Advice needed - Medela hospital grade pump vs Phillips Avent

[northlondonchoclover]

Hello mumsnetters

I have a DS 10.5 weeks old EBF until recently, he has been getting frustrated in the late afternoon/evenings with the slow milk flow (I know because DH tried giving him formula and he took around 7 ounces). I have also been expressing from time to time using a Phillips electric single pump, getting about 3 ounces from one breast in 15 minutes, usually while DS feeding from the other breast.

I am trying out a regime where I express in the mornings when the breast feels full and milk flow is faster to feed DS in the evenings. Also I express in the evening too.

Is it worth trying out the Medela hospital grade pump? Will it extract significantly more than the Phillips? Any advice will be much appreciated.

Fwiw taking a bottle doesn't always indicate that either hunger was the issue or that a bottle is the answer.

A double pump should get more, quicker, than a single pump ime. Doesn't have to be the expensive medela one though - I've done great with a loaned Aveda.

He screamed when we tried removing the bottle :)

I can highly reccommend Ameda double pumps. I can get three times the milk in half the time of my old single pump. I struggled for 4 months with a single Tommee Tippee electric pump which was crap. Decided to aim for BF for a year so invested in an Ameda Lactaline double pump which was £100 - sounds expensive but much cheaper than a Medela and only £20 more than the pre-sale price of the Tommee Tippee one. (I got my Tommee Tippee one in half price sale but I still regret not getting a proper pump in first place.)

If you do get a double pump, you'll really need a "pumping top" - they sell Medela ones for £25 which are basically halter-neck crop tops with small nipple holes in so you can put pump on and it srays there so you can pump hands-free so you can have a cuppa and browse Mumsnet. DON'T BUY ONE though, just get an old, tight vest top and cut nipple holes out of it - much cheaper and just as effective. Must be a tight vest top though or pumps won't be held securely enough to be effective.

Thank you Queen, I will be renting one of these double pumps.

Great tip re pumping top !