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[dr_alcott]

Any advice on breast pumps?  All my friends have advised going with some kind of Medela model, which run around $300.  A few suggested to go with the "double electric" version if I plan to pump several times a day.  This is my first baby.  He's due in April and I won't go back to work until late August.  At that point, I'll be teaching 4 days/week (2 full days, 2 afternoons).  I have no idea how many times I'll need to pump - hopefully just at lunch on the longer days and maybe not at all on the days I only teach in the afternoon.  Aside from the cost, all of these pumps look pretty bulky to carry around, despite the carrying cases that come included.  Suggestions?  Is it worth the extra cost/bulkiness to get a double electric?

I thought so, yes. I was pumping at least twice a day for most of the babies' first years, if I remember correctly.

Mine was a hand-me-down, though, so I didn't have to worry about cost.

[macaroon]

Any advice on breast pumps?  All my friends have advised going with some kind of Medela model, which run around $300.  A few suggested to go with the "double electric" version if I plan to pump several times a day.  This is my first baby.  He's due in April and I won't go back to work until late August.  At that point, I'll be teaching 4 days/week (2 full days, 2 afternoons).  I have no idea how many times I'll need to pump - hopefully just at lunch on the longer days and maybe not at all on the days I only teach in the afternoon.  Aside from the cost, all of these pumps look pretty bulky to carry around, despite the carrying cases that come included.  Suggestions?  Is it worth the extra cost/bulkiness to get a double electric?

I used the Ameda Purely Yours.  It is half the price of the Medela system, and has the same specs on paper.  Here's what I liked about the Purely Yours that made it better than my friends' Medelas:

1) Price
2) Weight and size- this thing is light and compact.  I had to lug my breast pump to and from a far parking lot, and it made a difference.
3) Availability of spare parts.  Actually, I should have put this as #1.  There are many places on the intertoobs that sell Ameda "spare parts" for pennies.  It is easy to get extra rubber parts.  I kept a stash of them in my desk in case I dropped one on the floor, and also in case a part got lost somehow.  You can also get extra boob horns so that one can be in the dishwasher while the other is in your bag.  

On edit - I was NOT a light user of this pump.  I returned to work after six days with baby #1 and after 8 weeks with baby #2, and pumped for about 15 months with both.  I NEVER had any difficulty with this pump or pumping enough milk.

[macaroon]

And another thing to add about the purely yours?  It really is that small.  It's about half the size of a desk phone and tidy in appearance.  I could park it on my desk in the morning and just leave it there, rather than pulling it out of a bag.  This cuts time off the pumping session.

[amlithist]

You can also get extra boob horns

Some way, somehow, somebody needs to work this into a sig line.

[dr_alcott]

You can also get extra boob horns

Some way, somehow, somebody needs to work this into a sig line.

Or into real life. Unrelated to breast pumps, of course.

[slinger]

You can also get extra boob horns

Some way, somehow, somebody needs to work this into a sig line.

It's on the tagline thread. We'll see if somebody picks it up.

[felixrose]

I have a hand me down Ameda purely yours.  My Sister in law who has a Medela is jealous about the size and the fact that it is a "closed system" so the milk won't get in the tubes. 

extra boob horns sounds like the worst pregnancy symptom ever.  If I get an extra boob horn, I'll cry. 

Hipgeek, I never thought I would have issues with people making comments about my age and being pregnant since I am in an area where the age for first pregnancy is rather low.  But.  I have had several instances where I have been out and about during the day and had cashiers, fellow shoppers, etc. ask me 1. why am I not in school (meaning high school) and then making comments about my pregnancy.  The worst was when I mentioned something about being pregnant to a cashier as I bought beef jerky and oranges (I know, I know) and she asked me if I was going to be graduating from *local high school* in May and if that was before or after the baby was due.  When I told her I was 27, I think she died of embarrassment. 

[macaroon]

I have a hand me down Ameda purely yours.  My Sister in law who has a Medela is jealous about the size and the fact that it is a "closed system" so the milk won't get in the tubes. 

Yup!  The closed system is also a nice feature.  I had the pleasure of pumping with others from time to time, and every Medela user got green-eyed over my Purely Yours - especially since it's half the price.  I was typically done faster with pumping because the Ameda is a bit more user-friendly in terms of set up.   

I think they don't market as well as Medela and aren't in as many stores, so that's why the Medelas are selling better, not that the Medela is a better product.  I don't think it is.

[miraceli]

If you're only pumping at work, I would recommend leaving the pump there and only carrying the milk bottles/carriers and parts back and forth to work. I had a Medela at my OB's recommendation. I had many complications that led to abcesses and the like, and according to the OB the Medela was more effective for my situation.

