Babys First Year Blog
5 Things to Consider When Buying a Breast Pump
Feeling lost about which breast pump to buy?
Stressful, isn’t it? Here are 5 things you might want to consider in determining which breast pump is right for you:
1. How Long/Often Will You Need One? Most breast pumps are on the expensive end, so the first question you might want to ask is how much use you’ll actually get out of it? Do you plan on having more than one child? If yes, you might think about investing in a better pump that will last through all your babies. Another thing to think about is how often you will use your pump. Remember, many pumps discourage multiple users, so don’t invest without reading up on your model thinking you’ll be able to sell it later. 2. Manual or Electric? I know several people with manual pumps who find them efficient in the sporadic case that they need to use it. Consider the effort of hand-pumping. I know one model offers a pedal for weak forearms like mine. Are you a working mom who plans to pump regularly? You will most likely want to buy an electric pump -to keep things fast, efficient and most importantly, you back to work.
3. Single or Double? Obviously, double pumps will make the whole process go faster. They can be trickier to use at the same time, but you’ll get the hang of it. If you don’t, many manufacturers make hands-free bras that will keep the pumps snug.
4. Does Size, Noise and Accessories Matter? Yes. Yes. Yes. For me, it’s important to have a (somewhat) quiet pack that is small enough to travel in my diaper bag. The option of battery-operated packs with accessories for travel lighter adapters are helpful for the traveling and/or working mom. Bags and storage are important too -though there are many generic ones that fit all brands.
5. What Do Your Friends Recommend? Feedback from real nursing moms is key. Also, read reviews. I made my decision on which pump to buy based on feedback I’d asked my twitter followers. The majority recommended Medela for comfort and speed and since I needed a double electric pump for my work schedule, I ended up with the Medela Pump-in-Style Advanced. (Don’t worry about the bag it comes in.. just buy the cheaper one.)
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3 Comments
Kika commented on May 07 11 at 5:20 amI so agree! I think electric is the way to go, especially for working moms!
joyce commented on May 08 11 at 4:00 amI forget the name of the place – but it was a place for moms/nursing, etc. in SF.
They rented pumps and sold you the new tubes, pieces, etc. for it to be safe/sanitary to use. I lucked out with getting the Medela Symphony. Very quiet, you can do double pump or single pump – no problem to do two at once – very powerful. Used it when I went back to work – pumped quickly. I rented for a couple months and the total was a little over $100. Price for renting was good considering the machine I rented cost over $1000. Used the manual pump with my first baby. This Medela Symphony I think, is the BMW of pumps – when I used it for my second one.
cd commented on May 15 11 at 1:26 amI HIGHLY recommend new moms/first time nursing moms look into renting a pump before shelling out $300-ish for a double-electric of her own. I bought one because I was going back to work so, of course, I’d need one, right?
Well, I needed one, but no one ever mentioned to me that some women’s bodies just don’t respond to pumps. (To my baby, sure, no problem. But no pump can actually replicate the perfect mechanics of a baby). It’s a rare thing, but it happens and I could’ve spend that $300 or so on a lot of other stuff. Like, say, the rental pump I got that got me moderately better results over my Medela! Argh.
Also – for new moms, another word of warning – always remember that the amount you see come out when pumping may bear NO relationship to the amount your baby draws out. There are two times this can trip you up – first, when your baby is first born, its little tummy is the size of a marble. Doesn’t take much to fill a marble! So not a lot needs to come out when you pump if you are encouraged to pump in the hospital.
And later, even when your baby is older, the pump STILL might not reflect what your baby drinks. I’ve had many friends lose a lot of sleep (heck, I was part of that group too) because the few drips coming out with the pump made me sure my baby was starving. She wasn’t!
Not a lot (not enough!) research goes into pump technology and my guess is a LOT of women who are sure they have supply problems actually just have pump-let-down problems. Not the same thing! Have faith in your breasts, ladies!
(lastly – sorry to drone – a friend of mine had tremendous success hand expressing milk. She got more than the pump in less than half the time and didn’t have to lug a pump around. Do some googling and you-tube video searching on techniques. You might save money AND get better results!)
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