My pump went kaput ;( any suggestions...

NatandRick · March 2010

I'm so upset my Medela Pump isn't working properly anymore ;( I've had it since Mateo was born and have definitely got my money's worth but now I need to fork up some money and buy another one. For those that use a pump, which one do use and do you like it.

I go back to work in April so a good pump is important, need to be able to pump quickly

Thanks,

KT&BG · March 2010

I used the Ameda Purely Yours and liked it a lot. Check out the reviews on Amazon for this one b/c they're very thorough.

I liked that it worked well, it was easy to clean and it was reasonably compact so I could travel with it in the carry bag with other things tucked inside (including my purse).

claudia01 · March 2010

I remember the only 2 my lactation consultant would recommend was either the medela or the purely yours and mentionedd in the pp.

taxbride · March 2010

Sorry--that sucks (or rather, it doesn't suck--hahaha).

First, I would recommend you call Medela directly and explain that your pump stopped working. They may be able to replace the motor (I have heard stories like that). That might be cheaper than a new pump.

Second, I lost my pump to a smash-and-grab car thief last year, and I replaced it with the newer Medela Freestyle pump. I didn't think it would matter that it was portable, but I loved it. The pump worked as well as my old Medela PIS, and it was very convenient to carry back and forth to work. I used the tote bag to carry my water and snacks in addition to my pump and pump parts. Now that I stopped pumping (last week!), I still use the tote bag to carry my lunch and water and anything else that doesn't go in my purse.

The Freestyle has a timer on it, which I didn't think would matter either, but it was actually quite nice to see just how long I'd been pumping at work. It has an auto 2 minute letdown feature followed by the longer pumping action, and you can switch between the letdown and the longer cycles at any time, plus you can set up a memory so that it knows how long to do the letdown and at what strength to do each cycle.

It comes with a handsfree kit, which I used sometimes and was not bad at all. It was a bit intimidating at first b/c of all the parts, but it is actually quite easy once you use it one time.

The cons: the price is steep (although places online like worldwide surgical have better prices--you have to call them to get their prices, but they are the best). The parts are not all interchangeable with the PIS parts: the tubing is different and so is the valve part. You can use the same bottles and, if you used the two-part horn, you can use one part of the old horns.

Oh, and it is quiet on lower settings, but the higher settings are not that quiet. I used to put it in my top drawer at work and close the drawer to keep it quiet. But b/c it was so small and wireless (I charged it whenever the battery started to go, but it would last all week sometimes), that was easy.

Hope that's helpful!!

Tania

allison8878 · March 2010

i have the ameda purely yours and would recommend it hands down. i used it with Quinn and will be using it with baby #2. since the milk doesn't pass through the tubing, it is SO much easier to clean and you don't have to replace parts.

NatandRick · March 2010

Thanks Tania! Good Idea, going to give Medela a call and see what they can do

Albah · March 2010

I loved my ameda purely yours as much as you can love a pump.

It worked great for 13 months and plan to do it again this time around. It is not extremely expensive either. I heard the lansinoh pump is the same but just a different name (found in target). The ameda you can get online or find a lactation consultant that carries it. I got it at the Mercy LC. Good luck!

mrsjessnjorge · March 2010

I also have the ameda purely yours. I was going to go with the medela but with a combination of coupons and free shipping, I was able to get the PY online for about $100. It has worked good for me so far. I like it that you don't have to clean the tubes. In terms of it being fast and efficient at pumping the milk, I'm not sure since I don't have anything to compare it to.

taxbride · March 2010

Just to add that I never had to clean the tubing for my Medela pumps--no milk gets in the tubing ever. So that's not an issue.

taxbride · March 2010

PS: I LOVE that you used the word "kaput"! I love that word!

KT&BG · March 2010

Tania - I just had to comment that I'm really sorry to hear that you lost your pump to a thief, but I would have LOVED to have seen their face when they opened the bag if it wasn't what they expected!

NatandRick - I don't think you can go wrong with either Medela or the Ameda PY. I wish I knew somewhere locally to recommend that you could actually try them out before buying. The Lactation Center at the hospital where my sister lives (MD) actually keeps models of the popular pumps on hand so moms can check them out and decided what they like best before buying.

NatandRick · March 2010

Thank you for all your suggestions!!

Tania I called Medela and looks like we have a fix. DH opened up the motor and cleaned it out, got some temporary tubing (medela is sending me new tubing for free) and switched out the membranes and it's working again. Don't know what happened just happy it's working! woohoo!!

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