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August 2023 Moms
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Product Spotlight: Breast Pumps

gingermama29gingermama29 member
in August 2023 Moms
S(+)TMs: Give us the pros and cons of what you have, or ask about what you want. What brand(s) have you used? Which one is best and why? Are you dreaming of any that are on the market now? Battery powered or outlet? What are the best accessories? How did you go about getting one through your insurance?

FTMs: What brands are you interested in? What questions do you have?
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Re: Product Spotlight: Breast Pumps

  • mrskalemrskale member
    FTM, not exactly sure what I'm looking for! I'm wondering if it's worth investing in an electric pump since I will be at home/with baby the majority of the time. Right now I've got the Lansinoh manual pump on my list but have also heard great things about the Medela should I end up going with an electric. I know pumping can be good for milk supply as well (and you don't always know when it's coming?) so I'm not throwing out the idea of needing anything at all, just not sure what will work best for me. 😊 
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  • gingermama29gingermama29 member
    I had a medela electric pump that was great! I really want to do the freemie style ones in addition this time around. It was really stressful pumping in between classes while sitting on the floor behind my piano. I will definitely do another medela electric pump but I’m researching the freemie style to have as well.
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  • justyouraveragemamajustyouraveragemama member
    With DS I used a medela electric pump but I didn’t respond well to a pump so I never got much even with all the tips and tricks. I’m not working this time so I’m not even bothering with an electric pump, I’m just going to get a haakaa to collect extra milk to have on hand in case of emergency. My sister used the same pump as I did with DS though and it worked excellent for her!
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  • tumbleweed-1tumbleweed-1 member
    I also had a medela pump. I got through my insurance, but I was so tired I don’t remember the process. Filled out some paperwork at the hospital then my MIL drove me to an office somewhere when we left the hospital and we picked it up. I don’t have any other pump experience to compare it to, but it worked well for me. I did order different size flanges (for FTM, they come in different sizes to make pumping more comfortable depending on nipple size). I pumped sporadically during the newborn phase to build up a supply or when I was engorged but baby was sleepy and wouldn’t nurse enough.

    Once I returned to work and we settled into a routine, I only pumped on Fridays when DS stayed home with dad. He was enrolled in my infant class M-Th and he nursed there. Mostly he nursed at night, when he had me to himself. This baby will come to work M-F because that’s the schedule DS is on. I’ll probably still need a pump just in case. I gave the old pump to a friend who had to pump and bottle feed. 
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  • ccmrc143ccmrc143 member
    edited February 2023
    I EPed for 13 months with my spectra S1. I loved it and will use it again. I also tried the elvie SO many times. It just didn’t give me nearly enough output. I recommend FTMs have a Medela or a Spectra electric because you never know what those first few days of nursing will be like and the pump will help you establish your supply. 
    Edited to add: I don’t plan on EPing again. I am desperate for direct nursing to work this time and fully committed to doing whatever it takes. I will pump if it doesn’t work. Formula shortage is shockingly STILL happening so my goal is to just establish as much of a supply as possible so we won’t have to worry. 
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  • ki1244ki1244 member
    I combo fed for 8 months with my daughter. I tried nursing and HATED it -- we had a rough first week with super high bilirubin + my milk not coming in (although I didn't realize it, and the quack LC at the hospital told me it would ruin any attempt to breastfeed if we introduced a bottle before 5 weeks -- TERRIBLE advice, turns out a starving baby is way worse than not breastfeeding) and enough weight loss they threatened the NICU if I couldn't get her weight back up. So I was way too anxious about nursing, not knowing her actual intake, and it sort of ruined the whole experience for me. So I pumped half the time, because around-the-clock pumping was also a horrible idea for me, and supplemented with formula. I only stuck with it as long as I did becausey daughter's ped had her on Alimentum for formula (I don't think it was necessary but whatever) and that stuff is NOT CHEAP. Her grocery bill was about the same as ours if I didn't pump too, so I did, but only a few times a day, until we got the green light to start laddering dairy at eight months (she passed with flying colors) and I started kind of drying up anyway.

    All that to say...

