q's re: breast pumps!

eacerna · July 2010

I've been hearing a lot about Medeal breast pumps so I am curious to hear what everyone else is using.

- which breast pump do you use?
- why do you like/don't like it?
- where did you buy it?
- do you recommend buying it before or after you give birth?

thank you :=)

inamra · July 2010

- which breast pump do you use?
Lansinoh Double Electric Pump

- why do you like/don't like it?
I LOVE it. It's a fantastic pump for only $100. It's a closed system, works super well, and helped me with my milk production too. The ONLY one downside I can see to this product is that the pump is a little noisy. MH makes fun of it because it sounds like it's squeaking "breast pump! breast pump!" when I'm pumping

- where did you buy it?
Amazon.com

- do you recommend buying it before or after you give birth?
Before giving birth...I was originally going to wait until after, but decided not to last minute and bought it the week before I delivered, which was a good thing because I needed it *pronto* when I realized I wasn't producing enough milk.

mrspresley · July 2010

I have the medela pump in style advanced (PISA). I haven't used any other pumps (to compare) except the hospital grade medela pump and really couldn't tell the difference between them. I can't think of anything that I don't like about it... I do like that it has the dual function with the early phase to stimulate let down and then the 2nd phase for the rest of the session...though usually it only takes a few seconds for me to get a let down when I pump. I got it on super sale at jcpenny.com for $150 (sold out in under 15-30 min if I recall) but you can often get it on sale or with cashback for around $200 or so instead of the $300+ "retail" price.

as to whether to buy before or after, I would suggest buying before but keeping the receipt in case you need to return it. most hospitals have one you can use right after birth (I needed it to help stimulate my milk to come in)...or you can rent one...just in case you end up not BFing you don't want to have an expensive pump. that said, if you think about how much formula costs per week, you can figure out how many weeks you'd have to pump before you can break even so if you are determined to try BFing for at least 4-6 wks it might be worthwhile to get an electric pump no matter what.

Married2MrWright · July 2010

- which breast pump do you use?

Medela FreeStyle

- why do you like/don't like it?

Love it...it's compact, cord-free, powerful...dual stage (letdown and then pump)...programmable memory...

Never did use the "hands free" straps as an option...too much of a PITA to work out (maybe my boobs are too big for them?) and I only pump 5-7 minutes anyway, so hardly worth the effort.

- where did you buy it?

Best deal I could find was at www.breakoutbras.com ... I think I paid $235

- do you recommend buying it before or after you give birth?

I bought a Avent Isis (single manual pump) for $35 two days after Libby was born..."just in case" I needed it to relieve engorgement, etc. I never did need it. I bought the FreeStyle when she was aboutr 4 weeks old and I knew that breastfeeding would work for us. Sadly, at the time I didn't know I produced excess lipase, so all of the milk I pumped from 4-8 weeks (when I finally figured it out) had to be dumped.

MrsZiz · July 2010

I have the Medela pump in style advanced. I got the backpack version that way if I have to carry other stuff (such as baby and diaper bag) I wouldn't have one more thing on my arms.

I love that it has different settings for the intensity and the letdown button. If you let down faster than the 2 min pre-programmed let down, you push the button and it goes to normal pumping mode. I also like that you can buy a car battery adapter, I have it and have used it a couple of times.

I bought it at my work,they gave a stellar deal on pumps to employees. Like $50 off or more.

I recommend buying it AFTER the baby comes, unless you are 100% dedicated to pumping and feeding. That way you know if BF is really right for you and the baby. After day 3 when I knew B had a really great latch and that I was able to BF her without any issues, I sent DH to buy it because I was SUPER engorged and in pain. I know some places won't let you return the pumps even if they are unopened and still in the box. You could always rent one from the hospital for a few days or few weeks to be sure that you want to BF or that it works out for you. I used mine for a few days to relieve engorgement and then didn't use it again until I started pumping to store up from returning to work when B was 6 weeks old.

MrsNJSwimmer · July 2010

I decided to wait, and I'm glad I did. I just rented the hospital one for a week, and since we ended up bottle feeding after that week, I'm glad I didn't spend the money.

