Breast Pumps: Electric vs. Manual
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Breast Pumps: Electric vs. Manual
March 2004
I am going to be a first time mom. I am planning to return to
work 2 to 3 months after my baby is born but would like to
continue feeding my baby breast milk as long as I can. Is it
better to purchase a manual or electric breast pump for
expressing breast milk at work? Any sharing of experiences would
be appreciated.
Mom-to-be
Hi,
Definately go with an electric pump. My pump of choice was the
Ameda - see the link given by the moderator. If you are
pumping in work, chances are that time will be an issue, so the
pump must be efficient, quiet, able to duel pump and run on
batteries as well as plugged in. Unless you are very lucky, a
manual just won't cut it. Also, duel pumping means that you
take advantage of the letdown. The gentle whoosh, whir of the
motor can even be soothing - really! Generally buying an
electric pump means that you get an insulated bag, freezer
packs and other assorted goodies too - all things to make your
pumping life easier. To further aid your pumping life,
consider getting 2 or 3 sets of shields, valves etc..., so you
don't need to try to wash them in work.
Good luck.
KB
Here is my two cents. I pumped a year for each of my two
daughters while I was at work. I recommend a good double
electric breastpump such as the Medela Pump in Style or the
equivalent. Double pumping increases the lactation stimulation,
which helps you keep your supply up while you are away from your
baby. It is also quicker and you don't have to worry about your
hand or wrist getting sore. A less strong electric pump or a
hand pump is fine for shorter periods of time of being away from
baby. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any more detailed
questions about pumping and where to buy. Good luck.
Hannah
For work, I highly recommend electric, and it's worth it to
spend the money for a good pump. I went back to work when my
daughter was 4.5 months and pumped 'til she was 7.5 months
(then my supply started to dwindle too much, so she just nursed
morning and evening). I bought the Medela Pump in Style and
was very happy with it! An electric pump is much faster than
manual and (with some) you can do both sides at once. The Pump
in Style is also fairly discreet and easy to take to work and
back to home every day. While I found nursing to be a
wonderful experience, pumping wasn't my favorite thing to do;
however, the electric double pump and a good book made the time
pass quickly.
Beth
Hi there- I would definetly recommnd buying an electric pump...
while a hand pump is nice to have when you only occasionally
will be pumping, if you are pumping on a regular schedule, you
should have an electric pump. As far as recommendations for an
actual brand, i would have to say GET A MEDELA! If possible, get
one of the hospital grade ones- they are very quick! Don't fall
into the trap of buying the Target kind thats not Medela... they
aren't manufactured as well and seem to have a lot of problems.
If you are planning on breastfeeding for awhile as well as
having other children who you will breastfeed, paying the couple
hundred for a great quality pump is a wonderful investment. Good
luck new mama!
Shaana
Definitely electric. It's already a hassle to have to pump at
work every few hours without adding the extra task of manually
pumping! The Medela Pump N Style is a really good one that is
often sold used on the UCB Parents network. Its very quick to
set up, easy to use, and faily quiet. I pumped at work with both
my kids, and could not have done it with a manual pump. I tried
a manual pump early on, and got a very small amount of milk as
compared to the electric pump. Another plus: It's often
difficult to keep it up (pumping at work) after a few weeks, and
I think one would be much more apt to keep it up for a longer
period with an electric pump.
anon
I think a good-quality double electric pump is the only way to
go if you're starting back at FT work at 2-3 months and hope to
continue BFing. I can pump as much with my Avent Isis (manual)
as I can with my Medela PIS (double electric), but it takes
twice as long. Pumping at work 3 times a day, a time difference
like that is really significant. Plus, I can use the PIS hands-
free, and continue to work while I pump. The Isis is a great
pump, but I wouldn't still be doing this at 11 months if the
Isis is all I had.
pumpin' mama
I pumped at work for 11 months, so I think I know a little about
it! I would HIGHLY recommend both types of pumps, but for work I
would definately go with an electric. Not only does it save you
time you can do both breasts at once. If your company is not the
most supportive about this it will be a benefit as well since you
will be taking less time away from your work schedule to
accomodate this. I used the Medela pump-in-style, and I was able
to borrow it from a mom/friend of mine (avoiding the $250 cost)
but you will have to provide your own tubes and bottles and such
as it is not sanitary to use someone elses. But if you give birth
at Alta Bates, all these things will be supplied to you! They
also include a manual pump, but I didn't much care for it. I
bought the Avent ISIS which is wonderful and attached directly to
the avent bottles which are really the best in my opinion. Target
has the best price on all Avent products. The manual is good for
when you are not in a hurry, traveling (I often pumped in the car
on long drives! while my husband drove, of course) and to give
your breasts a break from the electric. Good luck!
anon
I recommend electric! (as long as you have access to an
electrical outlet where you plan on pumping)Buy a used Medela
Pump In Style from someone on the Network. They are sturdy and
there's no need to drop $300 on a new one.
anon
By all means, get an electric double pump. They are more
expensive (at about $150 for the Ameda Purely Yours) but soooo
much more effective. With an electric pump you can get much more
milk in a shorter period of time.
anon
My suggestion to you is to borrow or rent an electric pump for a
month or so to make sure it works for you. So many womyn make
the huge purchase only to find out that it doesn't work for them
and you won't make your money back if you try to turn around and
sell it ''barely used!''
Someone loaned me a Medela Pump in Style and I had big problems
with it. I ended up purchasing Ameda Purely Yours and have been
happy ever since (going on 20 months!!)
I work hard to pump and do a bit of manual expression but I
couldn't imagine relying solely on a manual pump b/c it is a lot
of work!
Try different ones if you can before biting the bullet and
making the purchase but I would definitely recommend electric
over manual!
LogicalMama
I went back to work when my baby was 5 months old and can tell
you that you DEFINITELY want to not only get an electric pump,
but you want to make sure it's a DUAL electric pump (meaning that
you can pump both sides at the same time). I have the Medela
Pump-n-Style and have been very happy with it. It costs about
$300 new, but has been worth every penny for me. It takes me
about 15 minutes altogether to set it up and then pump. If you
were to do this with a single electric or manual pump it would
take much longer - I'd say at least 30 to 40 minutes each time
you pumped (I work a 6 hour day and pump twice when I'm at work,
for a total of only 30 minutes or less). Good luck!
Abby
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