Breastfeeding SupportGOT MILK? The Breastfeeding relationship is so important... if you need support, or are a boobie juice pro, come on in! This is the breast (uh, um best) discussion board on the web.
I had two different cheapy battery/electric pumps that neither one of them worked. I got an Avent Isis and it was way better than the others. Simple to use and worked well.
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Tanya
Wife to Keith (15 yrs.)
SAHM to Brooke (12), Sarah (8), Taylor (5) and Sydney Allison (9 months)
Christian, HS
1. Ameda/Egnell hospital grade rechargeable pump. This is the one that rents for $45/month. I used it for a year while working fulltime. It was fantastic. I could get 20 oz in 20 minutes (pumping both breasts simultaneously).
2. Medal hospital grade rental. Eh. It worked fine but I found it loud, it had to be plugged in all the time, and it was a lot louder than the Ameda. So when I went to purchase a pump I purchased
3. The Ameda Purely Yours which I loved, loved, loved. Not quite as state-of-the-art as the hospital grade rechargeable, but it was quiet, easy to clean, and FULLY adjustable (I do best with medium suction at low speed to get started and then high suction at a medium-high speed to rapidly empty the breast).
I also had the silicon inserts that provide a more gentle buffer than the plastic alone.
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Alaska So proud of my 7th grader and 1st graders My feedback
I made the sweater, too.
i was an exclusively pumping mama for the first 6 months of my ds' liofe, and i continued to pump until he was 2+ years old in addition to nursing him. i then started pumping after dd was born, and continued pumping for about 10 months. she is still nursing now at almost 3 years old
i have used everythign from medela except the new symphony. i have used the classic (pic attached below), the lactina select, the pumpnstyle(have 2 in fact) the doublease, the mini-electric, the harmony, and the spring express hand pump with and without the spring- i preferred to pull, so didnt usually use the spring).
from ameda i have used the smb, the elite, and the one-hand pump.
overall i like the medela products more, they were easier and more efficient for me.
the ONLY downside i have found is that they do run a little more.
if i wer ein the market for a manual pump TODAY, after all the pumps i have tried. i would ge tthe medela harmony. (it is built very similarly to the avent isis, but the handle is more positionable i think). if i were gonna get another electric for purchase, i'd get a pumpnstyle.
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~l~ Breastfeeding is food, vitamins, minerals, immunities, eye hand coordination, oral development, maternal weight loss, disease protection, free, antibacterial, anti-infective, living tissue, mother-baby bonding, comforting, pacifying, sleep-inducing, thirst quenching, hypoallergenic, brain food, anovulatory, a gift of love from mother to child.
I've used a horrible electric/battery Gerber ,Medela manuel ,Medelahospital rental ,and a medela mini-electric ,And also an avent pump .I ended up with a tierd hand on that last one so I took out the insert and put it in my medela pump horn. I wish that I'd had a chance to try many others.Playtex has come out with one that is comparable to a whittle stone,they cost the same,300.00.Oh yah how could I forget I also hve tried the evenflo manual BP.I liked it ok,no complaints here,over all I prefer what I've had the best sucess with.Medela my be pricy but overall I have been pleased with thier prouduct and customer service was always helpful and fast.Now if I could just get some more aventor ameda inserts for my horns.A little cushon goes a long way on tierd boobies.
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Treva,
Blessed with four shining stars
The pump in style was great-used it with first baby.
This time around I used the Avent Isis. I LOVE it. I like more than the pump in style. I had great suction with it...and I liked that I could control the amount of 'pull' on my nipple wiht my own hand. I could get a good stream of milk going and just let the milk flow for20 seconds or so in between actually squeezing the pump again. That was very cool. Much less stress on my breasts. I pumped with my baby on the opposite breast...that was easiest for me.
The pump in style was alittle harsh on my nipples for me but it is a great pump/set up.
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"If you only believe what you see, then you are limited to what's on the surface. If you only believe what you see, then why do you pay your electric bill?" Dr. Wayne Dyer
I'm coming into this late, but sometimes hospitals rent out PIS..not sure...I used both Isis and PIS..my friend GAVE me her PIS..how awesome is that?! Maybe if you have a lot of people who want to buy you gifts they could pool their resources and get the PIS..good luck!
I want to add another plus for the Avent. I bought mine right before they redesigned it, and had a piece break. I called the company, and not only did they send me the part that broke, they sent a few more of the little circle valve things, and a free sipee cup! They didn't give me the usual attitude I get from other places (gee, send the broken thing so we can be sure you aren't scamming us!) and the extra stuff made me happier I'm a sucker for anything free.
I've been looking at an electric double pump I saw at wal-mart. It's under $50 (in my area of NC anyway) and I've always wanted a double, but couldn't make myself spend $200 for one.