Breast Pumps

lisacorine1

I am a  first time Mom, due in Nov.  Does anyone have any suggestions for a good breast pump.  I am also looking for the best bottles. Any help would be great.  Any advice on baby gear would be a great help.

thanks

lisa and "bean" 

jc&cat

Good question. I remember having the same dilemma. I suggest the Medela Pump In Style. It served us well for 11 months. The service of the company was incredible as well! I was down the shore on vacation and the motor burned out (this was after months of heavy use) and they sent me a new pump within 24 hours, no questions asked! Highly recommend.

I would post your question on the 9-12 m or 12-24 m board. Lots of good opinions there.

kross605

I love my Ameda Purely Yours pump (its only 2 lbs which is fabulous since I lug it back and forth to work on the El) and I am a working mom so I used it A LOT. I have also had friends that rave about the Medela PIS. Im planning to get a Medela Freestyle if/when baby #2 comes along. Its more expensive but so nice to be truly hands free and everyone Ive known that uses it loves it. Often your health insurance will reimburse all or some of the cost of a pump so check that out for sure.

Bottles are very baby specific. DD took to Dr Browns very well, which was good for us since she had some serious reflux and those bottles help with that. A lot of breastfeeding moms like the first years breastflow bottles but I personally hated them and so did DD---it all depends on your LO. Id suggest getting a few different varietys and opening them one at a time until you find the type LO likes and then return the unopened ones. 

The book Baby Bargains is really helpful for advice on all types of baby gear and furniture. If you dont want to buy the book, Id check out Amazon or some other online resource that has a lot of reviews of products to get an idea of what the majority of parents/babies seem to like. 

Good Luck and Congratulations!! DD was a November baby too! It was nice to not have to go to work during the multiple snow storms last winter because I was on maternity leave!!

eaglesfan700

Ditto the Medela Pump in Style - that was probably my most treasured baby item.  I cannot fathom how anyone uses a manual pump - they are the worst.

We used Avent bottles and both kids liked them

Ditto the Baby Bargains rec - that book was a huge help.  GL!

tez2101

Hi...I also had the Madela pump in style. It was great, but I wish I would have spent the extra money to get the hands free one. Friends suggested it, but I didn't think it was necessary. However, I never would have predicted the breast feeding issues that I ended up having and eventually I was exclusively pumping. The hands free would have made things a lot easier for me. 

Honestly, I would not by a pump before you see what your situation is going to be. You can always rent a pump for the first month if you really think you want one right away and then buy one once you know what you really need. I even had to rent a hospital grade one for the first month and that was nice, just obviously not portable once I went back to work. The Madela website can give you info on where to rent one (you buy your horns, tubing, etc., so it is sterile!).

GL! 

lisacorine1

Thank you for all of your help!!

TheNewMrsCfont

I also recommend the Medela PIS.  The only downside is that it's not "handsfree,"  which probably sounds useless to you right now but is awesome when you are pumping at work and want to read or work (if possible) while pumping.  The way to remedy this problem would be to buy the Freestyle model or get creative like I did and make the PIS "handsfree" for free.  I took an old bra and cut slits in the cups.  The bottle attachments come apart and can hook in.  I looked like a fembot from austin powers but I was able to dry my hair and put on makeup while pumping in the morning before work.

iristony

All pumps can be hands free.  I use the easy expressions bra/bustier while pumping.  Since my son is still in the NICU (for 6 weeks now) this is amust for when I pump 7-8 times a day.

kross605

iristony:

All pumps can be hands free.  I use the easy expressions bra/bustier while pumping.  Since my son is still in the NICU (for 6 weeks now) this is amust for when I pump 7-8 times a day.

Agreed, I have that bra too! Its a live saver. However, I think what pp meant was that the Medela Freestyle is truly mobile, where you have no cords tethering you to a machine or table and you can clip it on your shirt/pants and walk around and do other things while pumping. The bra option really only allows your arms to be free to do minor things like typing, reading a book, etc. you cant blow dry your hair or clean the house or change a diaper etc with the bra thing on but you could with the freestyle (and a lower level of modesty as you'll still be walking around with a contraption on your nipples!)

joseandelena

I used Medela Pump in style and I'd highly recommend it