Good Breast Pump

I got let-downs with Ameda.

Find a local La Leche League and attend before the baby arrives as they are so supportive and informative!

It looks like you have a lot of great responses. A glimmer of hope is that my supply was not as great with my first child, however with my second- it has been great since the beginning! I ditto everyone on the Medela pumps, I like my hand pump and my electric pump!

If you're going to pump all day at work and only nurse at night, you might want to get a hospital grade or more sophisticated pump that will survive through a multitude of pumping sessions. You should be able to rent one from the hospital or a medical supply company if that is a better option. I was an exclusive pumper, pumping at least 7-8 times a day and can't imagine living without my Medela Pump-in-Style.

I rented a pump from the hospital contact when my first were born. This time around, i bought a Lansinoh pump from Target.com The reviews mostly said that the dials were too small. I have not had any problems with it. The only issue came up recently (6 months of use) and I jut needed to change the parts which were supplied with the pump. If you are not able to nurse this time around, you may want to get something stronger for teh first month or 2 until your milk is established but I think the Lansinoh pump is worth it, about $149. It is not whisper quiet but it is not super noisy either and can also be used with batteries if you happen to be out and about with no outlet available. Plus it is small enough to fit inside a diaper bag.

Since you never got a good supply with your first, I would suggest renting one for now until you know if you are going to get a good supply this time. You can rent from most hospitals and I'm pretty sure the Babies R Us in Orland Park rents them too (don't know if all Babies R' Us do). As far as buying, I know they are expensive, but I would go with a Medela pump. It is worth the price. I was only pumping part time so got the single pump - it worked great and was a little less expensive. I was also able to use a 15% coupon at Babies R Us which helped.

Unfortunately, I bit the bullet and spent the $300 for the Medela. It worked so quickly! I liked that because when you pump, you are actually taking twice the amount of time...pumping and then feeding versus breastfed babies are just fed. I used the double pump and got it all done at once. I see the hands free option now and wish I had that. I just looked at a review on the hands free and they suggest purchasing the bustier at the Add a Little Love site. I wish I had that!

Good luck and CONGRATULATIONS!!

Hi T.,
I bought a used Ameda Purely Yours off of E-Bay. There is a retailer in Naperville that sells the replacement parts so you can purchase new parts for the items that come into contact with your breast/breastmilk. Even with the new items it was a lot less expensive than a new pump. It worked great!! I would highly recommend it. I nursed & pumped for both of my daughters for almost a year each(I went back to work when my first baby was 2 months old) Hope this helps!
MJ

I learned the hard way that you get what you pay for. There was a big difference between the inexpensive one I got as a gift and the one I ended up buying myself. Get a Medela pump in style it is the best. If you are interested in buying a used one go on ebay or my kids closet (I would also sell mine). You can get the machine and just buy new parts. Mine has gone through 3 users, 4 if you count me twice and is still kicking. PS. I agree with Trisha, if want to keep up milk supply for a longer period of time nursing directly is the best way.

Medela Pump in Style. I used mine for both sons and I exclusively pumped son #1 from 6 weeks - 6 months. Son #2 I pumped/nursed to 7 months and exclusively pumped until about 10-11 months. I ended up buying a 2nd one to have at the office so I wasn't lugging it around.

Pump #1 was still working perfectly and I hope to let my sister use it eventually.

I would highly recommend the Medella Freestyle Breast Pump or the Medella single manual breast pump. I have been using the Freestyle one and I absolutley love it! Its really small you can fit it in your purse and easy to set up. It works really well too. I have not been disappointed yet, I've been nursing for going on 7 months now and this is my first time breastfeeding. I work full time, so I'm away from my son all day until the evening hours...this is a great product! It's pretty new on the market so it might vary from each store but I'd check out their website.

I had great success with the Lansinoh double electric pump. It cost about $150 in the stores, or $120 online. I went back to work full time after 6 weeks, and used it to pump enough to keep my baby on 100% breastmilk until she was 6 months old.

The Lansinoh is really easy to use and keep clean. There are no filters that can get clogged, like some Medala's have. And for half the price, I would definitely buy it again.

I was very happy with the Medela Pump in Style. I would strongly encourage you to enlist the services of a lactation consultant, who is a Registered Nurse, prior to your delivery. I had TONS of problems starting to nurse when I had my son but the hospital where I delivered had a wonderful lactation consultant who was an incredible help!!! If the hospital doesn't have someone on staff, they should direct you to outside lactation consultant services. La Leche League is also a great resource. Breastfeeding is not something mom and baby know how to do together right off the bat. I cannot recommend a lactation consultant enough!