    I had a Spectra S2 I brought to the hospital with me, so the LC there could do hands-on instruction and make sure it all fit right. I liked that I didn't need to actually plug it into a wall to work (it has a battery that could charge up while not in use), so that freed up where I could pump, but it still wasn't portable. And then a friend passed along her Medela Freestyle (note: ONLY share a closed-system pump, since open-system has no way to be sanitized -- this one was closed) and oh my god that was life changing. I could clip it to my shorts and go about my chores, and half the time I forgot I even had it on. It's not discreet in the slightest -- it's loud, and uses the standard type flanges rather than the in-bra cups, but it got the job done and did just as well as my hospital grade Spectra without requiring me to sit in one place for 20 minutes four times a day.

    I'm not planning on trying to nurse this time around, and might pump sporadically depending on how formula is looking come summer, but if I do, I won't do anything without it being a portable pump. Absolutely not.

    Side note -- I think, in the US anyway, insurance is required to cover a pump once per year. If you don't need yours, it might be worth calling around to pregnancy centers or homeless shelters near you to see if they could use a donated one (especially new/unused). A lot of places don't take them used (like Goodwill or Salvation Army) but pregnancy centers or homeless shelters will often accept closed system pumps or new pumps, to help women who had to flee domestic violence situations or are living in a car or even just who got a pump their body doesn't respond to that need a new one but can't afford it. I'm planning to see what my insurance will cover for a portable one, just in case, and then donating my two old closed system pumps (as well as whatever I get this time) when I'm for sure done.
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  • emeraldcity603emeraldcity603 member
    @mrskoehl Yes! You want to invest in a pump and build a small stash at the very least. Just as an emergency stash. I ended up getting a really bad stomach bug when my last baby was 4 months and I nearly lost my milk supply. I was sick for 10 days and the only reason I was able to keep my supply was because I started pumping around the clock, taking brewers yeast pills to boost my supply, and doing as much skin to skin as possible. I also had Zofran to keep from vomiting. I was very worried about my baby needing to supplement because I wasn’t producing enough for him. I had a small stash and used that. 

    In addition, I also broke my wrist shortly after that and needed to dip into my stash because I had to pump and dump after my surgery. These 2 things have never happened to me with any of my previous babies. Just because you’re home all the time doesn’t mean you won’t need a stash for emergencies. 
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  • emeraldcity603emeraldcity603 member
    I have had the same Medela pump since my second baby was an infant. She was born in 2014. It still works wonderfully. I also have a spectra and it isn’t as good as my Medela. Both were paid for through insurance. I do have lots of extra parts because the membranes need to be replaced after awhile. 
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  • emeraldcity603emeraldcity603 member
    One more thing, if you have flat or inverted nipples you will want to pump prior to latching your baby. It will pull your nipple out nicely and allow the baby to latch easier with way less pain. 
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  • tumbleweed-1tumbleweed-1 member
    I just remembered too that while I had a medela pump, I did not like the plastic milk storage bags. I prefer the lanisoh bags. The plastic was easier for me to work with. The medela ones were more crunchy? Hard to fit on the pump. I bought some kind of attachment accessory (probably at target) to pump straight into the bags and the bags stay on the end pretty well. Even at times when they got pretty full. 
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  • benten24benten24 member
    edited February 2023
    I tried allllll the pumps it felt like with DS. I also had horrible advice from hospital LC about not pumping and DS was tongue tied so our breastfeeding experience was a very rough start. He was finally revised at 6 weeks but at that point my supply was set and I couldn’t get it to increase until I started some medication to help me lactate… which also helped me gain a ton of weight. 
    Out of all the pumps I loved the Spectra. I would pump in my car on the way to work and preferred that over the hospital-grade Medela Harmony that was available to me on my breaks. I also have a Medela pump in style which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t as comfortable as the Spectra. My body responded best to the Spectra. A friend used the willow pump and was able to be in patients room and even pump while we intubated patients! I was super impressed and plan to try that one this time. I still have my PIS and Spectra that I can fall back on if I get some new connectors and whatnot. 
    If I recall correctly, I just had to order whatever pump I wanted and then send the receipt to my insurance for reimbursement. I recommend just calling your insurance company and asking what their protocol is for that. 

    Editing to add: I firmly believe the whole “don’t pump/bottle feed if you want to BF/nipple confusion” nonsense is a myth! I ended up BFing my son for 2 years even though my supply sucked once I stopped my lactation medicine. I nursed him and pumped and let my husband feed him a nightly bottle starting at 2 weeks. It helped them connect and my son NEVER had an issue taking a bottle. I’ve actually seen so many moms with issues giving their baby bottles when they wait 6+ weeks to introduce. By that point baby has preferences and some don’t want to change things. 
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