Even better than the Medela was the hospital-grade pump I rented for the first two months. You should check if your insurance pays for pump rental (mine did), and do it and think about models/brands to buy later, when you have a better idea of what will you need. That is REALLY bulky, though.

Some friends had the Ameda Purely Yours and loved it. I've also heard good things about the brand Hygeia, which I had not heard about then.

[titania]

I was planning on getting the Ameda after researching pumps so it is great to hear all the good reviews of it here.  Those of you with used pumps weren't impressed by all the warnings about sharing pumps?  I have wondered if the closed system of the Ameda makes it less of a problem, but it is still illegal to resell even those.  Also, despite making it sound equivalent to sharing needles (and adding baby into that), the warnings still say "even though there have been no documented cases of disease transmission..."

Unoriginal - glad the doctor visit went well!

[unoriginal]

I had a Medela with #1 and #2, which worked well for me.  It is heavy though, and it is possible to get milk in the tubes, which is a royal pain. 

I think I gave the Medela to my SIL, who lives in Singapore, and although she wasn't squeamish about using a used pump, I am, so I was thinking that I'll eventually have to buy a new one.  Thanks for the recommendations for the Ameda.  I was thinking about it for #2, but there really wasn't a good reason at the time to buy a new one - other than I wanted to!

One more thing - check to see if your workplace has accommodations for pumping mothers.  With #1, I worked at a Big10 school, and they had a pumping room, complete with hospital grade pump that you could use.  All you needed to bring were your own pump parts.  That would be even cheaper, if probably more inconvenient. 

[molli_sols]

I have a Medela and it's OK but I also used and Ameda hospital pump that was in the pumping room (at my old U, wish we had that here) and it was awesome.  I would second the comment that Medela is just marketed better and not necessarily a better product. 

If you're pumping on a regular basis the double electric is definitely worth it.  It's faster and after while pumping does become a chore.

Unoriginal, you can refurb a used pump with new tubing, membranes, and valves so that it is re-stearilized.  Medela does sell them as replacement parts.  I'm planning to do that on mine since it has been in storage so long. 

I'm not AMA but my due date is only 4 days before my 35th birthday and my first was 10 days late so I probably will be 35 by the time this one makes an entrance.  Although, I'm hoping for 3 days past my due date which is my 10th wedding anniversary.  If I end up having to schedule a C-section or induction because of my other risk factors, that's the date I'm picking.

[hipgeek]

Hipgeek, I never thought I would have issues with people making comments about my age and being pregnant since I am in an area where the age for first pregnancy is rather low.  But.  I have had several instances where I have been out and about during the day and had cashiers, fellow shoppers, etc. ask me 1. why am I not in school (meaning high school) and then making comments about my pregnancy.  The worst was when I mentioned something about being pregnant to a cashier as I bought beef jerky and oranges (I know, I know) and she asked me if I was going to be graduating from *local high school* in May and if that was before or after the baby was due.  When I told her I was 27, I think she died of embarrassment. 

Wow, people and their total lack of boundaries--too funny!

[macaroon]

Hipgeek, I never thought I would have issues with people making comments about my age and being pregnant since I am in an area where the age for first pregnancy is rather low.  But.  I have had several instances where I have been out and about during the day and had cashiers, fellow shoppers, etc. ask me 1. why am I not in school (meaning high school) and then making comments about my pregnancy.  The worst was when I mentioned something about being pregnant to a cashier as I bought beef jerky and oranges (I know, I know) and she asked me if I was going to be graduating from *local high school* in May and if that was before or after the baby was due.  When I told her I was 27, I think she died of embarrassment. 

Wow, people and their total lack of boundaries--too funny!

Wait till they start asking you if the kids are yours!  I had mine at 27 and 30, and I kept getting that!

[dr_alcott]

Hipgeek, I never thought I would have issues with people making comments about my age and being pregnant since I am in an area where the age for first pregnancy is rather low.  But.  I have had several instances where I have been out and about during the day and had cashiers, fellow shoppers, etc. ask me 1. why am I not in school (meaning high school) and then making comments about my pregnancy.  The worst was when I mentioned something about being pregnant to a cashier as I bought beef jerky and oranges (I know, I know) and she asked me if I was going to be graduating from *local high school* in May and if that was before or after the baby was due.  When I told her I was 27, I think she died of embarrassment. 

Wow, people and their total lack of boundaries--too funny!

Wait till they start asking you if the kids are yours!  I had mine at 27 and 30, and I kept getting that!

I had mine at 33 and 35, and when I've brought them to campus, more than one student asked if they were my grandkids.

(I do live an an area where plenty of people are grandparents by the time they hit their mid-30s, but still.)