugged into the wall. Agree on the second pump, a mom at my old job gave me her S2 so I could keep it at work and it was awesome. I also commuted via public transport in a city so it might not be as big a deal with a car. 

@mrskoz428 there is a mom in my BMB with DS who is still nursing and pumping and is also a teacher! I’m sure every school is different but they are legally required to allow you time to pump. The mom I know works really hard at it, I know I personally would probably have quit much sooner. When I was still working I would pump twice a day and that was enough for me. Also, ive never tried it but I know a lot of moms who pump in their cars while driving to work/home. I don’t know how it works haha but it can be done!

anonellis

@mrskoz428 I pumped 2x/day at work.  I didn’t go back to work for 5 months though, not sure if I would have needed to make 3x/day work earlier than that.  

The thing about it is it’s not all or nothing — if that ends up not being enough but is all you can do, you can always give the baby a mix of formula and breastmilk.  I exclusively breastfed but in hindsight I have no idea why I had an “all or nothing” outlook.  Giving formula once a day prob would have kept me saner. I liked nursing morning and night a lot, though. 

mrskoz428

@anonellis @DuchessOfCambridge so nice having STM+ on here for all of this info! Baby will be just shy of 4 months when I go back to work. We have a 45 minute lunch that I know I will be able to pump during and then hopefully when they have music, art, or PE is well. That’s my hope at least! 

DuchessOfCambridge

@anonellis same with the all or nothing. I stressed myself out sooo much being the only source of my baby’s nutrition. I hope I’m not so hard on myself next time but that’s easier said than done. 

@mrskoz428 I hope it works out and is nbd for you. I used to feed DS at 7 am before I left for work, pump at 10, pump at 1, and then just deal until I got home to feed DS since my supply was lower in the evenings anyway. I left work at 5 and would be home by 5:30. I pumped about every three hours because DS ate about every three hours. 

Im going to be in nursing school this time so I don’t know how that will go. I’ll be in clinicals too so will need to find time to pump...I guess I’ll worry about that when I need to. 

brie_and_almonds

@mrskoz428 I am a teacher, and pumped until my kiddos were over a year old. I pumped twice a day -- once during my 25 minute lunch and once during my planning hour. At the beginning, I would pump directly before and after school too, but that tapered off as my body adjusted.

The most important thing is having as consistent a time as possible so your body gets used to pumping at 8 and 1 or whatever. It was also important to be crystal clear that I was not available for other things during that time -- not extra work with students, not meetings, no I could not attend an IEP, whatever. That time is your legal right if you are in the US, and I was glad that it's protected because I needed it.

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f

@brie_and_almonds Such a good point about being strict with others that your pumping time is off limits. I pumped for a little less than a year at work and I can’t tell you the number of meetings ppl just booked right over my pumping time. I’d be dyinggg at the end of the day. Luckily it didn’t hurt my supply, but for others it could be a real dealbreaker.

optbaby2017

I said some of this on the other thread, but will repeat it here, too.

I have the Spectra with the battery and pumped with it for right about 12months.  Even though I did most of my pumping in my office, it was super helpful to have the battery, so that I didn't have to mess with the power cord.  There were times that I pumped in my car, at work conferences, and at home and I never had to worry about being near an outlet or forgetting my power cord somewhere.  My insurance would have covered the non-battery one 100%, but the medical supply company allowed me to upgrade for a small charge (call around to different medical suppliers, they each stock different brands).  I know many moms who prefer the Spectra to the Medela.  It's more customizable, and is a closed system so more sanitary.  Downsides, there are extra parts to clean (the backflow parts that make it a closed system) and the parts are not as readily available (Medela stuff is in every Target/Walmart, some Walgreens/CVS, was at BRU, etc.  Spectra stuff you can only get through medical supply stores or online), so you will want to keep an extra set on hand.  Spectra pumps into wide-neck bottles like Avent, which DD liked.  You can get adapters to use other bottles, and also adapters to use Medela flanges if you want.