I would have to say, even though it might be more then you want to spend the Medela Pump in Style is the best! It is a double one! I wish I would of used it for all my kids but I only did for Erik my last baby! I would pump on break at work and ger 8 oz! You can get it at Babies R us and also Burlington Coat factory but they are more expensive there! I have an LC that I have referred clients to for pumps and help if needed and she sells them cheaper! Another thing you could do is go on Ebay and find one on there that is new and it will more then likely be cheaper! I hope this helps! Oh and if you did not want to buy you can rent them from the hospital too although in the long run if you are planning to nurse till the baby is a year it is cheaper to just buy it! I hope this helps you!
S. Bailey
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

I breast feed all three of mine and pumped while at work. The only pump that I found that would keep up was the Medela brand. If you have a hard time with your milk supply, you will want to be very careful and breastfeed as much as possible in the first couple weeks. The more frequently you nurse, the better your supply will be. If you are interested, I have my Medela pump for sale. It is in GREAT shape. It is the nice one with the black bag and shoulder strap and storage compartments. I only used this pump with my 3rd child and only once a day for about 3-4 months. If you ask the hospital, they can get you a brand new set of sheilds, tubes and bottles (at least mine could) and all you need is the pump. Nothing that touched me or my milk would be touching you or your milk. Anyway, let me know if you are interested and good luck!!

I also used the Lansinoh pump and found it to be great for my needs--especially for the price! I was pumping about 8-10 oz. (4-5 each side) in the beginning with no difficulty. My supply did diminish when I went back to work, but I was only pumping once a day then. The carry the pump at Target and Babies R Us now, too.

I was given a Medela pump and it is the best!!! I have been nursing for 8 months and I use it a work and when I go out of town I use a hand pump (advent) because it is smaller and I usually only need it if I miss a couple feedings. Please remember to try not to give the baby a bottle till she is 6 weeks. I know you want everyone to experience feeding the new baby but it is better for both of you. I tried to do that and I got so full of milk while someone else would be feeding my son. It was painful for me and when they are latched on it helps your supply come in better. There will plenty of time for others to help with feedings.

I use the Medela Pump in Style which is on the pricey side. Last week, a couple of my parts broke and I had to use the Avent IQ (I think that's the name... I had to borrow it) until my pump parts came in. With the Avent, it would take me an hour to get 4 oz. out. With my Medela, I can get 4 oz. out in 15 minutes. So, for me, the more expensive model worked better. The Avent worked fine, just not as well as the Medela.

I had the ameda purely yours (I believe that was the style) and I loved it. It was less expensive than the medela and had more features. Nursing is an art, and if you don't get a good latch and a good support system, you will go through what you did. I was determined to make it work and did a lot of research before having the baby. Once I had her, I made sure I got the hang of it before leaving the hospital and joined lots of support groups online. My sister has slightly inverted nipples and the nurses at the hospital told her to wear a nipple shield...which will never get a good latch. She easily gave up because she couldn't make it work and her husband didn't give her any support. She just recently had her second baby, and I have been helping her through the ups and downs and it is going very well! I only know a couple of people who could make pumping work. Pumping doesn't give the same stimulation as the baby and you will produce what your body thinks your baby needs. You may have more trouble by trying to pump by day than not. I would suggest trying to exclusively nurse for a few weeks to build up a good supply then trying to pump as your little one gets a bit older (like if you are going back to work). I was never away from my baby, so it made it really hard to pump and feed at the same time (I teach dance, so I couldn't pump at work!) Give it a try...babies are different and it may work out much better this time, and pumping is a LOT less work than either formula or bottled breast milk. Your family will get over not getting to feed the baby...let them help by holding the little one while you take a nap or get some work done around the house. (or take a long desrved spa bath!!!!) My other three kids and husband would help by getting supplies...diapers, blankets, pillows for me, etc. while I nursed. They felt special, and it was easy!

Good Luck!

A friend of mine got a pump from her work that she was not going to use so she gave it to me. The name is Lansinoh it is a double elec pump that works good. I have been using it now for 9 months and just had a piece break. I called the company and they sent me a new part ( which was .60 ) but I needed to pump right then so I ending up looking online to see how much it cost and it was around 150.00. The only catch was noone around my work had it and I NEEDED to pump since it had been 7 hours since I last fed. I went to Target just to get anything and bought the pump in style which was around 250. I love it!!! It works great and in less time then the other. If you can't spend the 250 the Lansinosh, that one I thought worked great it just takes a little more time maybe 5 minutes so not that much but if you pump a few times a day it adds up. Hope that helps. If you had any other questions let me know!!

