Breast pumps

torivega90 · August 2014

This is going to be our first child and I'm looking into breast feeding and pumping. Since there's soooooooo many different pumps and I'm not sure which one to get! Which one worked for you?

erinchrisitne424 · August 2014

There are a few threads addressing this question but as for me I really liked the madela advanced pump in style. Lots of adaptor options and a very high quality pump. The madela advance is many times covered through insurance. Make sure yo call your insurance company to see what they cover before buying one. @torivega90‌

EDIT: Babies R us has all breast pumps on sale for 20% off if you don't have insurance coverage for one. The sale runs through 8/14/14 I will post a photo of the coupon I received in the mail if you would like.

JessAnnJ · August 2014

I would call your insurance company and see what they cover. Try that first before buying something else. I had an Ameda Purely Yours and was happy with it.

melaniedel · August 2014

erinchrisitne424 said:

There are a few threads addressing this question but as for me I really liked the madela advanced pump in style. Lots of adaptor options and a very high quality pump. The madela advance is many times covered through insurance. Make sure yo call your insurance company to see what they cover before buying one. @torivega90‌

I agree with PP. This one worked great for me.

KariAnnM 23 · August 2014

I got the Medela Pump In Style from my insurance but the lactation consultants from the hospital recommended renting the hospital grade pump for at least a month to help establish a good milk supply. I believe its helped me not only provide enough milk for our little preemie but also freeze over 150 ounces so far. (2 weeks since delivery) It's at least something to ask about IMO.

DaniGrace89 · August 2014

Yep, like pp said. Start with your insurance.

Mine covered a double electric pump 100%.

Mewwwwws · August 2014

FTM here - so can't say fully have experience; I've spent time researching on the internet yesterday different pumps but haven't tried any myself. But seems like many people like Medela pumps and they seem have easy to find parts, several interchangeable. I narrowed down to what 'd like to get to Pump In Style or the Symphony based on Lucie's list, amazon reviews, board posts, friend recommendations, LC websites, etc.

For me anyway, and probably other people to is... there's a lot of factors involved... 1.) Insurance coverage - my insurance will pay for a PIS but only help w/ rental cost for Symphony. 2.) til baby comes I have no idea what my supply is going to be like - I might not need the hospital grade of the Symphony. Though it would be nice to be faster w/ the Symphony, if supply is not an issue, then maybe the portability of the PIS would be more helpful. 3.) I'm not sure if or how sensitive / sore breast feeding / pumping might be for me. I've heard some people say Symphony is great for them over the PIS in this realm (not everyone, but some).

So for me what I've decided is to have baby, figure out what supply is like, soreness factor etc. I might buy a little manual pump just to help relieve engorgement if it's impeding the latch. But then at least I'll have a better idea of whether I want to rent the hospital grade versus having insurance get the PIS. Also I'm not going back to work for 4-5 months, so if I choose to rent Symphony but if I don't need it before returning to work, then I wouldn't want to rent it for the months that I don't need it. And if the supply issue is a huge issue for me right from the start, I could always do a short term rental from the hospital or The Pump Station which is near where I live.

So, that's my plan anyway.

Also, FWIW, trying to figure out which pump Blue Cross of California HMO would cover was a pain - the were not that helpful for me anyway. So, instead I went to the Medela website as other PP in other bump threads have suggested and they have a search feature where you enter in your insurance and location and they come up with a list of which Medela pumps that your insurance will cover and which companies provide those pumps near you. Very handy.

wildflower75 · August 2014

KariAnnM 23 I'm so glad to hear William is doing well and WOW, that's a lot of milk you've already stored!
May I ask what schedule you used for pumping? (i.e. how often your pumped and are you exclusively pumping)?

torivega90 · August 2014

So I found out what my insurance covers and it's Harmony Pump-In-Style Advance Backpack, Pump-In-Style Advance Brestpump Starter Kit, or Pump-In-Style Advance On-The-Go. They're all Medela's. Which one???

MsMacual · August 2014

I'm a second time mom and pumped for 10 months at work with my first. I agree that it is best to start with your insurance company as the ACA required pump coverage. Some policies are pretty open ended and simply state any double electric or x number of months of rental on a hospial grade pump while others will give a specific list to choose from.

Second, how often will you use your pump? (i.e. will you be working and need a pump daily once you go back to work? Or are you a SHAM and just need a pump for occasional use?)

I used a Medela PIS with my first and have no complaints. I noticed that the insurance version of the PIS doesn't include the carrying bag and some of the accessories (like the ice pack and cooler). I believe that you can purchase those items from Medela, but it is something to think about. I am fairly certain that I will go with a Hygeia pump should I discover that my pump is dead. My biggest reason is that it is a closed system pump so it can be safely resold or donated for another mom to use.

Kellymom has some great information about breastpumps and some factors to consider when choosing a pump- https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/buying-a-used-or-new-pump/

At the end of the day, most, if not all, of the pumps on the market will work great. I preferred my manual pump for the first 3ish months and didn't really use my double electric until about 10 days until I went back to work. That pump was much more efficient once I was working again due to my time constraints, etc.

KariAnnM 23 · August 2014

@wildflower75‌ Thank you. I am exclusively pumping. Partly due to him being a preemie and I'd also like for DH to be able to feed William when he comes home. I started pumping every 2 hours shortly after his birth (That included nights) and continued until 10 days after his birth. Now I am pumping every 3-4 hours, nights included. I have had 2-3 nights where I slept through my alarm and went 7 hours between pumping but I paid for it. My boobs were SO sore. I don't think my results are normal. All the nurses seemed really surprised at the amount I am getting each session. (Between 8-12 ounces each time)

[Deleted User] · August 2014

How does the hospital pump rental work? Does your insurance cover that, too?

Justabean3 · August 2014

deezidee04 said:
How does the hospital pump rental work? Does your insurance cover that, too?

Some cover it and some don't

wildflower75 · August 2014

KariAnnM 23 That's really great! I'm glad it's working so well for you!!

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