I pumped every 3hrs at work, and usually had to pump 3-4x in a day to get the amount of milk I needed.  I found that more frequent, shorter sessions worked better for me; a co-worker could do just 2 sessions a day, but it took her at least 30min each time.  Since I have a private office and a chunk of my work is solo, at a computer, I was able to pump while I worked.  Days that I had more meetings I had to be more creative and that's when I usually pumped during my drive time.  I also set really strict boundaries with work if I knew I needed to pump at a certain time and would block that time on my calendar so that it couldn't be scheduled over. One thing to know is that if/when your period comes back, you will probably experience a drop in your supply during the few days before/during.  During those times I added in a pump session after DD went to bed.

expandcontract

Hmmmm I see there's lots of support for the Spectra! I don't remember my last BMB favoring it so much.  I had a shitty time pumping because my right breast wouldn't get pumped at all for some reason. It definitely made milk but I had to manually express it with my hand.  I even tried a manual pump with no luck. I used the Medela PISA and at least on my left breast it worked well.  I will say though,  I absolutely hate the Medela bottles and nipples. There's nothing built in for air to escape through which I now know contributed to my daughter's awful acid reflux. Avent Natural bottles are now my favorite.  

DuchessOfCambridge

Oh yes, I also like the closed system of Spectra. Don’t need to clean those tubes. 

MaggieG183

I had a Medela In Style and it was ok. For a mom with a very slow let down, but plenty of supply, I learned that I needed to “hands on” pump and massage to get everything out. I also rented a hospital grade pump and while my insurance didn’t cover it from my end, I was able to get a perscription for it for my son as he stopped nursing at 4 months due to my let down and his poor latch. If you end up needing a different pump or something that does a better job after already receiving your free pump, getting your baby a prescription may be a route you could take so it’s less of a financial burden. It ended up being 100% covered by insurance - $70/month for 6 months. The prescription would have lasted for a year had we needed it that long but the hospital grade pump got so much out that I was able to stockpile enough milk to last my son to 13 months after I stopped pumping at 9-10 months.

Anyone know much about Freemie or the Whisper handsfree pumps? I’m hoping my let down is different this time around, and I’m considering one of these for pumping when baby is napping but I can’t stop and pump because of a crazy 2 year old running around.

kvh22

@mrskoz428 first of all, with 4 months, you'll have a great opportunity to build up a freezer stash. Once you start solids, it becomes a bit less stressful as well. Also, if you can swing it, pumping in the morning can be super helpful to get it done before work with an extra session but also to up your supply for the day. Apparently pumping in the morning signals your body to make more milk the rest of the day. Id so half an hour in the norning to build my stash whilewon leave and then when DD staryed daycare, i keptnitnup for a bit and only needed 15 mins two other times to get eniugh. You never know how it's going to go. There's nothing wrong with supplementing or completely switching to formula but you could also end up with an oversupply. I don't remember when I dropped my early morning pumping session but it had to have been by 6 months I think. I went down to one session in the afternoon at 8-9 months, then stopped completely at 10 months while just using my freezer stash. You'll have all of us to help with troubleshooting either way but don't stress to much about it yet.

brie_and_almonds

@MaggieG183 I haven't used Freemies, but I had a coworker a few years ago who raved about them. She said she was going to give them as baby shower gifts to every new mom she knew. They sound much more convenient than the traditional setup, but I also have to do breast massage/manual expression while pumping, and I kind-of feel like they would make that pretty difficult.

gabadoo

Love love LOVE my Spectra s2 that I used the 2nd time around so much more than the Medela PISA! It's quiet and much more efficient without HURTING as much time as the Medela - I attribute that to the personalized settings that you can set on the machine in order to pump on the exact setting that extracts the most milk in the least amount of time (it's different for everyone, so that takes some tinkering, but soooooo easy to figure out). I also never found the parts a challenge to clean and it was easier to get brushes to fit into the parts vs. the Medela ones. That being said, Medela parts are much easier to find and since I had so many leftover from baby #1, it was great that there were so many easy adapter pieces that allowed use of all my Medela parts at work.

I'm trying to decide between getting a 2nd Spectra for work use this time thru insurance or possible trying the Freemie system (last time it was covered by insurance, will have to check again this time around). I've also heard AMAZING things about the Willow pump, but I can't justify the cost. I work in an ED where I just pumped in a public workroom with a breastfeeding cover on for the entire time with DS #2 so that I wouldn't miss any potential critical patient care. Plugging in wasn't a huge deal to me and none of my work colleagues/team was bothered by my pumping in public, so I'm not totally desperate for a hands-free system. The Baby Buddha pump is another new one that just hit the market recently and supposed to be awesome, getting even raver reviews than the Spectra on one of my mommy groups, so will have to do some research before deciding.

