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April 2019 Moms
lyse01
member
Product Spotlight: Pumps
lyse01
member
We have enough topics to do two a week, I think. And there were a bunch of requests for pumps.
What pumps have you used? How effective were they? Did they wear out over time (how long)? Were they hospital grade or standard? Have you tried a manual pump? Or something to catch leaking milk from the non-nursing side? Did the attachments leak? Did you need special adaptors for your bottles? How did you keep the parts clean? Could you pump in the car? Was it covered by insurance? Do you have other relevant info I’m forgetting?
If you pumped at work, was the pump discreet? What about milk storage? What about washing and storing parts?
FTMs: when you look at pumps, what’s confusing or unpredictable? Ask away!
Want to discuss something else? Recommend it here, or second some recs by loving someone’s post (I’ll try to prioritize): https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12734953/product-spotlights-upcoming-or-requests
All product spotlights can be resurrected at any time for further discussion - type “Product Spotlight” into the search bar at the bottom of the page to find previous threads.
What pumps have you used? How effective were they? Did they wear out over time (how long)? Were they hospital grade or standard? Have you tried a manual pump? Or something to catch leaking milk from the non-nursing side? Did the attachments leak? Did you need special adaptors for your bottles? How did you keep the parts clean? Could you pump in the car? Was it covered by insurance? Do you have other relevant info I’m forgetting?
If you pumped at work, was the pump discreet? What about milk storage? What about washing and storing parts?
FTMs: when you look at pumps, what’s confusing or unpredictable? Ask away!
Want to discuss something else? Recommend it here, or second some recs by loving someone’s post (I’ll try to prioritize): https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12734953/product-spotlights-upcoming-or-requests
All product spotlights can be resurrected at any time for further discussion - type “Product Spotlight” into the search bar at the bottom of the page to find previous threads.
Re: Product Spotlight: Pumps
For me personally, I had much better success just using the manual hand pump that they gave me at the hospital. For some reason I couldn't get my milk to let down with the electric pump and it was just uncomfortable. With the electric pump I could only get maybe an ounce, with the manual I could pump 4-5 ounces on a side at a time.
I used the Medela storage bags to freeze extra milk as needed. Didn't have any complaints with my electric pump parts/accessories other than it just didn't work well for me.
I will add, since I only pumped occassionally, if I had to be away for an entire day and pump multiple times, I would end up with severe overproduction and sometimes mastitis. I know this isn't a problem for every mom, but when I was a FTM I know I had only worried about not producing enough milk; I didn't think about the opposite problem of overproducing (both have their downsides).
BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
I mainly used the Medela PISA. It worked well for me and was fairly easy to tote around and got the job done. Parts were easy to replace via Amazon and the customer service can't be beat - like they will overnight you parts if you have issues and troubleshoot your pump over the phone. A++ for customer service. It also didn't crap out after a year of pumping (including four months of EP).
I bought a car adapter and would pump to and from work each day. Definitely worth it. I got probably an additional 5 or 6 ounces a day doing this.
Towards the end of my pumping life I got a Spectra S2. Lemme just say...its awesome. It's SO MUCH QUIETER than the PISA and is way more gentle on the nips. My issues with the Spectra: Less portable. The do have a battery powered option (the S1 which I want for this time) and a smaller, way portable pump. I also didn't love that the flanges were one pieces so it was harder to slip into my pumping bra (Simple Wishes. Buy it. It's 100% worth it.) The parts were also harder to come buy back in 2015/2016 though I'm not sure now. Never dealt with CS so not sure on that. This last me a few months and now my SIL has been using it for a year, no issues.
My Medela hand pump was a total savior when we were on date nights or in the car for a while. I definitely recommend having a hand pump but the Medela at least takes a little finesse to figure out but definitely worth the 35 bucks.
I didn't use anything to catch last time - I almost always double pumped, but I plan to buy a Haakaa this time for if that happens (though now with twins I doubt I'll ever have an open boob).
Unlike @kangstadt, I really disliked the Medela bags. The didn't freeze as nice as other brands. I highly recommend Target Up and Up brand bags. Never had one leak on me, and when you're done pumping you can use them to smuggle booze into sporting events.
I have a hands free bra and car adaptor so I could pump on my drive to work(there’s not really a place to pump at swim meets lol). It sounds weird but its actually easy. Lansinoh milk storage bags work great. Freeze them flat so they take up less room. Also medela makes mircrowave sterilizing bags and sterilizing wipes which are great when you’re on the go or at work to clean your parts
Also I never had any luck with the manual pump. I can usually get two letdowns with the electric pump
lansinoh bags (freeze flattest for best storage)
medela PISA (no complaints, but coordinate with your insurance when you can before baby. I had to rent a hospital pump the first week)
medela hand pump
tips
makr sir eyour flanges are the right size. I had to order larger than what came standard with the pump and I don’t think my nipples are crazy big or anything, but repeated pumping and nursing does make them more prominent than usual.
