Which One to Buy?

I used the Medela Pump-in-style Advanced for 3 kids and it was great. Its the one that all the lactation consultants seem to recommend, as it is the one brand that keeps up with the research and keeps improving their product. Best way to buy is online to find a better price.

I have the Medela Dual Pump in Style version that comes in a messenger style carrying bag. I absolutely LOVED mine! First of all, because of the style, no one knew it was actually a breast pump. It had storage for carrying the bottles and chilling the milk afterwards. Frankly, I thought it was awesome! You could pump one at a time or both simultaneously. It was nothing for me to be done in 15 minutes at work! P.S. I've seen some of these going on ebay for as little at $50 and I paid nearly $200 new...I know a lot of people will tell you not to use someone else's but I don't see a difference if you end up renting one...it's the same thing. If you clean the parts well, there is no reason why you couldn't buy a perfectly good one used...Mine is over 6 years old and still works as good as the day I bought it!

I have a Medela Pump In Style. I have had it for 8 years now and it has been through my three children and 3 other children as well. I plan to use it for the last time with my baby due in September. It worked great and like I said still is working great!!

I had a Medela (electric) and it was great! I work full time, frequently very long hours, and was able to pump successfully at work for a year. If your work schedule is super busy and you need to pump fast, I would recommend a double breasted pump. I have friends who have used the single pump, and think it is also great, just takes a little more time. Congratulations & good luck!

Hi L.,

I just had my son on 2/10/09 and I too didn't know what pump to get. I didn't pump with my 1st child, I just wheined (sp?) her off once I went back to work. Since I didn't want to do that with my son, my older sister purchased me the Medela single pump which she swore by as being the best. By the way, her name is L. also! :-) And I will admit, it has been super. It's easy to use and clean and allows me to get comfortable where ever I need to. I'm now back at work and it's easy to transport back and forth cause it's very light weight. We have a wellness room where I can go and express in private. I see the Medela brand all the time at Target, Wal-mart and Babies R Us. In fact, Babies R Us has a "Pump & Go Breastfeeding Workshop" coming up this month!! It's Tuesday, May 19th @ 6:30pm. Here's the link: http://www5.toysrus.com/our/bru/prom/specialEvents/may-ju...
Oh and for added convenience and ease of transportation, I use the Lansinoh Breastmilk storage bags. These are ideal too for storing in the freezer and sending to the sitter's freezer daily. No bulky bottles and they allow the milk to thaw quicker.
So hope this helps. I know it did me to just have someone tell me what to use. Good luck and happy delivery!

I used a medual electric double pump with my first ( don't remember which model) and I HATED it!!
I did a lot of looking around with my second child and decided on the Avent Isis Duo. I LOVED it!! It was wonderful. It allowed me more control of the speed and amount of suction. I highly recommend it!

Congratulations and good luck!

I have the Aveent Isis Duo Double Electric Breast Pump and it worked great for me. I was working part time as a nurse at the time and having the double pump was really efficient and quick for me. I'm glad you're going to try breastfeeding. I exclusively did it with my son and it was wonderful! Such a bond and it makes you feel good that you're providing the nourishment for your little one. It might be hard or painful at first, but stick with it - it gets much easier.

I was going to say the Medela Pump In Style... and I see that everyone else had said that as well. It's expensive but worth it.

If you don't want to purchase a pump, Mommy and Me at Shawnee Mission rents them, or at least they used to. Their number it ###-###-####

I used the Medela pump in style with my 1st son & loved it! It is a very good pump that will last & is worth the money. I used an evenflo electric single pump, but it wore out in 2 weeks. I also never had much luck with the manual pumps.

God bless!

I too loved the Medela Pump n Style, but if you decide to buy instead of rent, check out Hackley (or Heckley, I always get it wrong!) Medical Supply on-line. I got mine for a lot less plus free shipping!

Hi L.. Good for you for trying it the "old-fashioned" way. :) I don't know why everyone insists on paying so much for a double electric pump. After tons of research, I got the Playtex Embrace double electric. It was about $100 less than the similar Medela styles and came with a bag with bottle adapters a car power adapter as well. It allows several speeds and suction levels, one or two sided pumping, and works with almost any brand of bottles. I used the Playtex drop-ins to reduce gas, mess and clean up when storing and transferring back to bottle for feeding time. They were great for daddy and daycare.

I read a few negative reviews of people who had motor issues with this pump. While this didn't happen to me, I also read that the company has fabulous replacement policies if you do have a problem. I would only recommend this pump if you are pumping 50% of the time or less. I don't think it would be up to 100% pumping.

The one complaint I did have is that it is difficult to fine adapters and parts in stores--you pretty much have to buy them on line which does require planning.

Best of luck to you and your newest addition!

Medula is the best. Depending on where you deliver, the hospital may give you a manual pump. Aks them. Before you go spend a small fortune on an electric pump, check and see if you can rent one from your hospital or local WICK office. It's so much cheaper than buying and when your done with it, rather than trying to figure out what to do with it, you just return it to whomever your renting it from. Good luck.