Def agree with having an extra pump (and spare parts!) at work to avoid lugging the pump around - I take the subway to work every day and could NOT ever imaging having to carry the pump motor back and forth. Also agree with being steadfast about your legally protected time for pumping! Not one ever gave me push back, but if they did, I would have happily gone all out on them about how they could have extended my maternity leave for 1 year instead

Also, another recommendation for the very beginning of the breastfeeding process is to invest in a Haakaa! https://www.amazon.com/Haakaa-Silicone-Breastfeeding-Manual-Phthalate/dp/B01F8W7CF0
This is a great way to passively build a stash while you're still in that leaking phase in the beginning of breastfeeding without having to connect to a double electric pump! I basically suctions onto one breast while you're feeding from the other, collecting any "extra" milk without ANY effort on your part. I loved using it for middle of the night feeds and collected a significant amount with it - and I am NOT someone with any sort of oversupply. I've always had to pump more times a day than my babies fed in order to keep up.

My thoughts for now!

DuchessOfCambridge

This isn't all that relevant yet, but just going to post it here anyway. I had no idea when I started using it that the Spectra had a letdown mode. Game changer!

mrskoz428

I can already tell this board/group will be a lifesaver once LO is here! Thank you guys, already!

ElleJDubs

I loved my spectra s2! It's great bc milk cant get into the tubes!

merrylea

I had the Madela PISA. As others said it was ok. What helped was 1. Learning hands on pumping and 2. Getting a great pumping bra. I also got a car adapter so when I had to leave early for meetings and such I could do it on the go. I don’t miss pumping, but I miss binge watching shows 20 min at a time. 

I also had a madela hand pump. It was great when we were on the go and I couldn’t bring my whole pump bag for whatever reason. Super cheap and worked great.

megsb615

I had the Medela PISA with DS. If I remember correctly, it seems like that was the one everyone talked about then (2016). I’ll have to try the Spectra this time and see if I have better luck. So glad to have this group. I’m sure I’ll probably need some tricks if things still don’t go as planned this time around. 

coffeeislife

I had PISA with my first and I can get a new one since it's been 3 years (a plus in the column for our age gap!). This time I can get a S2 but I am going to pay the upgrade fee to get the S1 with the rechargeable battery. I'd like to be able to pump whenever, wherever this time without worrying about a plug.

k2k2tog

I have a Medela PISA that I'm really looking forward to NOT having to use too much this time around. For my past two babies, I've decided to forfeit maternity leave for career advancing purposes, which is just normal for most of you south of me, but I really regretted going back so early with DD2. (With DD1, I was in school, so I wasn't away from her as much, just occupied with studying.) 

Anyway, my Medela got a lot of use and I have a real love-hate relationship with it. It worked well, or at least, was sufficient - I've never tried any other pump, so maybe another one works better! I have no idea. But it gets the job done. It's heavy. It's loud. It kind of talks to you. 

My supply dropped significantly around 5 months with DD2. I wasn't pumping often enough. One of the benefits of the US and your lack of maternity leave is that there is more support for mothers AT work. Employers are still technically required to provide a space and time to pump, but because so many women don't need it when they return after their year, many don't and asking for it feels like an imposition. So, especially since my library at the time was consistently understaffed, I didn't feel like I could take the time. So, a supply drop, and I ended up putting my pump away completely when she was 6 months old. We nursed when together, and she had formula at other times. It actually worked pretty well, expect that now, at 2, she is SO attached to her bottles that weaning her off them is going to be tough.

aels12

I second a good pumping bra, they have them on amazon and it’s a life saver. I only had one last time but I’ll get another this time to rotate. 

laeberge3

I had Medela PISA and liked it fine but if insurance covers a new one, I'll be going the Spectra route this time.  Definite +1 to a good hands-free pumping bra -- that was a lifesaver when pumping at work. 

DuchessOfCambridge

I used this one based off a recommendation from another mom and it did the job.

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Wishes-Pumping-Patented-XS-Large/dp/B0097GUCZ6/ref=sr_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1541088178&sr=8-6&keywords=simple+wishes+hands-free+breastpump+bra

optbaby2017

+1 for the Simple Wishes bra, though I found that I could get by without it by tucking the flange into my bra and pulling my shirt to hold the top. Also get the name brand one, not an Amazon knock-off. The offbrand ones have terrible zippers. And since you will be using it multiple times per day for months the extra few $ is really not that much. 

aels12

I used the simple wishes one on amazon too

k2k2tog

For those of you who don't have the budget for a pumping bra: I sacrificed a couple old sports bras and cut slits in them just large enough for the flanges. I wore them almost exclusively for a few months and they worked great.