May 2018 Moms

Product Guide: Breast Pumps

For STMs+:
  • Breast pump used:
  • Link/picture:
  • Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
  • Pros:
  • Cons:
  • Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?:
  • Additional thoughts on breast pumps:
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Re: Product Guide: Breast Pumps

    • Breast pump used:  medela pump in style advanced or PISA
    • Link/picture: https://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/573/pump-in-style-advanced
    • Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): free with insurance but around $299 without
    • Pros: worked well with me but I had an oversupply after pumping because of a NICU stay
    • Cons: lots of parts to wash and not a complelely closed 
    • Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?:  I hear spectra is much better with a closed system and better suction/strength
    • Additional thoughts on breast pumps:  I ended up EP for a while after the toddler decided he would rather have bottles the night before I went back after maternity leave.  It was a great system to have.  Anyone know if the parts are interchangeable between the PISA and Spectra?
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  • Caveat: I SAH and EBF, pumping was not a necessity or an every day thing for me.

    I used a spectra - not sure which one, it looks like either the one I have has been discontinued or remodeled so it looks different.  I have nothing but good things to say about it.  Super portable, closed system, great suction, easy to clean.
    November Siggy Challenge
      
    • Breast pump used: Medela Pump in Style (hated it!) and Spectra
    • Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): Medela through insurance. Spectra was about $125, I think. I did not get the battery one.
    • Pros: I found that Spectra was much more gentle.
    • Cons: Medela always felt too rough to me.
    • Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?: I remember people raving about a different kind, but I totally forget what it was. I'll take a look at my free insurance options (if that still exists in 2018!) and see if I want another one.
    • Additional thoughts on breast pumps: Ugh! I stopped working after a couple of months back in part because I didn't want to pump or give up breastfeeding.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I also liked the medela instyle (got through insurance) and YES ago hands free pumping bras. 
  • I stole the manual medela pump from the hospital. I hate pumping. There is another one I saw recently that I'm interested in, but we'll see. I definitely need a new one because the manual just isn't doing anything anymore. I have heard the spectra is a must if you plan on exclusively pumping. (I hate pumping)
  • edited November 2017
    I don't necessarily have a review because FTM but I purchased the medela sonata due to the other reviews and have tried it out and its extremely quiet and has blue tooth capability to keep track of sessions. Also has different pumping rhythms I think.
  • I'm in the minority and hated the hand free pumping bra!! I feel like I got so much more when I held the pump, which is a pain in the ass, but I could move it around and apply pressure in places to get even more out.  FFTC- I still have a 5oz bag of frozen milk I can't part with in my freezer 
  • oh yeah those steaming bags are great.
    November Siggy Challenge
      
  • I also had the Medela Pump in Style so I won't write another full review. I did EP for 9 months and if I end up doing that again I might look into renting a hospital grade pump to use at home since they are better at expressing milk. 

    Regarding the hands free bra, I found that it was a MUST. I had a couple different brands but the Lansinoh Simple Wishes was amazing. Here is a link: https://www.target.com/p/lansinoh-simple-wishes-hands-free-breast-pump-bustier/-/A-12543185

    For cleaning parts, I discovered that you can put them in the top rack of the dishwasher in a mesh clothes washer bag and they come totally clean! Between this and putting in the fridge it was a huge time saver! 

  • @oywiththepoodlesalready How have I never heard of these?!? I seriously could have used these with pumping for my DD. Adding these to my Amazon list. Thanks for the tip! 
  • arteduc8arteduc8 member
    edited November 2017
    I used the Madela PISA as well. Ditto to everything said:
    Solid, reliable, noisy. I pumped when I went back to work at 5 months though the end of the school year when she turned 1. My pump actually started to be ineffective, so Madela sent me a brand new one immediately. Great customer service. Also, Madela parts are easy to find in stores and online. My insurance covered my pump but it didn't come with the bag. I got a great oversized flat bottom purse from TJ Maxx for $35 that was perfect. I used a tall lunch cooler with freezies in it to store my bottles and put that cooler in the fridge at work. The cooler for my bottles and flanges snuggly, so I didn't need to wash in between sessions since u stress it in the fridge.  I would bring a fresh burp rag to dry my flanges and clean up drips. I used a Sarah Wells wet dry bag that had a snap out clean surface that I could put my parts on. Get extra tubes, flanges, bottle caps, and membranes. There is nothing worse than realizing you need a spare part and don't have it and have to hand express at work. I took that sage advice from a colleague who had that issue and I was prepared when my milk backed up into a tube or I forgot a lid. Ditto on a hands free bra. I had one I picked up on Amazon (bellibea) that worked as a regular nursing bra. I could nurse DD right before I left for work, pump in it at school, and nurse her right when I got home. It had 2 panels with the inside one for pumping. Genius product. 
  • Oh this is slightly off topic, but a lot of moms in my previous BMB had issues with the lansinoh bags. They would leak after being frozen and waste a lot of milk. I personally never had that issue, but I would put that bag inside a sandwich bag and run cold water over it to thaw anyway after I was told that. Or I would put them in a sandwich bag in the fridge. That way if the original bag leaked I would still have the milk.
  • I also used the Medela pump in style. At one point I rented a hospital grade medela (not sure which one) but only kept it for a month. The latter was huge but so quiet in comparison!

    i used the Lanisoh bags for freezing without any issues leaking. 

