Electric Breast Pump vs Manual

[royaltea63]

I have a 3 month old baby and i have been pumping breast milk once a week or so. I like to pump so i can take a bottle if i go out in the day or to a place where i cant feed her myself. I only have a manual Madela pump and usually can only pump a little amount for the 30 mins i try .... .... Im finding it hard to pump Manually becuase im not getting enough to fill a bottle for her. (and i don't like using formula)
Id like to get an electric pump becauase i have a feeling it might help me pump more.........is there anyone who knows of a good brand or if an electric will actually benefit me ?  

thx

[casandbaby]

I think manual just don't work, i've even had nurses that work in L & D say they are not worth the money. Electric ones are pretty spendy or you can rent one. But I think it would benifit you alot. you may end up using it more.

[tiredbuthappy]

which medela handheld? i pumped exclusively. i primarily used the medela pump in style advanced, but did use the medela harmony on occasion. i actually liked the medela harmony a lot, and if you are only pumping once a week, i would think that it would be sufficient (costs about $35).
here's how pumps worked for me-

medela pump in style advanced- electric- used several times daily. worked well, but would actually take a little longer to empty than with the manuals. this was good for me, because when you only pump, you need to the extra stimulation to build supply. if you are truly pumping once a week, this is not necessary for you.

medela harmony- small, one handed hand-held pump. i loved this little pump. i kept it in the diaper bag for if i needed to pump on the go or in the car. it actually emptied me much faster than than the pump in style, but since you do each breast individually, total pump time was the same.

i also had the hand-held that the hospital gave me- same one that you get along with the pump in style. looks like a bicycle pump and requires 2 hands. this one is very uncomfortable and cumbersome. can't do anything else at the same time because it requires 2 hands. this was actually the most efficient as far as emptying quickly. the suction was so effective, i used this to cleared clogged ducts. anytime i felt a lump, i'd used this for a few minutes and it always sucked the clogs out. because it was cumbersome and uncomfortable, i only used it for this purpose.

if you plan on pumping more in the future and want an electric, you can also look into the lansinoh double electric pump. it has great reviews, but is much cheaper than the medelas

[deanne11]

I had a really hard time with my DD pumping manually.  I pumped like crazy for 40 minutes and still only got 4 oz.

With my DS I purchased an Ameda double electric pump and it made a world of difference....especially when I had to return to work.

The Ameda was half the price of the Medelas and I just loved it...

I was getting 4 oz every 10-15 minutes.

[tiredbuthappy]

i heard the ameda purely yours is as good as the medela pump in style. if you choose to go with the ameda, consider the lansinoh, which is literally the same exact pump but in a different color, and cheaper. target sells the lansinoh.

[becca_3456]

The Lansinoh double electric breast pump is awesome. It is 150.00 dollars at babiesrus. I can pump 6oz total in less than 15 minutes. I had a medela pump before I got my Lansinoh pump and I love my Lansinoh way more than the medela.

[GRose]

I used medela double electric pump, it worked great for me but I dont have anything to compare it to. I got it free from WIC so I wont complain.

[JJety]

I have tried both ways.  I manually pumped for DS for quite a long time because I had problems with him not latching on right.  Then for DD I borrowed a Medela Pump In Style for when I returned to work.  There is absolutely NO comparison.  I still kick myself for putting myself through the torture of manually pumping.  I know the Medela's are expensive, but believe me, they are worth every single penny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!