breast pumps - avent or medela?

[hercules]

I am going back to work when my second baby will be 5 months old and want to express breast milk. I've tried the Avent isis and have managed 4oz in 30 minutes. What are people's experiences of the Avent and the medela mini electric? Are they similar in how quick and how much they can get out or is ine better than the other? Help needed desperately!

My experience is the Medela is quicker than the Avent provided you have somewhere quiet to express (Medela makes a very suspicious and quite loud buzzing noise...). I am getting 10oz in 30 mins from my Medela and although I haven't even tried the Avent this time round with my first baby I found it hopeless.
Good luck with the return to work.

Everyone seems to laugh at me but honestly - hand expressing is quick and cheap

I used and electric Medela when I was in hospital (Melody I think). When I came out I hired one from the chemist (I don't know if they do that in the UK - but it is much more affordable for short-term use) till I established BF better. Later when I had lumps and needed to empty a boob I tried my Avent Isis hand pumpt that I had bought before I had ds and found it so frustrating that I gave up.

I love my Avent, and can get more than enough with it - when I was seriously expressing with dd1 *aargh seems so long ago) I could get 10oz in about 20 mins. But I think it helps that I have big hands. I had to borrow a Medela from a friend when I was away for a weekend and I really didnt like it = I think the noise made me feel too much like a cow attatched to a milking machine!

I used a Medela electric, and never had any problems getting loads out. It was so easy to use you could use it anywhere. On the M25 was my favourite (ds was driving, but it did cause some odd looks from lorry drivers!).

I personally prefer the Avent, but I think I am a bit overproductive with the old milko.

mears, i have considered hand expressing but thought it would be too difficult. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

After finally deciding to read the instructions my Avent worked a treat! Haven't used the medela but I posted also when wanting to buy and the Avent came up trumps. Microwaved damp face clothes made the milk flow much easier. Don't get stressed if it dosen't work straight away. I did and my milk refused to flow until I chilled out a bit. I hand express to get things going then wack on the pump. Good luck.

Mears: after DS was born I had slight but worrisome pain feeding him. One of the Community MWs was listening to me complain and then reached over and just tweaked away to get some milk out, "Well, you have plenty of milk!" she said. I wasn't offended; I admired her technique. I expressed daily for a milk bank but I still can't hand-express. Would if I could.

Here is some info on technique for handexpressing
If you do a search on hand expressing you will get lots of other threads.

I loved my Medela and had a pint in 30 mins....

Am using the Avent with 2nd baby and I have had no problems with it. Would you be able to borrow one? It's just that some of my friends had no luck with the Avent at all and some find it dead easy so maybe trying one before you buy would help?

hmmm, these expressing threads always make me feel inadequate and start doubting my milk producing ability....ds2 is nearly 7 weeks and I ahve been starting to express using an Avent pump. I can get about 2oz in half an hour on a good day....and I was feeling quite chuffed with that, because I am actually (sometimes) getting a good let down from the pump (with ds1 I was pretty hopeless, I could only get anything when he was feeding from the other side).
Does this mean I don't produce much milk or am I just too inhibited when it comes to milking like a cow ? Would it be worth trying an electric pump? How does the Medela work, btw - can you control the suction (I don't use much with the Avent because it can be painful).
Any other tips gratefully received!

Thanks for all the messages. I was using an Avent but only got 1oz after half an hour of trying. I then tried a warm cloth on my breast and got 4oz in 20 minutes so I think I'll stick with it. Thanks for advice, what things breastfeeding mums have to go through!!!!

On this note - anyone interested in an Avent Isis - used once....! Still got box (but not sure about the instructions....)

Elliott, don't be dismayed, expressing takes time to get used to and different techniques work best for different people. I could never hand-express like Mears for example, because I seem to squirt milk in random directions when I try - usually straight up my nose or onto my computer (expressing at work). I did not get 10oz in half an hour when I first started, believe you me.
Yes, you can control the suction on the Medela...if I recall its lowest setting is not as gentle as the Avent's but it is fairly mild and you can crank it up to OUCH if you really want to.

Using Avent now. Do you get more the more times you try or is it just getting the knack right?

You have to get into it IYKWIM. It should get easier. I hope.

I have to test lots of different sorts of pump for work soon

I definitely found there was a knack to getting the milk out. To start with I might pump for 30 minutes and get next to nothing, but once I was pumping regularly and my body sort of knew to trigger the let-down for the pump (as well as the baby) the milk would flow really easily. In fact once the let-down occurred I would get the bulk of the milk out in 3-5 minutes.

Switching sides works really well, e.g. 5 mins on each side, then 3 mins on each side, then 2 mins etc. Completely the opposite of what you would do when feeding your baby.

It took me about 6 weeks of pumping 3 days a week to get into any kind of good routine with the pump, and every time I had a holiday it was as if my body had to relearn what to do when the baby was not there.

As for pumps ... I only used the Avent ... I was having to express in the loos at work, so no electric socket, plus I wanted to express silently. Next time, (not that I'm planning another baby just yet) I am vowing to try mears' hand-expressing tips.

Good luck