    I just hope this LO drinks for the medela bottles. The worst part of transferring milk from those bottles to another bottle is getting the milk fat mixed back in! 
  • @Ceridwen77 I was able to screw the dr. brown's bottles into the medela pump so no transfer!
  • cups4 said:
    @Ceridwen77 I was able to screw the dr. brown's bottles into the medela pump so no transfer!
    That’s good to know. My DD would only drink out of the playtex bottles :(
  • abhphillyabhphilly member
    edited November 2017
    Question for STM+: Did anyone take public transportation to work and need to pump? I'm leaning towards the Spectra S2 since it's a closed system and easier to clean than the Medelas, especially since we don't have a dishwasher, but it's not made to be portable like some of the Medela ones. Guessing I'll probably want to have one for work and one for home, right?
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I wouldn't say it's public transport, but I have to park in a parking lot about ten minutes away and take a shuttle to work.  I was still pumping for my daughters when I started working here, so I brought an older one my sister gave me and left it at work and kept my "good" one at home.  Made my life so much easier.  I would rinse the washable parts off when done using them, and then take them and the milk home at the end of the day in the small cooler that came with the pump, wash the pump parts and take them back the next morning.  


    Me, 35 Hubs, 32
    Married June 2012
    BFP June 2013- blighted ovum, D&C Aug 2013
    BFP Oct 2013- twins!  A&H born May 2014
    BFP Aug 2017- EDD 5/8/17


  • Pretty much ditto what @mileswithmyles said.  I used the same pump (free through my insurance) and it's a little loud, but not like jet engine loud.  Washing pump parts is THE biggest pain in the ass, so try to buy (or register) for as many as you can.  I am one of the "don't care about the rules" people, so I usually just hand washed mine or threw them in the dishwasher.  I sterilized them and the bottles the first time I used them, but never again after that.  Steaming/sterilizing takes way too much time.  Your baby is getting germs from all over, I don't think a few more from their bottles is going to hurt.  I loved loved loved my hands free pumping bra.  I'm also super cheap, so I just used the up and up brand milk freezer bags and never had an issue with them, but did have a few problems with other brands (including Lansinoh) leaking/tearing.  Also because I'm super cheap, I found these Gerber bottles that are like, $4 for 3 that also fit with my pump, and thankfully my girls were never super picky when it came to bottles.  I actually liked these better than the Medela because the lids covered the nipple hole, so they didn't leak if they got knocked over.  
    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gerber-First-Essentials-Medium-Flow-Latex-9-oz-Bottles-3-ct/19758296?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1150&adid=22222222227033505754&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=79411425071&wl4=aud-310687322322:pla-138006976631&wl5=9005913&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112549851&wl11=online&wl12=19758296&wl13=&veh=sem



    Me, 35 Hubs, 32
    Married June 2012
    BFP June 2013- blighted ovum, D&C Aug 2013
    BFP Oct 2013- twins!  A&H born May 2014
    BFP Aug 2017- EDD 5/8/17


  • cups4 said:
    I'm in the minority and hated the hand free pumping bra!! I feel like I got so much more when I held the pump, which is a pain in the ass, but I could move it around and apply pressure in places to get even more out.  FFTC- I still have a 5oz bag of frozen milk I can't part with in my freezer 
    I still have 2 bags of 4 oz each in the freezer from my bf/pumping journey that ended almost 12 months ago!  
  • cups4 said:
    @Ceridwen77 I was able to screw the dr. brown's bottles into the medela pump so no transfer!
    That’s good to know. My DD would only drink out of the playtex bottles :(
    Yep, I used Dr Brown bottles as well and they fit my Pisa. DD had reflux and these bottles worked best for her. You can buy 2nd party adapters for lots of different bottles on Amazon. I had some for Avent before we switched to Dr Brown's. 
  • Woo hoo! Great info gals. So I stopped pumping 6yrs ago, I had to Google which pump I used. Been awhile so hopefully it's gotten better but I used the...

