Advise on Pumps

Medela pumps!!! They are the best & most user friendly pumps on the market. A few pieces of advice: make sure you get the right sized breast shield (it will make the experience more productive & easier). I really wish someone had shared that advice with me prior to pumping. Also, do not use the breast milk storage bags. Although they are convenient, some of the nutrients in your milk will leach to the sides. Use the Medela storage bottles & be sure to label the date. If possible (I know it is quite difficult with a newborn), have a lactation consultant come to your home or try to attend a breastfeeding class (they are a couple of hours). Many pediatricians have lactation consultants on staff to help. Northwestern also has a breastfeeding hotline for add'l advice.

The Medela pumps, hands-down, are the best pumps. I've bought the cheaper ones trying to save money and they all just flat out suck (Avent, Evenflo, etc.). Since my job provides a Medela pump (hospital grade) for us to use, I've never bought one. I just rented one from the hospital till it was time to go back to work and now I use the one provided here. I do own a Medela hand-pump for those times over the weekend when I am not with my son and I need to relieve myself. So go with Medela, its worth the money (renting or buying).

Hi D.,
I used the Medela Pump In Style. I bought it at Babies r us. I loved it, it was super quick and easy, good luck and congratulations on your little baby girl!!!

I highly recommend the Ameda Purely Yours pump. I am still pumping 2x daily for my 10 mo old baby boy. I absolutely love this pump. I am currently using one that my coworker lent to me and it lasted through 6 mo of her pumping and 10 mo of my pumping (so far) and is still going strong. I still usually am able to pump more than my baby eats daily in 10 minute sessions (previously 3x per day, now 2x per day). The Ameda pumps are not as widely available as the Medela pumps and thus are not as well known, but they are cheaper and just as highly rated from sites when buying a pump. After using both, I think the Ameda pumps are actually easier to use and clean. The design is brilliant and there is absolutely no way for the milk to get into the tubing (thus no worry about borrowing pumps). You can purchase the pump with a carry all, backpack or alone, depending on how much you want to spend. Also, according to Baby Bargains they have also repackaged the exact same pump and sell them at Target.
Also, with all due respect to your doctor, they generally don't know much about the practicalities of breastfeeding and certainly don't study that in Medical School. The first month is critical to establishing your milk supply, so I wouldn't have your husband feed a bottle at night until your little one is at least one month old and even then, I don't think it is very helpful since you will probably have to get up to pump anyway. While it is important to stockpile a supply for going back to work and getting familiar with the pump, give yourself a break for a while and don't worry about that yet. You have plenty of time. Good luck and if you need advice, you can always contact your local La Leche League (www.llli.org). Leaders and members are always available for great advice.

I used the Medela Pump in style (double electric) for both my kids and loved it! You can bring it to work and it is soo easy and efficiant. I would not recomend any other! It was the best $250 ever spent!

I had to do the same thing and I bought a Medela pump. Using this pump takes 8-10 minutes tops. I'm a teacher so I had to pump when my students were at recess, gym, art, etc., not alot of time and it works great! Now the decision to buy or rent...it depends on how long you plan on breast feeding. If you only plan on a month or two, then rent. But if you decide you want to go between 6-12 months, it's definitely worth purchasing...and you can use it with your next bundle of joy!