Breast Pumps

[dharmabum]

I will be a stay at home mom and plan to nurse naturally as much as possible--not planning to introduce bottles for a few months. Any suggestions for breast pumps? I don't think I will need a high tech double pump, just something practical.

[LindsayK]

I have the Medela hand pump, and that works quite well. If you're only going to be pumping occasionally, it will be just fine, but more than that, and your hand is likely to get tired, and you should look into electric pumps.

[MonP'titBoudain]

I used the Avent hand pump with my ds for occasional use. It was fine, although if you have a fuller chest you might have to ditch the weird padding on it. I've also heard good things about the Medela hand pump.

That said, I inherited my sisters Medela Pump In Style with dd and honestly, I've never touched the hand pump again! I still was only using it every once in a while, but I was actually able to pump up a supply to have on hand and then to give away to an adoptive mom. If you have the cash, an electric pump is a LOT easier to use, IME.

[SteelerMom]

I have never used a Medela electric pump, but I am going to try it this time. I bought an expensive Whittlestone electric pump but I hardly ever was able to get a letdown with it. I had more success using my own hand to manually express breastmilk. Luckily for me, I only work one 12 hour day a week.

[rlandnl]

I loved my Avent Isis hand pump with DS. I had to pump often because we had to give him seizure meds and the easiest way was in the milk, and since I didn't want to suppliment with formula (though I did have to a couple times when we were under the mjaor stress of figuring out what was wrong with our little baby ) I pumped the milk to feed him his meds, that little pump was great, I coudl get 5+ ounces in no time... and this was while still feeding on demand 10+ times a day... of course I had an awesome supply with him

[smerkin]

I have a cheap little electric pump that I got at Target which worked fine and then I got my SIL's awesome double pump and it was way better. I'm a SAHM too and only pumped to have a bit of freedom every now and then. Unfortunately I waited too long and my daughter never took a bottle until she was 8 months. This time I'm going to try a little sooner so I have the option of going out every now and then.

[AmyKT]

If you have any problems at the beginning, such as severe engorgement or plugged ducts, you might like having an electric pump, even if you don't think you'll need much for real pumping. But so that you don't have to spend a fortune up front for something you might not use, you could always rent an electric pump from a lactation boutique for a few weeks or a month until you've got the hang of things, and then you can use a manual. It's just something to keep in mind so that you don't have to commit to a big purchase now, or regret the wrong purchase later.

[gunnarsmama77]

I had an avent ISIS manual pump, and for staying at home and pumping occasionally it was great. I had a bad experience with a hospital-grade pump that kind of scared me off of electrics (I am busty, more so right after birth, and the flanges were waaaay too small and resulted in cracked nipples on both sides), though, and was willing to take the 10-15 minutes to pump by hand. The ISIS was very comfortable for me, I loved the insert (soft silicone instead of hard plastic--a little more forgiving if your breast is not positioned perfectly) and it was very comfortable to use.
I am working full time this pregnancy, and will be after birth, so I upgraded to the ISIS IQ double electric because I know and like the set up. HTH!

[AmyKT]

Originally Posted by gunnarsmama77

I I had a bad experience with a hospital-grade pump that kind of scared me off of electrics (I am busty, more so right after birth, and the flanges were waaaay too small and resulted in cracked nipples on both sides),

That happened to me at first with the flanges, too. I was surprised because I am NOT busty, I just have big nipples, apparently. Once I got bigger sized flanges, it worked ok.

[secondimpression]

I went back to work FT after DS was born and had a Medela double electric and also had a manual for use at home. I never really could get the hang of the manual pump. Also, I apparently have freakishly tiny nipples and even the smallest flange Medela makes was WAY too big for me and as a result, pumping was always painful. I've heard that the Avent pumps are more forgiving for those with small nipples but I just didn't have the money to invest in a second double electric pump.

Also for anyone considering a Medela pump, just about every brand of bottle fits the pumps so you definitely don't have to buy their ridiculously expensive bottles

[dharmabum]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, it is very helpful!

[annettemarie]

As per the DDC Guidelines, I'm actually going to move this to the Breastfeeding forum.