    Medela Swing single electric pump. Its $150 ish. However the single pump sucks! You have to do each side separately. I wasn't a fan of my Medela in general, but I got it because it was the cheapest option avalible and my insurance didn't cover anything including hospital pumps. It's great to see other reviews and suggestions! 
  • Love all the reviews! I'm thinking about trying the Medela Pump in Style, but I'm worried about it being an open system. I noticed almost everyone used that one and I was wondering how hard the tubes are to clean if milk backs into them?

    Ditto @cups4 I still have a small bag in our freezer from over 2 years ago. I thought about having it turned into a piece of jewelry, but thought it was too expensive.

    @k5678 I've never heard of the steam bags before! Can you share a link?
    BFP 9/11/13   EDD 5/21/14   MC 9/20/13  <3
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    BFP 2/25/14   EDD 11/5/14   BD 11/4/14
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  • Also a pump in style user, but I would also recommend getting a manual/hand pump. They're pretty cheap and the number of times I pumped just a little with my second because he didn't nurse much on one side or whatever where I NEVER would've hooked up an electric pump and gone through the trouble were immeasurable.


    And major confession....I threw away like 50 ounces with my second. It got past the time I could donate to breast milk bank, I couldn't find anyone with a newbie to take it and he had food allergies so I had to watch what he was getting through milk. IT WAS AWFUL.

  • OMG @molly1108-2 I would've cried 50 ounces of tears the entire time!  


    Me, 35 Hubs, 32
    Married June 2012
    BFP June 2013- blighted ovum, D&C Aug 2013
    BFP Oct 2013- twins!  A&H born May 2014
    BFP Aug 2017- EDD 5/8/17


  • Love all the reviews! I'm thinking about trying the Medela Pump in Style, but I'm worried about it being an open system. I noticed almost everyone used that one and I was wondering how hard the tubes are to clean if milk backs into them?

    Ditto @cups4 I still have a small bag in our freezer from over 2 years ago. I thought about having it turned into a piece of jewelry, but thought it was too expensive.

    @k5678 I've never heard of the steam bags before! Can you share a link?
    Only got milk into my tube once while pumping at work. I drained it the best I could and always carried an extra set of tubes with me and my pump bag just in case. Hooked up the new tubes and kept on going. I rinsed out the tubes and air-dried them. And never really found the non closed system to be an issue.
  • @zizzabell523 I exclusively pumped for over 7 months and I never had issues with milk in the tubes. They did get condensation in them a couple times and I just ran the pump with the tubes but no bottles hooked up for a few minutes and they dried right out. Replacement tubes are cheep too so I didn't feel like the open system was ever an issue. 
  • These guides have started coming in so handy. Bless you ladies. 

    Married: 12/19/15         

    BFP: 9/4/17             
    EDD: 5/16/18
    DD born 5/10/18
    Postpartum Complications

    BFP: 10/1/19
    EDD: 6/12/20
  • I think I did @sandbar517. It was so awful and I was really more tempted than I logically should've been to give my allergic baby milk that maybe wasn't the best (although, his pedi, allergist and derm all said not to do an elimination diet so I never excluded from my diet but I still just got to a point where I was sick of trying to treat in other ways and wanted to get him safely transitioned to something for him, so yay for being a good mom winning out haha)
  • I also had the pump in style and when I would wash the tubing or get condensation I would swing the tubes around in the air really fast to ensure all the water got out. I know I probably looked like a crazy lady doing this in my kitchen but I felt like it really worked  ;) and thankfully I don't think SO ever saw me do this.  
  • @zizzabell523 I exclusively pumped for over 7 months and I never had issues with milk in the tubes. They did get condensation in them a couple times and I just ran the pump with the tubes but no bottles hooked up for a few minutes and they dried right out. Replacement tubes are cheep too so I didn't feel like the open system was ever an issue. 
    This is exactly what I did. Never got milk in the tubes after a year+ of pumping. Condensation happened often, and just running the pump with just the tubes attached dries them out super quick. 
  • bwow615 said:
    I also had the pump in style and when I would wash the tubing or get condensation I would swing the tubes around in the air really fast to ensure all the water got out. I know I probably looked like a crazy lady doing this in my kitchen but I felt like it really worked  ;) and thankfully I don't think SO ever saw me do this.  
    That’s what I used to do with the hoses when I smoked hookah :lol:
  • Also used the Medela. I had another one for a bit. Simplisse, maybe? I hated it. Could barely hey anything And milk got in the tubes even though it was a closed system.

    I also put the parts in the fridge and I ran through the dishwasher. I had a few sets. 

    I agree auth whoever said to get a hand pump. They're not expensive and very portable. Perfect for when you just need to relieve a little or baby fell asleep or something. I also took it with me to parties a few times. Easy to pump standing in a bathroom stall.

    I liked the lansinoh bags but only stored 2 is per bag. That way if baby didn't finish, I didn't have to toss much milk.
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