Manual or Electric Breast Pump????

I'm so glad to see more moms breast feeding!!!! I was shunded because I did even my husband was against it in the begin. The only down fall I see of it now is my lil boy is a very big booby boy and I have to watch him around big breasted women. LOL. As far as manual and electric; I did both and found them to take about the same time, but my arm and hand started to give out about half way. The hospital can rent you one or you can get a single electric one at like Target for 30-50 dollors I think it was. It worked great for me and was the cheapest one!!! As far as transitioning from breast to bottle I suggest that you don't let anyone give the baby a bottle for the first 3 or 4 weeks then slowly interduce the bottle. Use the ones that are shaped more like the breast I found this to be the easiest for my son to use and he refused to use any smaller nipples. As far as how long frozen milk lastest I think it's only a couple of weeks, but all the pumps (store bought) have instructions and times on how long milk will stay good. Also they sell contaniers for just freezing breast milk. Congrates on the new little one and hope this helps. :)

Electric pumps are the fastest. I rented mine when we lived in Houston. It is much cheaper that way and is the best in my opinion. Contact the hospital or the La Leche League for information in this area

Girl I'd go with the electric. I tried manual and didn't work for me. Actually rented one for 6 months which was much better than any storebought. I rented because I know I was not going to have anymore children. The choice is yours. Medella has a great one that keeps your hands free for the most part. That brand works really well for me. I can understand wanting to get the manual for the price, but the pumping time is much longer and you get tired. Hope this helps.

I'm a 37 yr old working mother of 3.

I rented one from the hospital. I only breastfed for 8 weeks also and it worked like a charm. I have a manual one that did not even come close to the electric one.

Congratulations D.!! You'll love beenin a mom. I would definetly go with a electric. You will tire out with the manual one, especially going back to work. The electric one will work much faster. I used a manual with my first child and was not too successful. I used the medela pump in style with my second child. It was great. I got mine on ebay and bought new parts online at growinglife.com. I wish you the best.

First, I want to say "congrats!"...Next, I would highly recommend an eletric pump. A manual one will take longer and wear at your wrists and arms...Especially since you will be going back to work...You will need something quick and easy to use.
I highly suggest the Ameda Purly Yours..I have the double pump..You can set your own speed and strength of suction...If you match it to your child, you will be more productive with pumping. PLUS- its not as expensive as the Medela brand. I did use the Pump in Style for my first, and it was ok...I wouldnt trade my Ameda for anything!!!! This pump has done wonders! The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed and cleared the claim that the patented silicone diaphragm used in the Ameda HygieniKit milk collection system creates a barrier that protects both:

A. collected breast milk from potential contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria that may be present in the pump and or kit tubing AND
B. pump and kit tubing from potential contaminants, such as
virus and bacteria, that may be present in collected milk.

The Ameda HygieniKit is the only breast milk collection system with
FDA clearance to make this strong protective claim. The Significance of the claim may be especially relevant to mothers using medical grade breast pumps and those pumping for premature or ill who are at greater risk of succumbing to infection.

Between both of my sons, I went through 3 different breast pumps. One was the Medela double pump that cost about $300. I cannot remember who made the second one. The third one, the one that I used the most and will swear by, is the Avent brand pump. It is manual, not electric, but once you have the hang of it, I found it to be nearly as fast as the Medela (remember it does only pump one side at a time, so it was just a few minutes less convenient), and EXTREMELY comfortable... which I did not find with the Medela. Oh, and it only cost about $50 and you can buy bottles, nipples, etc. to go along with it. It's very portable, easy to use, comfortable, cost friendly, and never caused me a problem.
From what I remember, you can freeze breast milk for many months. I know La Leche League's website would be very helpful for that kind of thing.
Best of luck to you. Breastfeeding can be a difficult experience early on, but if you hang with it and get support when times are tough (La Leche rocks!), you will find it to be a wonderful bonding experience for you and your child as well as a SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper form of nutrition. Congrats on your impending arrival!

If you are going to be pumping everyday then you must get an electric pump, it is a necessity. If cost is an issue then cut back on other baby items but get a good pump it can make the difference. I breastfeed my first daughter for 1 yr and have been nursing my second for 6 mths now. Medela is the best out there but it is expensive. Having gone through pumping daily for over a year I would highly recommend the best that is the only way to make your life easier and it will increase your changes of nursing for the full 12 mths. I would start storing milk as soon as you can. My breastfeeding book says you can store milk in the freezer for 3-4mths but my pediatrican said you can store it for up to 6 mths. I have gone by those guideliness and never had a problem. Make sure when you are storing your milk that when you seal it you get all of the air out. I have heard that the air can give freezer burn to the milk and a lot of babies wont like the taste. Good luck and remember it will be difficult and time consuming but you are doing what is best for your child.

Dear D.,
My advice is to hold off on purchasing for now. Consider renting a breast pump from the local hospital. Electric is best and double pump is best. Good breast pumps are pricey so I would make sure you are actually going to use it before you buy. Good luck and God bless you!! K.

