What is best 'breastpump' to get?

Classact

Hi All,

I am expecting my first baby in April and hoping all will go ok and that I will be able to breastfeed ok.

I am trying to get a few bits and pieces and was wondering if people could recommend the best breast pump that I could buy? Thanks

Moonbeam

The electric medela ones are brilliant

Classact

Thanks for that

Are there different types of Medela electric ones.... Sorry if stupid question but is there one called 'swing' or something, that was just a quick glance at shelf????

Or is any medela one ok? Thanks

niallo76

Congratulations!
Its a fantastic journey! I used a hand pump on my first , the electric swing medela on my second , way faster !! which is very important!!

Mary28

The Medela mini electric isn't great. I borrowed one from a friend.
The Medela swing electric is supposed to be quite good, it's probably the best of the cheaper electric ones but I haven't used it myself.
The Pump In Style Advanced Medela is a double pump, it's about 250 new. If you were doing a lot of pumping this would be good. Plus it's a stronger pump and I found it a lot more effective than the Medela mini.
You can hire pumps that are hosptial grade, these would be very expensive to buy and can be rented by the month with double kits for approx 70-95 euros per month. I tried the Medela Symphony and it was very good. Quite a strong pump, smoother and quieter than Pump in Style one (could watch telly while using the symphony one!) If you were doing a lot of pumping these would be worth it.
If it's for occasional pumping I'd say the Swing Electric would do you.
You can get them all second hand and you just wash/sterilise the components, try the baby equipmemt sections of adverts.ie, rollercoaster, magic mum etc

crazy cat lady

I had the Avent pump as it was compatible with my bottles, however didn't find it great!

I had better luck using the tools god gave me (hand expressing) although by the time I had figured this out I was giving up feeding and just used it to relieve pressure in the evenings.

Grawns

I had the pump in style medela. Money well spent.

Dades

My Mrs used the Pump in Style (:p) for both of ours.

Well worth the investment, imo.

Cat Melodeon

I had an Avent manual one. It was grand for maybe expressing once a day. Next time I'll definitely be investing in a Medela swing, I've heard great things about them. I never realised I'd be expressing for over a year, plan to do for longer next time and would rather not end up with hulk-like wrist muscles!

mohawk

Congrats on your impending arrival.

Hand pumps are soo slow, but are ok if you don't pump often.
I had the electric tommee tippee it was great at pumping but milk used to get stuck in it so i only pumped if I was going to be away from my lil man. I bought it at half price though. The medula swing works great for everyone that I know who has used it.

eimsRV

I used the medula swing, it was good. But as I was only expressing then bottle feeding it was very time consuming so ended up hiring a hospital grade one for a couple of months. To be used just once or twice a day, swing would be great

DAFYDD

I'm using the Single Delux by Medela and I'm happy with it... money well spent!

holidaygirl

I use the tommee tippee manual one, I express every day and I got it half price for under €16 in boots. I can get about 4 Oz's in 4 minutes with it. I'm bf almost 5 months now.

I also bought the tommee tippee electric one at the same time for €50 apx also half price. I find I can express faster and better from the manual one, not sure why. I only used the electric one twice because the manual one works so well for me.

If I was to have it back again I would just get the manual one first, The manual one is great if I'm out and about and need to express, and also would be handier if you were heading away.

Days

Medella swing good but pumping is a pain and you feel like an animal while doing it!

sun child

I would not buy an expensive breast pump until you know what your feeding style will be. I bought a manual Tommee Tippee to get myself started (got it from Boots on promotion with bottles for about €25) I was going to go electric later.

Turns out I have hardly ever used the breast pump. My baby will not take a bottle. She is coming up to weaning age now so I will probably only use the pump now to express small amounts of milk for mixing with foods.

I find my Tommee Tippee manual very easy to use. Takes about 10 min to express 4oz.

Days

Forgot to say good luck with the new arrival. It's the most amazing thing ever. Even when they are roaring at 3 in the morning it's wort it!

offalyman

I'm also looking for some advice on breast pumps. I'm swaying towards the Medela Swing as it has been recommended by a few people. Just wondering can Avent bottles be used with it and if not what other brand bottles work with it? Also i was told by a mid wife that the motor in the single pump can blow very easily if used more than once or twice a week. Just wonder has anyone experience of this.
Thanks in advance.

implausible

I don't know what other brand of bottles work with it, but I've never really seen the point of getting ones to fit it. I always just pumped into the container/bottle provided and then poured it into a bottle/breastmilk bags. But, then again, I rarely pumped more than twice a day, so the medela container was usually sterilised when I needed it.

Kimmers12345

Hi, I used the medela swing electric pump when I was breastfeeding and found it excellent...it was very comfortable to use....

implausible

offalyman wrote: »

Also i was told by a mid wife that the motor in the single pump can blow very easily if used more than once or twice a week. Just wonder has anyone experience of this.

That sounds like awful sh*te by the way - they're designed to be used as often as you need! Had no problems with mine and never heard this problem before. Just make sure no milk is left in it or gets into the tubes. Midwives aren't always the best sources of breastfeeding advice in my experience.

