Breastfeeding pump recommendations

I'm 22 weeks pregnant with my first baby. I plan on breast feeding. I'm not sure if I'll return to work or not in the first year, but want to be proactive regarding getting on board & having a breast pump in hand. I also have several autoimmune diseases, so I may have to pump & bottle feed here & there (though I'll try to do it from breast as much as I can). I'm thinking the manual breast pump may be hard on me as I don't have real good use of my arms or hands for an extended amount of time. I want to ask you ladies who've breast fed what you would recommend for a breast pump. Please include brand & model. If you have any other tips, feel free to let me know. Thanks so much!

[mum2beagain]

Congratulations on your pregnancy. It is certainly a good idea to be doing your research now on breast pumps if you think you are going to need one. I personally used the ameda double electric breast pump with great results, I also lent it to a friend of mine who exclusively pumped for nine months with it. I also have friends who have used medela pumps very successfully too. A double electric pump is quite an investment but defiantly worth the money if you need to use it regularly or to stimulate or maintain a supply. Ameda do a single electric pump that is also very good but not as quick or quite as efficient as  a double. There are other cheaper brands on the market that are okay for occasional use but will really just empty the breast rather than stimulate and maintain your supply. You may even just want to wait until after the birth of your child and see what your requirements are.

[SunWorshiper_26]

Congrats on your pregnancy!  I also have an autoimmune disease (ankylosing spondylitis similar to RA) and I pumped a lot in the beginning to store extras so if I needed to go back on meds that were not safe in breastfeeding that my little one would still get breastmilk.

Anywho I have the medela pump in style advanced double pump which is electric and easy to use. I also bought pumping bras so that I wouldn't have to hold the bottles I pump into

[LittleBlondeMomma]

One of mine is Undifferentiated Spondylarthropathy. I wonder if that's similar to what you have. I have several other autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid. I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one who wanted to be proactive due to my autoimmune problems. I'm also going to be having surgery a few months after delivery, so I'll want to store my milk. My sister n law recommends the Medela as well. I was looking into the pumping bra as well. Thank you for your help!

[tiredbuthappy]

I loved the medela pump in style advance. very effective, very long lasting. I pumped fulltime for 2 babies, a total usage with the 2 kids was 3 hours a day, for a total of 16 months! worked as good the day i packed it away as the day i bought it. Medela also stands behind their product, so i have heard that customer service is great.

I also had a manual medela- the Harmony. this was good for on the go- small enough to keep in the diaper bag or purse. quick enough to pump an emergency bottle for a hungry baby. easy to use, with only 1 hand.

If you may need to pump for medical reasons, you may want to see if insurance will cover the costs of the pump.

[SunWorshiper_26]

It is the same :) what are you having surgery for?  There is another woman on this forum with the same disease too!

My advice is pump and freeze as much as possible in the beginning that way when your disease flares and you need medications that are not safe to take while breastfeeding you can still give your little one breastmilk and take your medications so you can care for your little one with less pain. I am taking vocodein or norco for pain and breastfeedings and it is safe :)

[happynifer]

definitely get a double electric if you plan on pumping more than occassionally,  also get a hands free bustier (or make one out of an old sports bra)
i bought the hygeia enjoye after much research.
it's the only pump licensed for more than one user, so you can legally resell or donate it after you are finished using it.
i work 14+ hour shifts and have had excellent production with this pump. easy to use and very easy to clean,

[Brittny27]

I researched before having my baby and the day I left the hospital I went to Target and bought the Medela Pump In Style double electric pump. I had to pump to produce a supply and maintain it for the first 5 weeks. It wasn't till 9 weeks that I was able to get my baby solely breastfeeding. I HIGHLY recommend this pump. I was able to get a freezer full of milk and feed my baby no problem. She's 6 months old now and I only use it 2-3 times a week and it still works great.

Like a previous post said check with your insurance they may cover a pump for you. I know that WIC covers this pump for a mother that needs to return to work full time.

[trh0819]

I have the Medela pump as well and have been using it now for two weeks. Love it! Easy to use.

[mature_enough]

I agree! The Medela pump in style is amazing.

[Caralea]

I have the medela symphony- it is a hospital grade pump that I rent from a local breast feeding non-profit company. My insurance covers it cause my daughter has a recessed jaw, which has made it difficult for her to latch on. We do have some success BF, but I pump when I am away for 10hrs at work M-Th.

I do not produce very much when I do pump- but I beleive it does wonders on emptying what I have. I also am fortunate that my job has a medela lactina, this pump is the same hospital grade. But it works by using the piston/hand pump parts that come with the symphony.

Contact your local La Leche Leage group or see if there is a consultant in your local area to give you and your baby the best start possible!

Congrats on your baby and lots of luck breast feeding!!

[cocacolapanda]

I use a medela pump in style advanced and I love it.  I pump 100% of the time as I work full time, go to school full time and frankly am just not around enough to deal with "nursing".

I've used both a Medela Symphony and Pump In Style, I find that both pumps work just as good.  

I'm part of a pumping group on Yahoo and there are a lot of good tips and advise on there (*****'s is the name of the group).  One of the topics are pumps, and the main thing that stands out are as follow's.

Medela pumps are quoted as single user/single baby pumps, although many/most mom's will use them for all there children (My pump is on child #2), and some even give the pump to family or friends when there done with them (I'm giving mine away to a SIL).  If you want to "avoid" the issue you'll want to look at closed system pumps.  Some mom's are deciding to switch to hygina pumps as they are for multiple children and mom's.  Frankly I'm not worried and Medela is a good brand in my eyes.

The Medela Freestyle compared to the Pump In Style is not as good.  Most mom's who have used both pumps find that it takes twice as long to pump with the Freestyle.

You will defiantly want a double electric if you plan to use it often at all, pumping both sides is faster and helps keep up your supply.

Also, here's a link with more info: http://www.breastpumpcomparisons.com/how-to-choose.html