Need Opinions on a Good Breastpump for Going Back to Work.

I have used the Medela Pump in Style and I'm my second year of using it (first year for my first born and my second born is 5 months old). Also, my sister had one that withstood the test of time of 3 pregrancies.

I also used the PIS and it is wonderful. I know that the Ameda is cheaper but I don't have any experience with it to know if it is as good or not.

Hi K.,

I have the Medela PIS Advanced, and love it. I also got it for a geatly reduced price online in January - $228.00. www.lactationcare.com. It arrived 3-days after I placed the order and it was free shipping and no tax. You will have to call or email them for current pricing, as they cannot print their prices for Medela pumps. I went with the Medela as the Lactation Nurse at the hospital recommended it and several friends.

Good luck!
A.

I have the Medela Pump in Style and it worked great!

I have used both in the past and like them both, however, I think the Ameda is much easier to us, it's less complicated when putting it together and taking it apart :) I ended up purchasing the Ameda and am VERY happy with it ;)

I have the Ameda Purely Yours and loved it. It is a lot less expensive than the Medela, which is good because you never know how long you'll use it despite your best intentions. In addition, the bag is half the size and comes with a little cooler (holds 6-4oz bottles) with ice packs that stay frozen all day long at room temperature. The Ameda only has two pieces that come in contact with the milk so cleaning is very easy too, not sure how that compares to the Medela.

Hi K.,

I love my Ameda Purely Yours! I have the one with the backpack, and it's perfect for work. The backpack is very discreet and plenty big enough for everything you need. I've used it with regular power, the car adapter and batteries and they all work wonderfully. I chose it over the Medela because I read that there were fewer parts to wash. Best of luck as you transition back to work. It's hard at first, but I have found a nice balance between the two. :) A.

I actually own and use both right now. This was not my intention. I originally bought the Ameda on the recommendation of my sister-in-law who has been breastfeeding for nearly 6 years and uses the Ameda. It is much smaller, you can easily stick it in a drawer to buffer the sound, much less expensive and the parts are simpler and easier to clean. Plus the Ameda can be used by multiple people because there is no way for the milk to get into the machine. I got just the pump and used the diaper bag I got from the hospital, which contained a little cooler bag to haul it and the milk around. I thought the price went up too much to make the bag worthwhile.

However, after using the Ameda for about a month and a half the motor started acting a little funny at work. I would sometimes have to turn it all the way up and then off and then back on to my normal setting to get it to work right. When I called Ameda about the problem they told me that as long as I was able to express milk it sounded okay to them and to call them if it stopped working entirely. I got very nervous at that point that it would stop working and that evening we went to Babies R Us an bought the Medela. They were having a deal where you got 20% off your purchase if you signed up for a credit card, so I got it for $200. So now I have the Medela at work and the Ameda at home so I don't have to carry a pump around every day which is really nice, I just pack up my cooler with the clean parts in the morning and take them and the milk home at night.

I get the exact same amount of milk from both of them, so as far as expressing milk I think they are comparable. The medela parts including their bottles are made from softer plastic and they never look clean to me. So I use my own bottles with the Medela. Also, the diaphrams are a pain where the Ameda's diaphrams are very easy to deal with. So, I don't know what my advice actually is because Ameda's support bothered me and the motor still acts funny sometimes, but I don't know if this is commonplace or not. But I would rather deal with the hassles of the Medela than have the motor of my Ameda break down on me in the middle of the day and have to hand express.

D.

I love my Medela. It works well and is comfortable. The only downside is that it is a pain in the butt to clean (4 different pieces per side! 5 if you include the Avent adaptor).
I have not used any other type (except an Avent manual), but if you're going to be pumping alot I might check out the Ameda which someone else said was easier to clean.

I have an Ameda Purely Yours. They're much cheaper ($150 base price if you skip the backpack and extras) and are very easy to use and clean. They're a closed system so nothing contaminates your milk. And because all of the parts that touch your breast and milk can be sterilized, you could actually get one used (if you choose) and not have to buy a new hookup kit. Anyway, I think they're well designed.
Good luck going back to work!!

I have the Medela Pump in Style. It is wonderful & I absolutely love it. It came in a black leather carrying case-which makes it very discreet. Oh, and it is very quiet when pumping too. Extra parts for it are sold all over-Target, CVS, Babies R Us. The breast shields are very comfortable too-and once you figure out what size works for you, they even have soft shields which are very soft plastic-but even the regular ones are just as comfy.
Hope this helps!!
J.

Hi

I have used Medela pump in style and its really good, you can adjust the sucking pressure and level and its very quiet and easy to use. I would definately recommed that to you.

J.

I used the Medela pump in style and it was great. I got so much out in such a short time. About 8 oz in 10 minutes. You are going to get the double pump right?

S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

Hi K....I have the Ameda Purely Yours, although mine is 7 years old, so it may have changed since then. I liked it a lot - it's easy to clean and simple to use. I breastfed three kids with the pump (worked full-time with the 1st, and part-time with #2 and #3), and I breastfed each one for a year, so the pump saw a LOT of use. The only downside to the pump is that after a few years (when I was pumping for baby #3), sometimes the motor would act funny - the suction would go extremely high when it first started - yikes! - but it would correct itself once I turned it off and on again. Very uncomfortable, but only for a few seconds. I am guessing that the motor issue was due to wear and tear, and I never called the company to try and fix it. Otherwise, the pump worked great for many years. I have no regrets about using it! Good luck pump shopping, and congrats on your baby girl! :-)

I was just going to add that the Avent Isis is WONDERFUL!! It's a manual pump so it's way cheaper than the other two, but just as effective. Honestly I have a better experience than with the electric pumps I've tried. I get on average 8 oz in 15 minutes. I actually purchased it after the initial electric pump I was using burned the motor out or something after a couple weeks. So I sent in for a replacement and needed something in the meantime. Hence picking up a manual pump as back-up. Needless to say I haven't touched the electric one since. Though if you have your heart set on an electric the avent isis uno is supposed to be great too and has the back up option to use it as a manual.

I loved my Medela Pump in Style (backpack). It was used for both my sons who breastfed until 11 months. I got it on Ebay at a reduced price. Well worth it. I plan on using it in the future--once it's needed!!

I have the Madela pump in Style. I am on my second child and I pumped 3 times a day at work for 9 months with my first daughter and then I worked from home and didn't need to pump anymore. I loved the discreet bag it is contained in and the cooler inside to keep the milk cold. I agree with other people that it can get annoying to clean. I found at Babies R Us these Madela pump part steam cleaning bags. You can reuse each bag for 20 cleanings. You put your parts in the bag with 2 Ounces of water and you put it in the microwave for 1.5 minutes and they are all clean. It would have made life a lot easier when I pumped 3 times a day. I highly recommend this pump!!

A.

I rented a pump from our pediatrician's office for $1/day and it was the hospital grade pump and worked awesome. You really want to find one that works quickly - I know when I returned to work after awhile I just needed to get it done fast...this version worked great and if you only need it for a few months, it's worth the rental fee!

I have the Medela Pump In Style- and can highly recommend it!

Just a note-I'm not sure which model I got, but I bought a Medela pump that was a bit too basic and I could kick myself! When you are a new mom and need to set aside time to pump, you don't want to sit there pumping manually for an hour in order to get an ounce! Just my input that you might want to consider splurging a bit.

Good luck!