I just wanted to say that this time around (10 year gap in children) I ended up with a manual pump. The idea of a manual pump turned me off completely despite the lower price; I had used an electric pump the first time around. I don't remember what convinced me to give it a try but oh my gosh, I wish I could get the word out that manual pumps are GREAT. Here are some of my favorite benefits: Completely quiet/more discrete, simpler design/no worries about power sources, and more control over process (speed, pressure, etc.)--this makes it more efficient and more comfortable for you. And no, your hand doesn't get too tired. I went with Avent personally.

i used the Medella electric pump. It was worth the money. I used to teach high school full time and had to get the pumping done in less than half an hour 2 times a day. Not ideal, but it worked for me. Definitely worth the money and it is in a very nondescript bag so everybody thought I lugged a large briefcase to the nurse's office a couple times a day :)

I absolutely LOVED my Medela Pump In Style. It was quite a bit on the expensive side, but so worth it. I used it through both of my babies and nursed them through 11 months with my first and 9 months with my second and my pump still looks brand new. My sister just found out that she is pregnant and wants to breastfeed and although the pump is supposed to be a single-user pump, she is going to use my pump for her baby (and any more that she may have). It comes in a nice carrying bag, it is fairly light weight and I jsut can't say enough about it. I really was very happy with that purchase. Good luck!

Check out the book "Baby Bargains." It ranks pumps (as well as other baby products) & helps you determine what kind of pump you need for your lifestyle. I found it very helpful. Also, consider renting one from your hospital or health equipment store until you determine your preferences. Good luck!

I use the Medela Pump in Style, like everyone else. The one thing i wanted to add, is that I use the Evenflo glass bottles and they fit right onto the pump. I can refrigerate, freeze, and feed right from that bottle. No need to ever transfer the milk from one container to another. I can write the date on them with a sharpie and they wash up VERY easily with no need to worry about PBA's. And they are cheap! A 3 pack is $6.00 at Target. Good luck finding what works for you and your baby!

Medela pump-n-style. It has a compartment for keeping the milk cold while you transport it from work, etc. Whatever you do, get a double electric pump if you can afford it.

I know this isn't the one that is most out there, but I use the Ameda Purely Yours, and it is fabulous! It is much less expensive then the Medela pumps, and the milk does not ever go into the machine. It's much more hygenic. You can do double or single, and it have variable speed and suction controls. I'm on my second kiddo now, and I love it!
PS I also have a Medela, but I never use it. I find the Medela to be much more cumbersome and heavy for taking with me to and from work every day.

I'm sure most moms would agree that Medela is the best brand. It is the one the hospitals use. This is my suggestion. Since you have never nursed before it might be wise to rent one until you are 100% sure you will continue to nurse. Then when you are comfortable you can buy one. The Medelas are pretty pricy (but so is formula!) You can rent them from the hospitals or I think Once Upon a Child still rents them. I nursed my 2 boys and let me tell you, it is harder than you might think. It took me about 9 weeks to get into a good routine with my youngest then I nursed him till he was a year. I only lasted 5 weeks with my oldest then I quit. I didn't know what the heck I was doing and I didn't have a good pump! Good luck and I hope it goes great. I really enjoyed the bonding time!

Absolutely LOVED my Medela and never had any issues. Search online to find the best deal!

I'm currently using the Avent Isis and I love it.

I used the Ameda Purely Yours double electric pump for two kiddos and I LOVED it!! It was easy and not too difficult to clean either. This was suggested to me by the hospital lactation consultant and I am so glad as it is much cheaper than the Medela, but has all of the same features and it is a closed system which means milk CANNOT get into the machine. Good luck with your choice and congrats on you baby!

It really depends on how you're going to use it.

If you will be staying at home, you can get by with a manual or single electric pump. If you'll be working and plan on mostly expressing breastmilk for bottles, you should probably get a double electric.

I had both a manual and single electric by Medela and loved them both. We just did 1 bottle per day of expressed milk and my husband gave it to our daughter before bed, it was a nice bonding time. I decided to upgrade from the manual to the Medela Swing because the single electric is faster & easier than the manual.

I've also heard great things about the Medela PIS (Pump in Style). Here's the Medela website: http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/ If you go to this link (http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/product-selector) it will help guide you through pumps that will be best for you.

I am sure you will get a hundred of the same response, but I am using the Medela Pump in Style. This seems to be one of the most popular brands. They are worth the price.

Just as an additional suggestion...get the book "Becoming Baby Wise." You can get it on amazon.com. I am sure that several people will say bad things about it, but my son is 8 weeks and is sleeping from 9:30pm-5:30am. He is also happy, healthy, and wonderful. (Sorry about the pitch, but I am just so excited to be getting my sleep already. My first child didn't sleep through the night until she was at least 5 months).