best manual pump??

[craft_media_hero]

Mods, feel free to move this if it's in the wrong place.

Mommas, do you have a recommendation for a good quality manual pump?

I don't think we need to invest in an electric one because I'm not going to be pumping very frequently. I just want a nice manual pump for zipping out a bottle in case of leaving dp with the babe for short periods. For instance, I'd like to have maybe three bottles in the freezer at any given time just as a backup, but we probably won't need them very often.

Got any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

[SunShineSally]

I did not work for the Avent but I work for and really love the Lanolish (I think that is how you spell it ) it is easy to use and actually works!

[mckennasmomma]

My Medela Harmony was great. cheap too.

[kbins]

Avent Isis

I pumped while working full time for my first two sons, using only the Avent Isis. I used the Avent pump mostly with my third son as well (used the Medela electric once a day first thing in the morning, to double pump while checking email).

I still use the pump I bought in 2001. It really has held up well. I never felt like it overtaxed my hand or anything. I liked being able to control the pace and suction.

Why? I was new to pumping and couldn't let down to an electric pump. I really liked the portability of a manual pump for work (small, lightweight and I didn't need electricity). It was quiet - sometimes I pumped while on conference calls. I even used this pump while travelling internationally. It was easy to clean. We used Avent bottles so I could pump directly into bottles.

I got plenty of milk from it - often 9 oz in a session, at my peak when I was pumping twice a day at work.

[bajamergrrl]

Originally Posted by mckennasmomma

My Medela Harmony was great. cheap too.

Ditto. I also find it feels more like my son's suck than my double electric does.

[bclare]

Kbins-- how long did it take you? I haven't used a pump before, but am wondering if the manual is a lot slower than the electric, or if you have a good supply if they are about the same?

[Chryseis]

I always liked my Medela Harmony (although I am tempted to try the Lansinoh one this time around--great reviews). I worked full-time while my oldest two were nursing so I did primarily use a PIS, but I loved the Harmony for pumping the off-side while nursing. I also liked that it was nice and small and could fit in a really compact bag for different situations (all day at the hospital when my husband had surgery, etc.).

[kathleen_mary]

Another vote for the Medela Harmony. It's compact and easy to clean. I like that you can use it anywhere. No plugs or batteries needed.

I also find that it works the best when I am either really full, or to pump off one side while nursing on the other.

I leave my baby twice a week to go to my part time job or to school and have found that it's adequate for those purposes.

[phrogger]

The avent isis has worked better for me then any of the hospital grade double electric pumps. I pumped exclusively after 4 different pregnancies and each time, the isis out did the electric ones every single time.

[Asiago]

Avent Isis.
You can also hold the lever midstream for a while as the milk flows, so that you do not have to continously pump.

[journeymom]

Avent Isis, though this was 9 years ago! It worked amazing well.

[Lil'Momma]

I loved the Medela Harmony, but my last two were in the NICU for a while so I liked that I could use the same parts when at the hospital with the symphony or in the car with the Harmony or at home with the Pump N Style. I like that the Harmony has the two phase pumping with a let down and the regular... but I always had trouble letting down for a pump. I could get the same amount out with the hospital grade Symphony and the manual Harmony.

[kbins]

It never took me more than 15-20 min to pump both sides at work using the manual Isis. I usually allotted a half hour to walk to the mother's room, pump, and clean the pump and put the milk in the fridge. It seemed to be about the same amount of time other moms spent pumping (based on traffic in and out of the room - it was a shared room with cubicles)

At home, when I pump with an electric pump, I usually get most in 10 min. So it was basically double the time (since it was a single pump, I did one side, then the other). But when I was still new and very self-conscious, I really couldn't let down any other way. I am brash enough now I probably would take an electric pump to work with comfort.

I get more milk when I pump while my baby is eating (and it's more efficient use of my time). So the electric helps there too. I couldn't hold her and pump with the manual at the same time.

[Rose-Roget]

I like the Avent Isis overall, too. I had good success with it with ds and with dd. I probably get close to the amount I get with the electric, except for when I was pumping to keep my supply up during a strike.

I bought a new BPA-free one when dd was born. For some reason, though, it often "pops" during the pumping session and loses suction until I open it and reposition the little white thingy. It's not a big deal, although it usually happens when the milk is flowing fast, and sometimes the disruption reduices the overall amount I could probably get. I don't remember this happening with my old one.

[marinak1977]

I love my Lansinoh manual pump. It is very gentle and I get a ton of milk out with it, I will get a double electric pump for when I have to pump a lot at work though, as it is faster...

[detroitgirl77]

I've tried quite a few manual pumps, and the only one that got any results for me was the ameda one handed breast pump, which was great since I used the ameda purely yours electric pump at work, and the hand pump uses the same flange with a hand adapter. I could extract a lot of milk in little time. I tried the avent isis and couldn't get anything out at all.

[craft_media_hero]

Hmmm . . . I wish there was a way to try them out before you buy! I just put an Avent Isis on my wish list but may change it later; I'll do a little more reading up on it.

[MEcatlady17]

I too really like my Ameda hand pump (mine also came with the Purely Yours electric pump). I find it easy to squeeze- some I have looked at would tire my hand out faster. I think it is pretty efficient.

[allisonrose]

I originally got a Medela Harmony pump for the same purpose - an occasional bottle. Wasn't impressed by it. Then the Avent Isis came out in a BPA free version so I purchased that and was much happier.