Buying Breastpump - Need Help!

if you have a choice, medela pump in style rocks. the suction's patterns and strengths are adjustable and more closely resemble those of a suckling babe; the dual pumping is also better than single. plus the accessories and bottles are easy to find.
HTH!

Medela Pump in Style is the way to go. I use it often and haven't had any issues (my daughter is 9 mo.). It also comes with a battery pack so you can put rechargeable batteries in there and pump anywhere while you're away. I bought mine from A Mother's Gift at Presby Plano, if you delivered there you get a discount.

I have a Medela Pump in Style backpack and love it. It works great! It did cost about $280, and I use it several times a day every day because I have to pump bottles for daycare.

But you might want to consider renting one from the hospital if this is the only time you think you will need it - they are about $40/month to rent, come w/all new parts for the necessary pieces, and are actually better grade than anything you can buy in the marketplace.

I've been very happy with my Lansinoh. It is less expensive than the Medela.

I used the Ameda Purely Yours and loved it. It's a little bit smaller than the Medela, it's fairly quiet, and you can dial both the suction and cycle instead of it being high/med/low. As a bonus, it's also a bit cheaper. Good luck.

I agree that renting is a good option if you're only planning to pump for this particular reason. I rented once with my second child and the pump was awesome! With my third child I bought a Medela Swing breastpump which is perfect for occasional pumping (it's not really meant to be used for heavy-duty pumping). I used it about once a day just so I could store up some milk for those occasions when I wasn't around, and when I had minor surgery and wasn't able to breastfeed for about 24 hours because of the anesthesia in my blood (pump and dump . . . what a waste!).

Anyway, I've actually been trying to sell my pump so let me know if you're interested!

Have you thought about renting a hospital one? I never got to use one, but I've heard that they're awesome! I do know that the Pump-In-Style worked better than the little dinky one I had tried first.

Medela Pump-in-Style with the dual pumping. I believe other moms have mentioned that there are differences in the packaging -- sling bag, shoulder bag, backpack. The mechanics are the same. It's $279 new at Target/Babies R Us.

However, if this is the only time you're using it, you might rather rent one. Check your hospital, OB office, lactation consultant, or a local medical supply. Don't forget that you'll need to pump often while you're away to maintain your milk supply.

Of course, there is a chance the baby won't go back to nursing when you return (a weekend trip ended it for my 4 month old, but things weren't going well at that point anyway), but it's also highly likely that you can overcome any bumps in that road with very frequent nursing.
Given that chance, and if you'd want to keep him on breastmilk, you'd probably want to go ahead and buy one.

And even though the manufacturer says not to get a used one, I did, and used it for both of my kids, then a friend used it, and I sold it to yet another... All the parts are sterilizable and/or replaceable.

I would definitely follow up with "A Mother's Gift" at Presbyterian Plano and rent a pump there. Personally I love the Medela Symphony, but the Pump in Style is also good. The lactation staff there is absolutely wonderful!!! Also, their prices are very reasonable. I wouldn't buy the pump unless you plan on using it more.

I used an Ameda Purely Yours - the milk never goes through the pump so it can be sold or given to someone else when you're done with it (just have to buy replacement plastic bits that do come into contact with the milk). I was very happy with it, even though it was rather noisy. Good luck!

i used the pump in style religiously for 3 months!! my son was a NICU baby and even after the hospital he couldnt nurse because of exhaustion. its a great pump, very great in keeping your supply up too!! i used it a few times since then for surgeries and sickness (he refused to eat when sick) i actually still have it in the closet if you'd want it.. i know they sell new attachments and such...

Medela Pump in style. Works great.

The Medela Pump-in-Style is AWESOME! I think I was told that it would last for about 3 years, but it's actually lasted for over eleven years and through six children - 2 of my own, 1 nephew and 3 nieces. I cannot more highly recommend this product! It looks like there are different ways of carrying it - shoulder bag, backpack, etc. - so that would be the biggest decision you'd have to make as far as which one to get. I hope this helps!