I would definately not bother with manual! You will get so sick of it once you go back to work! I too spent the money to by medula electric pump that allows you to pump both breast at once. Huge time saver and it works great! I waited for them to go on sale on baby center with free shipping and that really helped. I bought mine because I know I will be having more children. I have friends that rented from the hospital because they could only breast feed for a few weeks, and they loved those too. I started pumping about 1-2 weeks after he was born so that my husband could help me out during the night feedings. He would get up and give our son a bottle while I got up and pumped. I had tons of milk, so I was having to pump after feeding my son anyway!
I got the gerber freezer bags and milk can last up to 6 months, but I never went past 4 months to be safe. I would bring my pump to work and it would only take 15 minutes for me to have 2 full bottles to bring home. You can plug the pump in or use batteries which was great!
A friend of mine bought hers on ebay, there are tons of them on there. I know it isn't recommended, but you can buy the pump there (some of them have only been used a couple of times) and then buy new breast shields and tubing for yourself. I got the medula sterilization bags too and those are great! You put your shields and tubing in them, add water and microwave for 30 seconds. The bags can be used 20 times I think.
Congratulations and good luck with whatever you choose!

First of all, Congratulations!!!

I have used both manual and electric breast pump and the electric is so much better. If you talk to any lactation consultant they will recommend that you get a good hospital grade electric breast pump. They truly do work much better than the manual. I recommend the Medela Electric Pump. It cost around $250.00, I got mine at Babies R Us and I wish I had bought that one first instead of the manual that cost me $50.00. The electric pump will help with your milk supply coming in especially if you are not able to breast feed your baby all the time. This was the case for me as my little girl was at Tampa General in the intensive care for 10 days. She is now at home and is 5wks old today. I also recommend getting into a breast feeding class if possible. There is lot more to the whole process. Check out the Le Leche League website for local meetings. Good Luck!!

You can rent an electric breast pump from the hospital for, I think, about $20 a month. Look into that first. Otherwise, if you want to buy your own, get a Medela. It is a bit expensive but WELL worth it!!! After my daughter was born, I went thru 3 breast pumps in the first 4 weeks until I got the Medela. It worked fabulously!!!! I very highly recommend it.

Electric!!!!! And go with the best possible one you can afford. You will be happy you did. The manual ones you have to sit there and squeeze for a long time. You'll be sitting there for a little bit with the electric ones but at least you won't have to be squeezing and letting go....squeezing and letting go over and over. This is one place that you really do get what you pay for.

I would not buy any of the electric First Years pumps. I bought one for over $50 and it doesn't work well at all. Once you open the boxes you are unable to taken them back.

What I ended up doing is at the hospital I asked to pump while I was there. I did not know this with my first child, but the attachment they bring for the electric hospital pump actually turns into a manual pump. The lactation lady told me about this and you can bring this home with you.

If you want to purchase a pump I would go with the Medela Brand. They are expensive but well worth the money. You can also look into renting pumps. Your hospital or local health department might have more info on this.

I’ll add my quick 2 cents and agree with the women who posted about the Ameda Purely Yours double electric pump. I paid $149 for it and it was worth every penny. I pumped 3-5 times a day (went back to work after 3 months) from when my daughter was 3 weeks old right up until her 11th month (I had enough in the freezer to last her the 12th month). She weaned herself when she was 10 months, so for 4 weeks I exclusively pumped. I never had any problems with it, and when I had questions about the product or how to use the pump (what my breasts were supposed to ‘look’ like in the contraption – turns out I needed the bigger flanges) the support staff was phenomenal!!!! The always took the time to talk with me and guide me, and the lactation consultant, whom I spoke with a few times, was so nice and returned every one of my calls. I plan on using this pump for my second child due in September.

~J.

That is just so good that you are planning ahead for you breastfeeding. If you are going back to work full time I would highly recommend the Medela,which I always just rented but I am sure you can buy them also http://www.medela.com/NewFiles/pumps_personalUseElectric..... For occasional use the avent ISIS is the BOMB. http://www.aventamerica.com/products/breastfeeding/breast...

HTH!
Liz

Well, I've only tried the Evenflo Electric pump and it is AWFUL. I would rather use my own hand (which I have desperately done) than use this pump. I would suggest pumping a few weeks before you go back and freezing it if you plan on sticking to breastmilk. I wasn't able to keep up with all the pumping once I got back to work so my supply got really low. I now feed her two formula bottles and one breastmilk bottle at daycare and breastmilk when she is home with me. She is 4 mo. Good luck!

I second the Ameda Purely Yours. I started with a manual, and my hands wuld give out long before my milk would. After months of research, I decided on the Ameda over the Medela because:

1. The FDA approval. The milk can't backup into the pump. AFAIK, Ameda is still the only one with approval. That's why Hollister offers Hygenikits so you can even share a pump, or buy used, where Medela says not to share and will void the warranty if you do.

2. The specs are close enough as to be almost identical. There were a few motor problems with the Ameda years ago when it very first came out, and people gushed over how wonderful Hollister's customer support is. These problems were worked out before I ever bought my pump, somwhere around the end of 2001. I used it 2-3 times a day sometimes, for of each of my babies that were breastfeed, one for 14 months, the other for 16 months. I never had a problem.

