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March 2012 Moms
Dewey12
member
Have we discussed breast pumps yet?
Dewey12
member
I'm starting to get slightly overwhelmed with all of the "stuff" I need. I just looked up breast pumps and OMG! Some of them are $$$$$$$.
Any 2+ moms with recommendations?
Help!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Have we discussed breast pumps yet?
I borrowed a Medela Pump-in-Style advanced. The ones you'll probably see referred to most are that one and the Medela Freestyle. One friend also used an Ameda, and I know nothing about them.
You could start by renting one from the hospital or a local lactation place and see if the whole mess is for you before investing. But yeah, they are freaking expensive. And Medela also has the gall to say they are only meant for use by one child, i.e., buy a new one with each kid! Good luck.
This is exactly what I'm thinking of doing. I really want to BF, but I'm also trying to be realistic that it doesn't work out for everyone. I'd hate to pour 100's of $$ into a pump only to not use it because we end up needing to FF.
i second the idea of looking into renting one from the hosp!
also if you are interested you might look into attending some LLL meetings and see what other moms think. oh and you might even be able to find a used one, either through women at the meetings or craigslist. of course you would just buy the new tubing and such like a pp said.
I also have the Medela Pump in Style Advanced, and would recommend it. Yes, it is definitely on the pricey side, but we luckily had enough BRU gift cards from our shower to buy it. If you consider how much I used the thing (and I will use it a bunch with the next kid too), I think it was well worth the money. I would even say that if I had it to do over again, I may even spring for a hands-free one, even if it is more expensive.
One other thought - you might check with your health insurance company to see if they would possibly reimburse. I have heard of this happening, although my insurance did not do this. Or it certainly does no harm to stick it on your registry, you never know if you'll have a generous family member or some friends that pool their money together.
i have the medela free style (i wanted hands free) and I loved it. It worked great (I nursed for 13 mos). However I probably could have gotten the medela pisa because I ended up cutting holes in a sports bra to be hands free. it was easier than the straps that came with the free style.
but the pump itself is fabulous, i loved it (well as much as anyone loves pumping, but that's another issue)
the milk doesn't go through the tubing on the medela freestyle, i know that for sure.
I currently have a Medela single electric pump (can't remember the name), and it's all right if you're an occasional pumper- but when I was EPing, the motor died and I had it replaced at Toy's'R'Us. (But the one I had stated it was only for occasional use, so my bad) My sister has a PISA and she's going to send it to me, since her last child is probably going to start weaning when I'm due and she has a huge stash of BM in her deep freezer. All I have to do is replace the tubing and I think one other thing and it's good as new.
But as far as the comfort- none of them are comfortable, but it's not terrible. As far as speed control, the speed is manual, so you have to adjust it for let-down and after. The double is quicker so you can get it all done at once, instead of having to pump one breast, clean up and move on to #2.
This is what I used with DD1 when I returned to work (pumped 2-3x/day, 5 days a week). I loved their pump & store system as well. With DD2, I mostly used the medela pump at the hospital (she was in the NICU for 23 days, so I would pump during the day there) and borrowed a friends medela something or other (I used my own tubing) to use when I wasn't at the hospital & when she came home.
Right now, I only have the medela harmony (single, manual pump) since I'm SAH, so we'll see if I get anything as I don't know when or if I'm returning to work.
So, I guess I recommend both LOL But the playtex is a lot cheaper.
Wow! I would have never thought to check there - thanks!
Makes sense. I know that's the rationale for why you shouldn't borrow one (although people routinely do and just buy new tubing). I have also heard they lose suction after a while, and I always suspected that was the case with my borrowed PISA.
I was wondering this too! I was thinking that I would store it in the cylinders so it can go into bottles when I am not home...but I really have no idea what I am supposed to do.
This. I loved the medela pump.