BFP: 8/20/2018 - EDD 5/4/2019
FOR SURE get a hands free bra and a car charging cord. The manual pump never worked for me.. it may have just been user error though. I also loved the up and up milk bags, and I tried ALOT of different types.
I think I will try something to catch the milk on the other boob this time. I remember just having to put a burp cloth up when DS was nursing because it would leak the entire time.
I have my own office so pumping at work wasn't an issue. I'm sure people could hear what I was doing but it didn't bother me. I work for a small non-profit and have been here for 10 years so I'm comfortable with my coworkers. I left my pump parts and milk in the fridge without any issue. I brought a small cooler bag to bring the milk home in.
I also had a manual pump that worked well. My insurance would only cover a manual pump.
I do recommend and pumping bra, and trying out different size flanges to see what works best for you.
I plan on getting a Spectra this time around, although my PISA still works fine. I will probably leave the Spectra at work and use the PISA at home if needed (I only pumped at home last time if I had an off day and didn't manage to pump at work enough to provide all the bottles DS would need for daycare the next day, though I was usually able to pump enough for his bottles plus more to freeze).
Absolutely get a hands free nursing bra. It was a life-saver especially since I went back to work at 12 weeks and pumped until my DD was a year old. It was nice to have both of my hands free in order to do things while I was unable to move from my desk basically. I had a lunch box that came with my pump that also had an icepack that wrapped around 4 bottles. I could just put my bottles in that and didn't have to carry them to the fridge then I would bag them when I got home and put them in the freezer. I second the Lansinoh bags, they froze flat and I could keep a TON in my freezer. I used cleaning wipes in-between pumping sessions and then wash all of my parts when I got home after I froze the milk. It worked well for us. We also had sterilizer bags as well and I would use those daily as well.
I recommend getting something to catch milk from the opposite side.I didn't have that and even though I double pumped, when I nursed I would waste a lot of milk from the let down on the opposite side, I'm sure my freezer stash would have been larger if I would have caught that milk. I'm going to try out the haakaa this time around.
Biggest thing I can say is to do what works for you and find support from other pumping moms. I would not have lasted a year without a ton of support. It gets hard but if you keep at it and ask for advice you can definitely do it.
We should definitely do a pumping tips/tricks thread closer to baby time. It really is hard and being well-equipped is super helpful.
I have the Medela Pump in Style Advanced, which I got through insurance (all or at least most insurance companies should pay for yours!). I've been using it for 9.5 months and I have no complaints. It was very effective, didn't hurt, wasn't difficult to use, etc. My attachments never leaked and they hooked right up to the storage bottles, although there are adapters to pump right into a freezer bag if you want. I used Medela's and I liked them just fine.
I got a battery pack for my pump so that I could pump in the car or on an airplane if I needed to. It was great for the airplane, but I probably should have gotten a car adapter because it runs through a lot of battery power quickly - that being said I didn't pump in the car much anyway, and the portability of the battery pack was really nice.
I pumped at work a few times, but I mostly work from home so not that often. It's definitely not discrete and I would go to a room to pump, but I think most of us aren't expecting to pump at our desks. I flew a few times and bought the Freemie attachments for that (basically more discrete boob shaped pump flanges) - I looked like I had giant oddly shaped boobs for sure, but it was discrete enough for what I needed. That being said, they got foggy and you can't really see where your nipple is or how much milk is coming out, so I preferred the regular parts and only used those in those specific situations.
I did get a manual Medela pump also, which was great if I needed to pump somewhere I didn't have easy access to power or if I was going somewhere and didn't want to lug the whole electric pump system with me. Plus, you never know when your power might go out and if you have an oversupply like I did, sometimes you really need to get that milk out!
After pumping I would rinse the parts and put them in a clean bowl with soapy water, then rinse again before my next use. Once a day I would sterilize them in the Medela microwave bags which I loved - they made it super easy. If I was out and couldn't use those, Medela also makes pump wipes that clean things up nicely.
I store milk that's going too be drank within 3 days in the fridge in Medela storage bottles. I freeze the excess in Medela bags and actually got a second freezer because I had accumulated so much.
As for other tips...
- As someone said above, you will 100% need a hands free pumping bra. It's almost impossible otherwise.
- If you can avoid it, don't pump right away as you might stimulate an oversupply like I did.
- I found nursing pads to be a waste. They were uncomfortable, you could see them through anything that wasn't a sack, and I really didn't care enough about leaking milk to take the time to stuff my bra with them all the time. They came with everything pumping related anyway, so there's really no need to buy them.
- Oh, almost forgot! If your kid is having trouble latching at the hospital, ask for a nipple shield. It made an immediate difference for us and I likely would not have been able to breastfeed without it. It's a little annoying to wash it and stick it on every time the baby nurses, so at first I was worried about weaning him off of it, but eventually he just didn't need it anymore and it was gone.
I'll definitely get a more traditional pump for home use!