Just a hint too - don't go out and spend €100 on an electric pump until (a) feeding is going well and (b) she's sure she'd going to get the use out of it. Lots of women don't continue to breastfeed and many who do, find pumping problematic. When I first decided to pump, I used a cheapo hand-pump, until I was confident I could do it and could produce a fair bit. Then, I invested in the Medela. Then again, I can be VERY scabby....:D

wmpdd3

I used both the meduala in hospit and the avent electric at home. The medula cups were more comfortable but pumping straight in the avent bottles suited. Also the avent was battery opperated too, so really portable.

NextSteps

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I used both the meduala in hospit and the avent electric at home. The medula cups were more comfortable but pumping straight in the avent bottles suited. Also the avent was battery opperated too, so really portable.

Medela Swing is battery or mains operated. I find it very good.

obscurething

+1 for the Tommee Tippee Manual one. I got it for £10 in Asda. Watch out for the 'baby events' I use it a few times a week and find it quick and very portable. Like the other posters have said it is not something to spend money on at the start as you may not get the use or need it.

Future Baby

Just wondering if anyone else has any recommendations on breast pumps, would you be better off to get a double pump over a single pump, has anyone tried the ARDO Calypso Double Breast Pump - Hospital Grade,
http://www.inhealth.ie/Products/ARDO-Calypso-Double-Breast-Pump----Hospital-Grade__41461.aspx

I'm only breastfeeding 2 weeks and dont know if I should splash out and get a pump, as I think my other half is feeling left out cause he is not feeding my little man, plus it would mean I could nip into town and not have to worry about rushing home to feed the baby if i had a bottle expressed.

How Strange

Future Baby it generally isn't recommended that you start pumping at such an early stage unless it's necessary - having a premature baby or baby in ICU. Your supply isn't established and you've a couple of growth spurts to go through where baby will feed off you constantly to get your body to make more milk. A pump would interfere with that process. Also a hospital grade pump is too strong again unless it is absolutely necessary and has been recommended for a specific reason.

It's tough going in the early days and it seems like mum does all the work but there's plenty dad can do to help out. When you finish feeding give your son to him so he can do skin to skin and bond with him and you can get some rest.

You could get a sling which would let you get out and about and bring your son with you. The once or twice I got out in the early weeks I found I leaked a lot around 2 hours after a feed. It was like an incredible link with my baby because my body knew he was hungry and needed to be fed.

To answer your original question the Medela swing is very good and you can probably start around 5 weeks

sweetnjuicy

just to say i started pumping at 2 and a half weeks. i now have a fab supply and can pump 10oz a day and feed too. didnt see the point of letting supply settle at 5-6 weeks and then trying to pump whats not there.

Future Baby

Thanks for the advice How Strange, I was in with the PHN today and she also recommended the Swing Pump too, and told me to wait until after his growth spurt before I consider using one. He has finally started putting on weight , as they were worried that I wasnt feeding him enough, even though Im feeding him on demand. She had me coming in every few days since I came out of the hospital to get him weighed, if he didnt put on weight by today I would have had to give him some formal food too.

wmpdd3

This is a bit off topic, but my daughter didnt put on weight properly for 7 weeks and she was formula fed. I had to have her weighted every week like you. She might put on 1 pound only to lose it the next week. She's fine now, but eats little and often.

How Strange

Future Baby a baby can lose 10% of its birthweight and can take up to 3 weeks to regain it before gaining any additional weight. The constant monitoring of weight by public health nurses is very detrimental to successful breastfeeding because they don't allow sufficient time for the baby to regain weight and formula is then suggested as the 'solution'.

I tend to believe in watching the baby not the weight. If he's generally content, with a good amount of wet nappies and his fontenelle (sp?) isnt sunken then everything is fine. Sorry slightly ot but it's a bug bear of time.

Future Baby

I would be the same as you, he doesnt look like a hungry baby, he'd cry if he is hungry, or go mad rubbing his mouth to tell me he is hungry, so I take it he is hungry and feed him. He has loads of wet and pooie nappys so there is def food going into him!

I thought the PHN was there to encourage you and not knock you down over every little thing.

Moonbeam

The medela pumps are worth a look too I found them brilliant.

Cat Melodeon

Future Baby wrote: »

I thought the PHN was there to encourage you and not knock you down over every little thing.

I had a few issues with my PHN on my first baby - constant weighing and questioning when he was clearly thriving. This time I've a different PHN and I get the impression that if you manage not to kill the first baby that you're pretty much left to your own devices on subsequent babies!

Anyway, back on topic: I have an Avent manual pump that I used on my 1st baby. It was fine for pumping once a day, which gave hubby a chance to give a feed and let me build up a supply for the odd occasion I was away. I was planning on getting a Medela Swing this time but actually haven't bothered expressing at all yet (8 weeks in). Like How Strange suggested, I've been using a sling this time (she's much lighter than her big brother was) and find it so easy to go anywhere with herself in tow that it hasn't been an issue, so I think I'll be sticking with the manual pump.