I have no first hand experience, but all of my friends thus far have recommended the Medela double breast pump..
Prepare yourself though, they are really expensive!
just like laura, i have no experience either but my friends/family also swear by the medela double pump. that is the one that i plan to purchase.
happy pumping :-)
I have the Medela Pump in Style Advanced backpack, double breast pump. I used it for two days because I had issues with breastfeeding and had to stop. I paid 280 for it at Babies R Us brand new. It is a wonderful pump and I really liked it the few times I used it. I am actually trying to sell it right now on craigslist if you are interested. I can post you the link with pics and such. Private Message me if you are interested in it. This is one of the best pumps out there and is discreet in a nice black backpack.
http://providence.craigslist.org/bab/776723032.html
I am medela all the way. They are more expensive but do not have some of the issues other cheaper pumps have. Medela pumps are considered "hospital" grade pumps because they do not have any parts you can't get to to clean. Other pumps the interior parts can hold milk that can cause bacteria to grow etc. The other thing, don't buy used. This is one of those items better bought new. That way you know no one else has left anything behind.
You can buy the pump used but it is better to buy the tubing and shields and everything else new, unless you sterilize everything really well. The accessory kit is about 40 dollars at Babies R Us and it will include everything you need. The thing with pumps is that if you were to rent one from the hospital, it would be considered used as well, you just make sure you buy new accessories.
I think I am going to hold off on buying the pump for now. I plan on breastfeeding, but since I am going to be home for the first 8 weeks - I will see how it goes and then if I decide to continue, I will purchase a pump (probably medela) before going back to work. I am going to buy/register for one of these generic manual pumps to use at home, when I need it prior to going to work (I should only need it for emergencies). Plus everything I have read, said it is nice to have a manual pump for emergency situations. Thanks for your input ladies!
the Medela PIS is out of my $ league lol....but you know manual might take alittle longer, but i've found better reviews on manual ones....here is a electric/battery pump to stay away from....this thing had like 54 comments and only 23 were above 3 stars.....
evenflo comfort select dual pump(reviews i found were from walmart...)
have used this product for 1 week after the birth of my daughter. it then lost suction and is no longer capable of pumping milk. there is nothing in the trouble shooting page that would assist me in figuring out why it stopped working. this is not a product that can be returned, so what else is there- buy a new pump from a different manufacture.
Recommends this product? No
Age: 35 - 44
Gender: Female
Has owned product for: 1 week or less
Uses product: Every day
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I bought this pump in 2003 for my second child and loved it at first ( It was the first time I nursed and pumped so I didnt know any better) and even recommended it to my sister, whose baby was same age as mine. About the same time I would say 12 weeks after we got it, there was no suction. I called Evenflo and their response was "oh this has been happening alot, apparently milk was getting into the motor ruining the pump and they would replace it but not give me my money back. So I just went and got a manual pump and i liked it better!!!
Recommends this product? No
Age: 25 - 34
Gender: Female
Has owned product for: Longer than one year
Uses product: Never
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i'm holding out on the pump, but just until right before alex comes.....i asked my mom which was better, and said she'd only had an electric pump (about $150) when 2nd brother born, and manual with us other 3....she said she couldnt remember brand, bought at BR'us on sale(so she thought it'd be good), said it was so loud when she went into her office to pump, customers could hear her! made her nipples bleed b/c even though it had a suction selector, it still sucked roughly....she'd get quite a bit out, but it wasn't worth the pain, so she spent ,$50 at WM, and bought a manual and never had another issue...also, the 1 from BR'us, quit after 2 months, and she couldnt get it refunded, and the company kept telling her to "try this, try that".....