Seeking Advice on Breast Pumps - Chicago,IL

I only had the Medela PIS so I don't have experience with multiple pumps- but to make you feel better about what you spend on a pump- when my son went to formula at 7 mos, I realized that my pump paid for itself in about 2 months! Formula is soooo expensive! And a good pump is worth the spend!

I also have the Medela electronic breast pump, and it works great.My son was born in February, and I pump 1-3 times per day and haven't had any problems. It has a battery pack so it is super easy to use away from home and in the car. However, this pump is expensive at $250.

I just want to lend a cautious word about renting from the hospital... You need to have a pump in hand before you deliver. You never know what is going to happen, and if you'll need it.

At my prenatal classes at the suburban hospital where I delivered they said over and over that you could rent pumps and you didn't need to / couldn't reserve them. When I delivered, they had no pumps to give me and I had a baby left in the hospital longer than me who would not feed well. The lactation consultants advised me to contact the large hospitals in the med district in chicago (where I had recently moved to). Not a single one had an available pump. I called and called, and tried private consultants. I ended up with only a hand pump, supply problems, and an underfed baby. We bought a pump as soon as we could get out to a store, but by then, it was too late.

I have been EPing (exclusively pumping) for 8 weeks now, using the Medela Pump-In-Style Advanced and love it. Although pumping 6-8 times a day is a chore, I haven't had any problems with this model and like it. Of course, I have nothing to compare it to other than the Medela Symphony which is the hospital grade pump (I think) and I only used that for 2 days while in the hospital.

I just use the bottles that came with the pump (and bought another set), then transfer the milk to either a Dr. Brown's bottle (I was using Avent and grew to hate them), or a Lansinoh freezer bag (I like them because of the double-seal and they lay flat). Also, with this pump I am making enough milk to feed my child every day AND stash some away in the freezer for later use.

You may wish to see if you can try some pumps out while in the hospital or perhaps rent something for a while? That way, you can try a few out and see what works best for you. Every woman is different and has different preferences, so what worked for me might totally suck for another! Good luck with your decision.

Hello,

I used the Medela Pump-In-Style. Check with the hospital, you may be able to rent one. I was lucky. My sister-in-law never used this one & gave it to me. All I had to do was buy a universal kit that had the hoses & bottles.

I'm not a fan of the Avent hand pump. I went back to work full-time 10 weeks after my daughter was born. I brought the hand pump to work because I thought it was more convenient. It turned out I was in the restroom stall for 20-25 minutes at a time because it was so slow. I pumped four times a day to keep up my supply. I ended up bringing the electric to work & leaving it there and pump if I 'needed' to with the hand pump at home.

Good Luck...

Hi C.,

I had the Avent Isis Uno and we ended up selling it on Ebay (go figure) after we got the Medela Pump in Style Advance. It took a long time since I only had the one pump, and I didn't always get a ton of milk from it when I pumped. It was a little tougher to clean, too. Having the Duo probably would have been better, but I think the Medela was better overall and not nearly as expensive. I didn't end up breastfeeding for as long as I wanted to (I had to stop after about 4 months due to multiple factors). I am due with my second on May 9th and plan to breastfeed again as long as I can. If you don't have a pump yet, you may want to rent one from the hospital for the first month or two and then invest in your own if things go well, just because those buggers are expensive. I know that my hospital charges $15-20/month--not too bad. Hope this helps, if you have any more questions let me know!

J. :)

I have the medela pump in style advance. I love it. It is quick and easy since you pump right into the storage bottles. I can pump 6-8 oz in about 10 minutes. I also use avent bottles.
With my first baby I used the avent isis hand pump and it was okay but very slow and it wasn't as comfortable as the medela.

