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Rec. your breast pump
I'm looking at the Mendela Pump In Style Advanced (double pump) and am just wondering if it is worth the money. I'm worried that pumping while at school will be tough since my breaks are limited and I only have so much time.
I've also considered the Lansinoh Double Electric pump, which is cheaper. Some people gave it great reviews, but others wish they would have spent the extra money for the Mendela.
What pump do you have? What do you like/dislike about it? Also, any insight about whether or not a single electric breast pump would be sufficient?
Thanks!
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Re: Rec. your breast pump
Ditto! No complaints here.
I used to work for Philips and got a great deal on an Avent Isis IQ Duo. I used to EP, so I used my pump alot. If you're not going to have a lot of time to pump, I'd think you'd want a double electric (or if you're going to be pumping alot).
I liked the Isis. It worked well, was easy to clean, didn't have to worry about anything getting in the tubing. You could pump at any speed you want. It was quiet. The only drawback, which may or may not be an issue is that the flanges don't come in different sizes.
I also have the Ameda Purely Yours. It's actually the same pump as the Lansinoh. I bought it from here if you are interested in looking at pricing:
https://www.healthchecksystems.com/ameda-breastpumps.htm
I bought the one with the carry all bag. The bag screams breastpump but it fits everything nicely. I guess I could always use a different bag. I liked that it came with the extra storage bottles, cooler, etc. Best features are that it's a closed system so you never have to worry about milk getting into the tubing. It has two dials, one for speed (all the way up to let down then whatever you set for emptying) and one for the suction strength. I don't know how other breast pumps are b/c this is the only one I've used but I like that I can control that. I can feel my let down so I like that I can turn that dial once my milk has let down. My friend also has this pump. She has larger breasts than I do and she wasn't getting as much milk in her pumping sessions as she would have liked to. She bought bigger flanges and was shocked at how much more milk she was able to pump. I learned from girls on here that the Evenflo glass bottles, Dr. Brown bottles, and Medela bottles fit onto the Ameda flanges so I have a variety of bottles to pump into.
I've used it while pumping at work and I'm done in under 20 min. I usually pump in my car so I had to order the car adapter from the Ameda site but I found out later that they sell them on several sites.
I would definitely get a double pump and extra bottles if you are returning to work.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
Another rave for the Ameda Purely Yours (same as the Lanisoh). I didnt go back to work, but EP'ed for a couple of months and it was great. I was able to get a lot of milk in less than 15 min most sessions. I like how easy it is to keep clean and of course, you cant beat the price.
I used the Lansinoh and was pleased with it. I EP'd up until last week and it did the trick. I bought it at BRU with gift cards I received from my shower!
For a carrying bag, I just used one of the free diaper bags my doctor's office gave as a "free gift".
Good luck!
Thanks for all of your comments! I think I'm going to add the Medela to my registry and see if I get it.
Are the storage bags a waste? Best to use the bottles? Or do you have to use the bags? Can you tell I'm new to this?
My Ameda wrks great so far (10 mins to empty 3 oz. at this point), but I haven't tried double-pumping, yet. I think it will save a ton of time when I head back to work, though. If you don't get the Medela for your shower and want to buy a quality pump for a consderable amount less, here's where I got mine.
As for bags, they're the only way I know of to freeze and stock up on BM for future use. If you want to use the pumped milk in the next day or so, pumping into the bottle is fine, but the bags save a ton of space in the freezer and the're easy to label with date and amount.
I pumped into the bottles and then transferred to bags when I got home. Not sure if this was a good idea or not (more stuff to clean each night), but the bottles fit nicely in the cooler pack that comes with it, and I don't know that the bags would.
Oh, here's a tip that someone gave me and it helped a lot. Buy an extra set of the parts that connect to the bottles and tubing (the elbow adapter thing and the breast flanges) so that you can pump 2x during the day without having to clean parts. I've also heard that you can store the parts in the refrigerator between pumpings so that you don't have to clean them each time.
LOVED my PISA! As a working mom, I will attest to the benefits of a double pump in terms of pumping in a short period of time. I used mine for 11 months. If you don't get lucky enough to get it as a shower gift, I would recommend visiting the 2nd and 3rd trimester boards, as people are always posting links to discounted PISAs.
The Lansinoh bags worked great for me. I pumped into the bottles (I don't think the measurements are correct on the bag, because of the way they fill with liquid) then poured into the bags. I was able to label them with the date and oz. and then store them in the large freezer bags in our deep freezer. I never had a leak. Good luck!
Buy an extra set of the parts that connect to the bottles and tubing (the elbow adapter thing and the breast flanges) so that you can pump 2x during the day without having to clean parts. I've also heard that you can store the parts in the refrigerator between pumpings so that you don't have to clean them each time.
I totally agree!!! I bought an extra set and that was a lifesaver during the day. I also loved the microwave steam clean bags.
This is exactly what I did. I agree that you'll probably want to use bottles to check the oz before going into freezer bags. I forgot about this. I stored 4oz in a bag. You'll definitely want to know how much is in the bag before freezing it.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08