Which electric pump would you recommend?

[HadALittleFaithBaby]

I'm currently EBF DD. we had some feeding issues when she was born (she was low birth weight). She's doing well now and I'm pretty happy breastfeeding but have introduced a bottle once a day with EBM. I only really want to do one bottle max most days because I'm at home with her and love BF but I like the flexibility of having the bottle as an option. I've got a Boots hand pump but the expressing is variable and I often only get chance/time to express 50-70mls.

I used a Medela (I think) swing in hospital which was good but quite bulky. If I'm only expressing a bit do you think the mini one would suffice? Or thinking ahead I'll be going back to work when she's 7 months so I might want to express for her to have EBM at nursery so should I bite the bullet and get a swing? Or would you recommend something else? I'm looking at second hand on eBay etc.

I think the electric ones are so much easier and quicker. I used to have an ameda lactatine which was excellent but bulky. This time I got the yellow Medela swing. It's not bulky at all so maybe you used a different model? Very easy, lightweight and quiet-ish. Got it on eBay.

Found one (swing) on eBay for £22 finishing in 30 minutes. Wish me luck!

I'm sorry, I know you are bidding on one, but can I just make my standard comment about open and closed systems. Personally I wouldn't use an open system at all and I certainly wouldn't use one second hand.

This post is a pretty good summary of why.

I'm not bidding, I'm just lurking! I'll have a look at that.

Oh, good. Do read that link and make up your own mind. Personally, second hand I would only ever consider fully closed, like a Lactaline.

That's interesting...that being the case I'm surprised though because that's what I used in the hospital and obviously they pass them between women regularly!

What would you reccomend then Amanda?

Don't know about hospital but would assume anything used in hospital is closed and sterilised? maybe hospital grade is different from domestic?

I used and liked my lactaline, but must admit I only used it occasionally as I didn't express as much as I thought I would.

Hospital grade pumps are closed system. You just have to replace the tubes between users.

I would go for the Ameda lactaline. It's not that bulky for the power it has and I used it to express when working FT from 4months.

I used the Medela hospital grade pump for ages which is a closed system. I had the swing for emergency use at home which I bought new either with a special offer from the NCT shop online or amazon.
I did buy a 2nd hand medela double pump from eBay at about your stage &, like you, because I was looking ahead to my return to work. Tbh I barely used it once I got back to work as there was no time to pump & LO won't drink milk at childcare (he is doing just fine filling up on milk when I am home).
The one warning I would say about buying second hand on eBay is make sure you ascertain how many owners & how much usage the pump has had. My pump had one owner who had bought it new & only used it once a day for 8 weeks.
Whereas others I looked at had been owned by 2 or 3 people and it was not clear how much usage had been got out of it already. Having read an article about 2nd hand old pumps being full of gunk or had stopped working I decided to wait until I found one which was barely used.

If I was a first time mum again I would buy a new double pump before the baby arrived.

Btw The LC I used recommended the lactaline.
Good luck.