I have the Medela In Style pump and love it! It always gets all the milk out and pumps very good! HTH!

If pumping is only going to be temporary, you should consider renting one. Medical supply stores rent them- when I did it, it was about $30 for 1 month. I got the same kind hospitals use. Just a thought.

Why would you leave a nursing baby for anytime at all? Is he already taking a bottle? How do you know he will go back to breastfeeding when you return. He needs you now and will for some time-that is why you had him. Take him and enjoy the trip and your husband.

The Medela Swing pump is the pump that you ned for your use. I believe that it is $150. If you get one cheaper, it may not wrk for you. I hate to worry you, but pumping dosn't work for a lot of women, so you may end up having a problem on your hands. I hope it wrks for you, but didn't for me, I never could get eough out. Other than the pump, mysuggestion is t take the baby withyou or don't go. There is obviously nothing wrong with leaving him with your parents if there is a really good reason. But four days is a really long time. I hope that he will be alright there. He ma be rally shocked and confused. I think that the pumping should be the leas of your worries right now though. Another problem that it sounds like you may prbably have is that your son may not take the bm from a bottle, it sounds like he has only had th breast and I don't know if he will actually take a bottle that easiy especially or the length of 4 days. If he does end up taking the bottle well for 4 days, you will most likely come back to fin that he will no longer nurse from yor breast! I would really hope that doesn't happen, but is very likely. I think that it would be best for all involed, especially the nursing aspect, if you just took him with you or did't go. Even if you do leave him though and he doesn't ever nurse again, you are still a great mom and he will be fine in the long run. I know that I would not have been able to leave mine for 4 days that young, but again, it's definitely not a crime as long as you are leaving him with his loving caring grandparents! Good Luck!

Hi N.,
I used the Medela Pump In Style Advanced backpack and it was awesome, easy to carry to work every day, etc.

However, I see you are a SAHM, so I wouldn't really recommend that you make that kind of investment.

If you are going to use a breast pump for occasional trips, as you are doing now, then renting a professional grade pump, which you can do from the hospital (I gave birth at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, which rents them and has an awesome lactation staff) would be a much better use of your money...

I hope this helps!
D.

I asked this same question on mamasource and everyone came back and said Medela Pump in Style. That's what I bought and it worked great. I thought about the Freestyle which is very small (new model) but couldn't find a lot of reviews. I might consider that one if I found out it worked just as good b/c the Pump in Style is a bit bulky. Basically the size of a large purse. a bigger deal if you are flying vs. driving. But Pump in Style works great!

The cost of renting is equals buying a pump out right on ebay. Buy a used in excellent condition from ebay. I got one for each of my 2 sisters from moms that got the pump but their milk never came in so it was pratically new and in the newer more stylish and lighter version than the old bulky one I have. I love my medela. Used it for 3 years now. You have to pump during your regular feeding time to get your milk to let down as usual. Good luck.

Try Purely Yours pump by Ameda. It is an affordable solution and it is a great pump! I used mine for both of my kiddos (now 3-yrs old and 16 months old).

The Pump in Style by Medela was the one I used and it worked very well. My friend rented her breast pump from the hospital where she gave birth. This may be a less expensive option for you.

I have the Pump in Style...it's awesome! The stimulation and expression phases and letdown button make pumping so much easier. Get it asap and get to pumping because it takes a while for your body to get used to the pump (1 or 2 weeks at least). Try to pump at the same time each day. When you are nursing full time you will probably only get 2 ounces from each breast (always pump both at the same time for better results). 2 oz of "extra milk" is quite a lot for a full time nursing mom so it will take a while to build up enough for more than one day. Buying the pump-n-store bags will help you freeze directly and are much faster to defrost than the bottles. You will have to bring the pump with you and pump round the clock to keep your milk supply up and not get engorged. My humble opinion is that it's easier to take the baby with you and just use the pump for emergencies and for building up a supply for short times away (like getting a haircut) and also for when you start on solids. But if you can't take the baby then bravo for not supplementing with formula while you are away! Oh and one more piece of advice...try to pump more than what the baby drinks each day so in case a bottle gets warmed up and the baby doesn't finish it there is extra for when the baby is in fact hungry. Happy pumping!