I did have the Medela, provided through insurance. It was "ok," but I wasn't thrilled with it. It was loud but easy enough to tote around. I usually pumped into a bottle and left it in the fridge, I never had enough to store in the freezer. I did use a hands free bra, which I totally recommend.
This time around, I plan on getting the Spectra S1 through insurance (and pay the difference if needed), get Freemie parts and overall give it a little more time/energy (hopefully).
Also, can we start a thread about how to help increase milk supply? Fenugreek and red gatorade didn't really help me, nor did the power pumping.
It's also US law that your medical insurance must cover a breast pump, though each insurance will vary on type (brand/manual/rental/etc) and whether or not it's 100% covered or if you'll have to pay a portion.
Something else I recommend, bring your pump to either the hospital or to your lactation consultant appointment. They usually can give tips on pumping and fitting a flange. I was able to get free nipple shields, extra pump parts, flanges, and two manual breast pumps from my lactation consultant. I also recommend pumping in the hospital to help up your supply. Not everyone immediately gets milk in the first 24 hours. My milk didn't come in until day 5 and it's because I started pumping.
As for pump itself, I had the Medela which worked fine but I'm interested to see if I'm covered for the Spectra, I've heard it's much softer on the nipples than the Medela.
This gives a good comparison of the Medela Pump in style vs the Spectra S2
I’m still torn between the two lol
so. Used Medela Symphony (edit: not Spectra) hospital-grade while we were in the NICU for the first six weeks; kept the free rental from hospital 1 at home to use there and then used the one in the NICU when we were there. Worked like a charm; built my milk very quickly and efficiently and was usually comfortable. Especially liked the variable suction control that went at smaller increments and ramped up for each session.
For the next eight weeks, used Medela Symphony (edit: not Spectra) at hospital 2 with insurance’s Medela Pump in Style (backpack) at home. I think hospital 2’s Symphony (edit: not Spectra) was less efficient/older program/wearing out, but it was still comfortable. The PISA was a shock every time it turned on because the suction control was not very fine tuned, but it efficiently drained my milk at higher suction levels.
Used PISA at home exclusively for about a month while DD was learning to BF. Found the backpack annoying because I rarely needed the extra space on top and the accessories in it.
Stored most milk in the screw top containers that the hospital provided (which connected nicely to the rest of the system). Got several extra sets of pump parts from the hospital that worked equally well on (edit: both machines) - and left me with half a dozen wrong sized flanges.
Need to research if I can get Spectra/Symphony this time with my insurance or if their contract is only the PISA. I think i’d rather pay a little above to have the gentler pump.
Ok I didn't know this was an option. Since this is my third and final kid and I already have all of the parts associated with the Medela, I just assumed I would have to get another PISA.
DS-9/2012
DD-7/2015
eta: I’m an idiot and didn’t actually use spectra.
These connect the Medela flanges to the Spectra backflow protectors.
going back to edit...
since it’s been 4yrs since i’ve pumped, there’s so much new product i’ve got to catch up on 🤦🏻♀️
my my sister is telling me about the spectra. i am intrigued... w/ the medela last time, i pumped directly into kiinde bags, which made things nice. so i wonder a) how spectra bottles are and b) how compatible kiinde bags are w/ the spectra pump... 🤔
Can anyone else give me advice? I feel like both options would be good, so I don't know why I'm having such a hard time deciding.
The aoectra us “hospital grade” because it’s a closed system. There are “hospital grade” like the Medela Symphony which are used by hospitals for NICU moms and such or can be rented. The S2 is about $160 and the Symphony is over $300 so maybe that’s the distinction?
I did try to use most of what I pumped the same day/the next day, and to only freeze the extra.
I have tried using the adapters to pump straight into Medela bags, but the bags themselves are crummy, it's messier since there isn't a great up top, and like you said, bag measures are different from bottle measures. The Kiinde Twist system I believe allows you to pump straight into the bags, store them, and maybe feed straight from the bag? But they wouldn't lay as flat as a regular bag.
It seems labor intensive, but it really wasn't that bad for me to pump into bottles, store in bags, and thaw/dump back into a bottle. When I was pumping at work, I would have three bottles. Two stayed on the the pump, and I used the third to store till I had a bagful. I would transfer to a bag once I had 5 ounces. I know for me, I want to build up a decent stash, so maximizing your storage space. So I would use Target up and up bags, fill to 5 ounces, freeze flat, then stack them in gallon bags to make bricks. Each brick held I believe 100 ounces. That was the most space-saving way to stockpile. Date/mark amount each individual bag and then do a date range on the gallon bag with an ounce total. Before I got super organized, I would end up almost having to toss stuff that got too old and got shoved to the back of a freezer or something. The whole process of bagging milk maybe added another 10 minutes of work to my day.
I feel like this post was all over the place, so if anything DIDNT make sense, let me know and I can clarify. But really, unless there is a much improved adapter out there, I would rather just do bottle to bag, bag to freezer, thaw bag, bag to bottle.