3. The Ameda is about $100 cheaper, and was recommended by the LC I trusted.

I've had the Ameda since 2001, still have it, and it still works just like new. It's light, very adjustable, and you can plug it in, run it off batteries or in the car.

My son could switch from breast to bottle, no problems. He also had bad GERD, and breastmilk was the only thing that didn't completely tear him up, so he was exclusively BF for the first 8 months of his life. My daughter, on the other hand, would not take a bottle, not ever. My pumped milk was wasted with her, because she was not going to drink from a bottle, no way, no how. Then again, I didn't try to give her one until she was a few months old.

You probably shouldn't try using a bottle until you and the baby have nursing down pat. Also, here's a link to a page from Dr. Sear's sits that has lots of info on milk storage. Scroll down to the bottom for a chart that lists storage times for freezing, refrigerating and how long to keep room temp milk. Oh, and remember not to microwave breastmilk. If you use the heavy plastic milk bags, you can thaw a few ounces pretty quickly in a bowl of warm water.

I'm rambling, I hope some of this makes sense!

:)

Duh, I forgot the link:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T026900.asp#T026901

Medula breast pump is the best. I used it and it does not take long to pump at all. I was told to start introducing the bottle in the first week. I did not do that and my son had the hardest time taking the bottle. Also your breast milk will freeze for 6 months. Buy the bags that you can put the date on them. That worked best for me, and that way you know the date when you pumped.

K. Rowe

D.,

I hired an electric one from the hospital with my daughter. I was about a $900 unit to buy but only something like $20 a month to rent.

It is totally hygienic and really the most effective pump you can get.

I had my daughter at Sarasota Memorial but check with your hospital - it is a good option to buying a second grade unit.

Good Luck!

If you are going to be predominantly breastfeeding and only occasionally pumping to get a bottle now and then, manual will be fine. If you are planning to go back to work and pump two to three times a day, go electric for sure! If you end up doing a lot of pumping, you will definitely want a double pump too - you won't have time to pump one breast at a time.

I had problems breastfeeding since my daughter went into the NICU when she was born, so I ended up pretty much exclusively pumping (I pumped six times a day in the beginning and eventually got to 3 times a day). When you're pumping that much, you need a good pump. I had the Medela Pump in Style Advance. It was an awesome pump and well worth the money for as much as I used it!

One other note, you may want to wait until after your child is born to buy a pump. They are not returnable after a certain amount of time, even if unopened. You may also want to wait and see how breastfeeding goes - after attempting it for a while, some women find they cannot or do not want to do it for many reasons. There's no hurry, you can always rent a hospital grade pump for the first month and see how it goes. I bought my pump from the hospital "lactation station" (at Morton Plant) a week after my daughter was born.

I hope this helps and good luck!

D.,
I would suggest an electric pump because they get the job done quicker and more effeciently (less work for you). Medela (sp?) has the best products by far! They are a little more expensive, but worth every penny if you are serious about nursing, and pumping when going back to work. I also would STRONGLY suggest you contact a lactation specialist at your hospital. They are great support and have all the answers (they offer their free services even after you have gone home from the hospital). I used them as a resource many times in the beginning. Believe me, nursing can be challenging at times, and a new mom does better with a support system. They will be able to answer questions about freezing your milk, milk supply, etc. Relax and be patient with yourself and your baby in the beginning, and remember to call a lactation specialist if you are having troubles. Good luck and congrats!
Becky

I don't know where you are, but here in Florida they will give you a breast pump while you are in the hospital, it is a manual/electric medela pump, it is the single deluxe that they gave me. I loved it, didn't hurt, wasn't uncomfortable, and best of all insurance pays for it! So even if you have Medicaid insurance pays for it, you just have to ask for one when the lactation specialist comes to see if, which if you are breast feeding I would defiantly be sure to see her before you leave the hospital, she will tell you how to latch the baby on correctly so that it doesn't hurt, and also will just help you and answer any questions you have.
You can always call the hospital that you are going to deliver at and ask to speak to the lactation specialist and ask her if they will give you a breast pump, alot of people including myself didn't know anything about it. And I got one with my second child!
Whether you get one from the hospital or not, my suggestion would be to get a medela pump, just some FYI, you get what you pay for with breast pumps, medela is more expensive, but in the long run you will appreciate spending the extra money!
J., mother of 2 beautiful girls in Florida

I used an electric pump, it was The First Years dual pump and it worked pretty well for about 4 months. After that it stopped working so well but it was only around $50. I got frustrated with it and stopped. My supply was running out because I didn't start pumping early enough and my baby was naturally eating more as she got older. I would recommend starting to pump as soon as you get home from the hospital. I didn't (even though my mother told me to:) ) and I regret not doing it now. Also my baby got to where she wouldn't breastfeed at all because the bottle was faster. So don't be surprised if that happens too! Hope this helps!!

T. W

I wasted $50 on a manual pump b/c I am a SAHM and knew I would't be using it alot, but it ended up being a total waste of money. I splurged and bought the double medela electric pump(approx $250)and LOVED it! It worked great, didn't take much time to pump 8oz, traveled easily, and very simple to use. Good luck and happy pumping!!!