Hi N.,
I bought the Medela Pump in Style last year. I used it when I went back to work for about six months. It is wonderful. I paid $279.99 for it and it was well worth it. If you are interested, I still have it and I am selling it for $150.00. I have all of the original accessories and I also have an unopened sterile kit with tubing, etc. I have extra storage bottles as well. If you are interested, please contact me at ###-###-####.

Thanks,
D.

You can rent a madella at the hospital for a week or a month. I rent mine from Arlington Memorial. But call your lcoal hopspital lactation department.

Hi N.,
I agree with the poster who recommended renting a pump instead of buying one if you are only going to be using it to pump for a month or two.
The Medela pump that I own is the Pump In Style Advanced, and it cost a good 300 dollars. It's awesome, but I used it every day from the time my DD was six weeks old until she was 7 months, while I worked. Now it's in the closet and we just breastfeed since I'm at home! So, it was worth it to me to spend the money because I needed it several times a day for an extended amount of time, but I think for you it would be more cost efficient to rent one. The ones that you can rent are hospital grade pumps, which will help extract the most amount of milk in the least amount of time.
Harris HEB hospital has a breastfeeding store that you can rent from. You can also go to www.naturalbeginningsonline.com and call either Linda or Sharon and they can help you figure out which pump would suit your needs. I'm not sure if they rent pumps or not, but they do sell them. The Nesting Place in Grapevine also sells pumps, and can help you figure out your needs.
HTH!
J.

Medela pump in style in the back pack!
You never know if you'll end up needing it later or not and the backpack is so handy. Plus, you'll need it when you are on your trip. I nursed my son til 4 months then switched to exclusive pumping til 9 months. This pump was awesome and so convenient as we traveled A LOT!
I got mine at Babies R Us and somehow ended up paying less than $250 -- I can't remember exactly. Look for coupons!
Before that, I bought the Ameda Purely Yours (for occasional pumping) and then when I switched over to pumping full time, this pump didn't work for me. It was only about $150 and I think it could work for you for a temporary amount of time.

O loved theplytex eletric pump.cant rember the excat name but it has like silicone shields insted of hard plastic.I had the medula pump and it hurt my nipples.Defeintly get an eletric it is so worth it.

I am not sure of the cost now days but two almost three years ago I got the Lansanio(sp?) breast pump it was about $50 (I think). I loved it and used it until my milk dried up.

Medela pump in style in the back pack or the one in the messenger bag are both great. But if you're only doing this for a couple months you may want to just rent one, unless you're looking to continue to use it or it is covered by insurance as ours was. You can rent one from most hospitals or from places like the Nesting Place in Grapevine or a lactation consultant can recommend where to rent one. That said, the cheapest place we found to purchase one was hackleyhme.com. Shipping was quite prompt too.

I also used the Medela Pump-in-Style and it worked great through 2 kids. We had tried one of the cheaper models from Wal-Mart 1st, but it did not work well at all. I wouldn't be afraid to buy one if that is what you want. If you don't use it much it can be sanitized and resold. It's great that you are starting now to give you plenty of time to get adjusted to the pumping and save milk:)

I loved my medela. I believe mine was a pump in go something liek that. Just get the double pump. My sister had the single and of course i was always done way before she was. I also suggest the car charger. I always pumped and drove ( they have a hands free ) it killed 2 birds wiith 1 stone. The car that use to be down/unproductive time was perfect.

Don't forget about pumping while you are on your trip. It's kind of a pain since it takes time away from your trip but it will be great when you get home and you won't get engorged. My DD did not want to nurse when we returned home from a trip but she was also 9 months at the time so if that happens you may want to consult a lactation consultant quickly. They seem to get used to the ease of a bottle rather quickly. Also, it's really hard to throw away your milk while you're on your trip - just FYI :) Have a great trip!