MauiWedding08 · July 2010

- which breast pump do you use? the medela pump in style shoulder bag
- why do you like/don't like it? can't think of anything I don't like. I do wish it came out of the bag because I just put it inside another bag for toting to/from work. I use a different cooler bag than what came with it because I just pump directly into 2 8oz glass evenflo bottles and therefore need a taller lunch bag type cooler that I already had laying around the house.
- where did you buy it? just got it at the hospital b/c insurance covered it. They took it out of the box to give me a demonstration - not sure if they had to b/c it was an insurance benefit and classified as medical equipment or what. I never got a bill breakdown but I think they charge the whole $280, but it was still "free" too me b/c I otherwise met my yearly out of pocket anyways.
- do you recommend buying it before or after you give birth? n/a - knew I would get it at the hospital b/c it was the only insurance approved retailer in my area.

lola808 · July 2010

- which breast pump do you use? Medela PISA

- why do you like/don't like it? It's the only one I've used, and it works great IMO. It's easy to tote around. The parts are easy to put together and clean. But it's noisy, so I'm glad I only have to pump at home.

- where did you buy it? Got it at BRU on sale for $220.

- do you recommend buying it before or after you give birth? I bought it beforehand when I spotted it on sale. I kept the receipt and did NOT open the box so I could return it if need be. I wanted to take advantage of the sale and have it ready when I got home from the hospital, and I knew if it didn't work out I could either return it or sell it.

rwright5 · July 2010

which breast pump do you use? i have the first years double mi pump
- why do you like/don't like it? haven't used anything else so don't know the difference. i like that it was only $80
- where did you buy it? target
- do you recommend buying it before or after you give birth? after

myday1708 · July 2010

- which breast pump do you use?

Medela Freestyle

- why do you like/don't like it?

HATE IT. But I'm not sure what else out there is better. Maybe the PISA? I got the Freestyle pump because it's small and was the newest offering from Medela, so I figured it'd be the best. But after pumping 3x at work every day for two months, the motor crapped out on me and I had to call Medela to complain. They do have wonderful customer service and overnighted a new pump to me. SAVE YOUR RECEIPT!! Warranty is for 1 year and I had to fax my receipt in order for them to send me a new pump.

When that happened, I rented Medela's hospital-grade Symphony pump for a month, which I love love love love. Sadly, I couldn't justify $75/month for the Symphony, even tho DH says that would be OK, so I continue to struggle with the Freestyle, which I hate more and more each day. My main problem with it is that I have to fiddle with the parts too often to get the suction to be at its best. And the milk often gets into the pump where the suction cup is, which ruins the suction, so I have to stop, take the pump pieces apart, dry them with a paper towel, and start again.

I would definitely NOT recommend this pump. But I don't know what I would recommend. If money is not an object, rent the Symphony or buy your own. If money is an object, then try the PISA. People I know with that one seem to be happy.

- where did you buy it?

Used a 20% off coupon to buy it at Babies R Us, where we had a $200 gift card.

(FYI, you can save 20% on pumps when you spend more than $400 at the Breastfeeding Center -- Good deal because you can get the pump, pump parts, moby carrier, ergo, bravado bras and tanks, everything you need... most of these things are never on sale. also if you go to the bfing class, they give you a coupon for $10 off a pump rental.)

- do you recommend buying it before or after you give birth?

Either. But if you buy it before, don't open the box and keep the receipt. It would be nice to have it sitting there when you need it. But do NOT open the box in case BFing doesn't work out and you need to return it. We got it afterward, when I knew BFing was a go. We rented a Medela Symphony pump for the first month, then bought the Freestyle when Alexa was around 2 months. I loved it for the first few months when I used it sparingly, only maybe once a day. When I needed it to work for me 4x/day is when I started having problems.

I also recommend buying extra sets of pump parts if you pump at work... I have 4 sets so that I don't have to wash them inbetween pumping sessions, which saves time but does add to a huge lot of bottles and pump parts to wash each night. I also recommend the microwave steam bags for sterilizing and the cleaning wipes too.

parrotgirl · July 2010

- which breast pump do you use? Medela Freestyle
- why do you like/don't like it? I love it so far, i like that it is small and handsfree. I bought a simple wishes bustier and so far, i am loving the handsfree feature of it. I use it about 3x a day and haven't had any problems with it.
- where did you buy it? diapers.com for $277
- do you recommend buying it before or after you give birth? before...but like Malia said, don't open it until you know for sure you're going to BF just in case you need to return it.

eacerna · July 2010

thank you for all your inputs. these are very helpful!!

mrs.winter · July 2010

myday1708:

I also recommend buying extra sets of pump parts if you pump at work... I have 4 sets so that I don't have to wash them inbetween pumping sessions, which saves time but does add to a huge lot of bottles and pump parts to wash each night. I also recommend the microwave steam bags for sterilizing and the cleaning wipes too.

I put my pump parts in the fridge in a ziplock bag so that I don't have to wash between uses (since the milk on the pump parts is staying cold) which has saved me a ton of time.

I have the PISA and love it and agree with the rest of the PISA girls.

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