I purchased a Medela Pump in Style from Memorial Hospital's medical supply store. It's a great pump and it works just like the industrial strength ones used in the hospital. These pumps retail at Babies R Us for around 275 or so; however, because I had my son at Memorial, they gave me a discount for purchasing it at Memorial's medical supply store. I only paid around $199 for it. I ended up having too much trouble trying to breastfeed, therefore, I pumped milk for the first six months and supplemented with a small amount of formula. The pump ended up more than paying for itself with the cost of formula being so high. I would have pumped longer but I went back to work after six months and I didn't want to try to keep pumping while at work. My pump worked great and had a battery pack that worked well when we traveled and I didn't have access to an outlet. Hope this helps. Best of luck to you and your family.

I would definitely rent a hospital grade pump first and then if all seems to be going well buy a good double electric. My oldest son also had lots of issues with nursing (it was 6 weeks before he was taking enough by breast that we didn't have to supplement so I can sympathize). But we rented a pump from the hospital for a while and then bit the bullet and bought the Medela Pump in Style. We bought ours from the hospital but I don't think it is any different than the ones available at Target or BRU. IMHO, you are going to find it very exhausting to keep up a pumping during the day routine, especially with both a pre-schooler and an newborn who want and need your constant attention. You'll have to take sufficient time to pump and empty your breasts and then you'll have to feed the baby. And while it will work for a while, eventually even a really good pump will not provide enough stimulation to produce sufficient milk. Good luck and congrats!

Oh one more thing... I know someone who exclusively pumped for a few weeks. She used an Ameda pump. There are a few models on sale with deep discounts at diapers.com if you are interested. I am not sure what they usually cost but it could give you a point to start your research. Here is a link http://www.diapers.com/Shop/Brands.aspx?CategoryID=20&amp...

I really like my Medela Swing - it's only a single, but that works well for me as I only work part-time. If I were going to pump all day like you plan to, I'd definitely invest in a double and the Medela brand was the favorite of our hospital's (Northern Illinois Medical Center) lactation consultant (Vera, who is excellent!). After we purchased our pump, a work colleague of my husband's found out that our insurance has a program that will pay up to a certain amount of the cost of a breast pump; you might want to see if your insurance has any kind of program like that. Best wishes!!

Hi T.,
If you are in Kenosha,Wi. you can get a free breast pump through W.I.C I believe. (If you qualify I think) I can't exactly remember how it works I recieved one almost 2 years ago and we make pretty good money. It is complience with Children's Hospital of Wi. Ask your nurse about it. She may need to give you a referrel. I check into it and reply again later. Good Luck and Congratulations

T.,

I didn't read through your replies so sorry if this was already mentioned. I use a Medela Pump in Style and it is wonderful. It is an electric double pump, quick, efficient, and not painful. That said, I know this pump is quite expensive. However, I would suggest looking for one used. I picked mine up at a garage sale for $40 a few years ago before I had my first daughter. You can boil all the parts that could get yucky to sanitize them or you could simply buy those parts new at Babies'R'Us for a minimal amount of money. You could look on craigslist or ebay.

Hi T., Have you contacted La Leche League and talked with a local Leader? They are a great resource/support for supply issues. You can find a local group or join an on-line group at www.llli.org . Definitely recommend it!

There are a LOT of pumps available these days. If it is made by a formula or bottle company, it's probably not worth the price. They are in the market to NOT breastfeed. If you work full-time and are breastfeeding, especially with prior milk supply issues, you want to make sure you have a good quality ELECTRIC pump. Medela's Pump in Style is good as is the Ameda equivalent. These pumps are not made for multiple users and any warrantee is void if you buy used. They could also pass along germs from the previous user (not a "closed" system). Only Hospital Grade pumps are made for multiple users.

Does a new pump seem expensive? Yes, BUT compare the price to what you'll shell out over a year of formula and you've still saved a TON!

There are many possible reasons for your previous milk supply issues. A La Leche League Leader would probably help you so they aren't an issue this time. Each baby is different. It could be something as simple as a poor latch which is usually very easy to fix. Remember to nurse early and often and try not to give bottles for the first 6 weeks if you're able to be home that long. Breastpumps have come a long way, but nothing is better at getting your milk out of your breast than your baby!
Happy Nursing & congratulations on your new Blessing,
D.