I need an electric pump this time. The manual one just did my head in. Who wants to sit there squeezing away at a trigger thing whilst trying to keep the suction cup on properly for a miserable 20-30 mins every few hours when you're exhausted and over it? Nobody, that's who. I hate my manual pump........ I will not be using it again!
So where can I find a great deal for an electric one? DP knows I will be getting one this time, but I'm looking for value for money JIC, you know, my boobs fall off and I can't BF . That's the only reason I can think of that it won't be used.
Of course I don't want a crummy one that'll then not be used anyway. So- tell me all about your electric pumps!
Have you considered hiring one if you do happen to need one? Then if you do find yourself needing one long term, you could purchase then.
Certainly agree with not going the manual one again. I got bad carpal tunnel with mine first time around.
I would like at Mothers Direct (the ABA site) at their range of pumps if I was considering a major breast pump purchase.
Contact your local ABA and see if they hire pumps out. If they do, have a chat to the hire person and they can give you a run down on pumps and then you can buy through ABA or elsewhere.
What do you want to use your pump for? Will you be returning to work?
How often you will use it, and over what time perod, is a really important factor in which pump is for you.
Er, I want to use it to extract milk from my boobage. lol.....
Basically I had issues last time with supply. This was caused by the rocky start to BFing, and the constant interruption. He went days without more than a few sucks at the boob and this really hindered my milk coming in. Once it did, I had bugger all.. or it seemed that way. I also have a really slow letdown apparently, as he would fuss and fuss and I'd usually give up in frustration before he got any milk. (this is what my current MW and I have deduced anyway).
So I'd like to be able to express for a bit to get the milk flowing, then pop baby on. I also want to build a supply of frozen milk for those times I need a full nights sleep or so on. It'd be nice if there was the option for DP to have a go at bottle feeding some EBM occasionally. (I realise this may or may not work, depending on bubs preference).
I will definitely be returning to work, but hopefully not for 12mths. 6mths is a possibility too though, and I would think I'll still be BFing at that point. An electric pump would be handy to use at work.
I can't be sure exactly how long I'll use it for and so on, as I just don't know how this is going to go. But I want to give myself the best possible chance at BFing with success this time. No, scratch that. I am going to BF this baby with success. And I will not give up.
That is why I would hire first, as it is such an unknown. Honestly the hire pumps with the double collection kit are just awesome, even with one collection kit they are great. The best things for the those early days when (depending on how things go) you might be pumping 3 hourly. Then again, it may all go smoothly and you may have very little need for a pump
Woah.... they are expensive to hire. Would I be insane to just buy one I thought was good??? I mean, really???
I can afford $200 now to buy a brand spankers pump. But $40 a week when I'm not working? No. Not likely. Now I"m really confused!! Start naming some brands and features you liked please.. lol
I really just need something that'll keep my hands free, and do what it's meant to. Get milk out. Nothing extremely fancy, no double pumping necessary. If I don't need it, so be it. Last time I was all 'Oh I don't need this or that, it's all a ripoff....' I have learned lol. I know I'll use a pump. Even if my BFing is a fabulous success from the start - it'll be used when I return to work.
I guess after last time you're looking to get a head start this time round? It's great to be thinking ahead. Best case scenario - you waste your money on a pump you never need Things were rough for you both after your last birth, so it's no wonder things got off to a shaky start. This time will be different It's good to hear you're talking through this with your midwife, too.
have you joined the ABA? Your local group can be a wonderful source of support, if you haven't looked into it yet. And you'd get 50% off the hire price of a pump if you did need one.
ETA - oh, and if you're looking to buy, you can talk to the girls at Mothers' Direct for advice on the right pump for you. Either from birth or when you go back to work.
I had similar problems as you. I was engorged though. BD kept falling asleep after a few sucks. I felt pressured by my husband's family to formula feed her - they acted like I was depriving her - so this time I'm fiercely determined not to give up and to tell them to back off.
I have been looking at an Avent Electric Breast pump. I'm looking forward to seeing what people recommend here.
I lashed out and bought the Medela Freestyle double pump after yet another crummy start to BFing. It's awesome and I wish I'd bought it with DD1 especially knowing how much money I spent on hiring the Symphony with both my girls. Hindsight is a wonderful thing though.
If you can afford it buy a double. Much quicker and more efficient which is very handy when you've already got another LO to watch (and chase!)
I paid around $450 for mine from Babies R Us but I was lucky, mum works there so I got a decent discount. You can get them on eBay though and some places will ship from the States.
For $220 online special I got a medals swing and love it. It's small, can work on batteries (though I've never tried). Was great when I went back to work after dd2 at 8 months and has been handy while at home with dd3 now 10 months. It has variable suction controls and also has the let down suction feature at the start of expressing which you automatically after five minutes I think or manually you can do it when you get let down and it changes to a longer suction.
Con it's only a single pump and after its third round of expressing is getting noisy (I've used it'd or two of my girls and my friends sister borrowed it) but still working perfectly. The cost of a double pump was out of my price range but I have used double pumps in works staff expressing/breastfeeding room and they were awesome but $$$$
Also consider you could purchase second hand or sell on when you are done to reduce the overall cost. You can buy new sets of tubes and flanges for around $30 if are concerned about hygiene
I swear by the avent electric. It's a single boobie, and I got mine from Chemist Warehouse, which saved me about $60.
You pump it with the handle, and then press a button, and the electric kicks in and copies whatever you were doing ... so you can do a fast, slow, medium or mixed rhythm.
Forshelby, my friend bought a Unimom double electric pump for under $200. She is exclusively expressing and It works well. Google Unimom, they have their own site
I've used the single avent electric and also the double avent electric. I loved both. The single I borrowed from a friend and the double I ended up buying once I returned to work at 6 months of eBay second hand for $180
Like peanutter said u start the suction urself similar to the manual avent pump but once uve got ur pattern or your letdown u can click the "motor" button and it will keep pumping for u in that motion.
I have the medela freestyle. 15 months and she's still going. That's with some heavy use! It's $500 though. You could probably make do with a medela swing. I've heard good reports about them. I agree about looking at mothers direct, they often have sales.
I hired a Medela electric pump from a chemist when I had DS1 and it was great. I then used the manual Medela pump occassionally with DS2. With DD last year, I haven't expressed much. I lost my medela pump and ended up using a manual Avent one, which was next to useless. It just did nothing, so I threw it out. A friend lent me her Medela Swing pump, but I didn't like this as much as the manual Medela one that I had previously. If you think you're going to use one a lot, then I'd invest in the more expensive Medela brand one.
Electric pumps - best place, best price?
. That's the only reason I can think of that it won't be used.
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Things were rough for you both after your last birth, so it's no wonder things got off to a shaky start. This time will be different 
It's good to hear you're talking through this with your midwife, too.
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