C.,
I have never used Medela, but really like the Avent Uno. I am a SAHM and have always had a good milk supply, so I did not need to purchase the Duo. If you will be away, such as for part-time or full-time work, you probably are correct in considering the Duo. If you can afford to purchase it, I think you will be very happy with it.
Good luck.
Amy

I agree w/ some of the others-the Avent Isis hand pump is really good. You attatch this right to the Avent bottles. You can even buy the Isis hand pump w/ storage containers. Then, you can pump right into the containers. Never tried the electric. Go onto Target.com and look under breastpumps. There you can read the ratings and comments for each one they sell. That helped me make up my mind. And I also agree about buying a new one from Ebay. You can get a really good deal. Just check the sellers ratings and FEEDBACK first-I had a bad experience w/ the person I bought one from. Should've not only checked the rating but feedback comments. Just a thought.

Hi there,
My advice is first check it out on Ebay, you can find these new in the box for almost half the price, and they get delivered. Also you can rent pumps too. I rented the Medela symphony from Park pharmacy in Lincoln Park, it was pricey though $85.00 a month. A lot of people like the medela pump in style which is portable, that is also on Ebay for a fraction of retail, I saw them for 159.99 new.

I currently use the Avent Isis hand pump ($50.00) because I just need to pump once in a while and it does the job well. Pumping is kind of tricky at first, I found it helpful to use an electric first to get the hang of it and then I was able to be successful with the hand pump.

A great resource for all things breastfeeding is a store called Be By Baby on Lincoln and Roscoe in Lincoln Park, they sell all these pumps and are really knowledgeable about breast feeding. They also have groups for expecting moms etc. I love that place. Good luck with everything!

Though you made up your mind you are going to use Avent, I personally used Medela's electronic pumps, and they were awesome. Very fast, discrete, and easy to use. Very hardy too. U can find them on eBay if you want to save, or on Craig's list. Sorry, I don't know much about Avent -- I went with Medela because that's what everyone around me recommended. And I'm glad I went with it! Good luck.

Hi C.,
I love my Medela PIS. I thought I would only need a hand pump...what a joke! I use my Medela about twice a day and my son is 8 months. I actually use it so often to store extra in the freezer. I would rent one from your hospital. Good Luck!

Hi C.,
I don't know whether this will just add to your confusion, but I have breastfed/pumped for my son for 10 months so far (mostly breastfeeding, but was pumping 2-3x/day while at work until he started refusing bottles). I use an Ameda Purely Yours. If you just buy the pump without all of the add-ons (like carrying case blah blah blah) it only costs $150, which isn't bad. It's small and compact. It's also the only pump that's FDA approved to have NO backflow or contamination of your milk. It's a really simple design that's easy to take apart and clean - I haven't had any trouble with it at all. One thing that's nice about this is that all the parts that touch you or the milk can easily be sterilized, so you don't have to wonder about buying a used one. I have never had any problem getting enough milk to feed my son with it - in fact, I usually pumped a surplus of 8-10 oz/week.

I do have an Avent Isis hand pump that I keep at home (the Ameda PY lives at work) for emergencies - and take with me if I'm going out and leaving my son at home with a bottle. I actually recommend getting one of these (they're only $45) in addition to whatever else you get - you can stick them in your purse and run into the restroom and "pump and dump" in an emergency. I really like the Isis but honestly now that I'm more used to the PY, my body lets down better for it.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

I used the Pump in Style Advance by Medela.

http://www.medela.com/NewFiles/pumps_personalUseElectric....

I loved it and didn't have any issues with it. I worked part time and had to pump about 1-2 times per day. It was very quick and traveled well. I could pump and clean up in about 15 minutes. It is pricey but worth it if you are going to use it often. Congratulations on baby #2.

C.:

Rental pumps are also available from Lactation Consultants and usually at better prices.

You should also look at Hollister's Purely Yours. It is an excellent pump and not as costly as the Medela.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

Hi C.,

After buying several pumps including the Avent handheld and and a battery-operated pump I finally spent the money to buy a Medela PIS. It was definitely well worth the money and I wish I would have bought it before I spent the money on those other pumps. It is expensive but it's a must have if you are planning on pumping frequently. And you don't need any compatible bottles to use the Medela. I also used the Avent bottles for my son and just poured the milk from the bottles included with the Medela pump into my Avent bottles; no need to pump directly into the bottle.