To BF boffins and pumpers: pump advice, please

[macneil]

I've been renting the Ameda Egnell elite from the hospital for a month, and as I can't really see an end to the pumping in the immediate future (or within the next month at least), would it make sense to buy a pump? Is there a medium one that won't hurt my milk supply? I don't breastfeed at all, I'm taking domperidone, and I get about 40-70mls per pump, from both sides put together, depending on the time I pump and the length of time I've gone between pumps. My milk supply still seems to be rising rather than falling, but that's almost certainly because of the drugs, which I've been on a bit less than a week.

I've seen Ameda ones for about £50 in the chemist, they have batteries, would they now be as good as - or rather, no more damaging than - my big plug in one? Or is it best to keep with the hospital one in case my 4 week old baby (born with mouth too small to latch on, according to my BF doctor, but really has never latched at all or come close) gets the hang of things in the next month?

I have used both a lactaline double whammy pump and a manual pump. Personally I found it quickest and most efficient to use the manual pump. It seems to be very much down to personal choice rather than having to use a 'certain' one.

I was using it exclusively for a short time, and for 12 hrs a day for quite a time. I also found my milk supply rose - perhaps because I was so concious of it dropping I pumped more than I needed and therefore helped my body to think it needed to make more.

Can you try one before you buy just to see how it suits you?

Forgot to say - I'm really pleased I bought one as I've found I needed one a few times when I've had to leave my little one over feed time. If I had hired one I would have struggled.

the ameda lactaline works just as well as the egnell which i also used. you can try bidding for one on ebay or get one yourself new. new is eighty five quid. they resale on ebay for about £50. mine has been worth it. how often do you express? i understand that when exclusively expressing you need to do it at least 8 times a day.

Oooh, interesting!, and thanks very much for the responses. I'm in Canada, so ebay is out - Canadian ebay is empty because it's such a small country and postage is a fortune. If I were in England, that would be a brilliant idea.

I keep reading reviews of pumps and some women say 'this is the best pump ever!' and others say 'totally useless, buy an electric one', and I don't know which one would be more like me - so I guess there is no way of knowing without trying. But, I'm not one of those women who can gaily lactate and fill pint pots, so it's not so much about convenience, or what I'd like best, it's more about being careful that I don't hurt that.

I much preferred my Avent Isis manual pump over the hospital Medela one I used. I think I had quite a lot of milk but found the manual pump far more efficient & less painful than the electric one.

Can you look on American Ebay? Or do they have Craigslist in Canada?

The trouble with American ebay is the $50 postage to Canada they put on everything. The Canadian postal service is really the worst I've ever run into, and I've lived here, the US and the UK. Things get stuck in customs for months, customs fees are crazy to price people out of cheap US imports when the exchange rate is high, and don't get me started on the parcel delivery.

I think I should try an Isis, just to see how I get on with it, it's not so much to risk, I think. Carting this machine from room to room so I can watch telly or hide my breast from the in-laws is high farce. Oh, how I envy those of you who can produce lots of milk! (I know what the answer is, of course... nighttime pumping. I am going to crack and get round to this.)

I exclusively expressed for a year as dd1 wouldn't latch. I would highly recommend the Ameda Lactaline. It's a double pump, is v quiet and has fantastic customer service. It cost around £70-80.
I expressed around 7-8 times a day for the first 6 mths - was fortunate to be able to drop the night time pumps quite early as had such a good supply - and then expressed 4-5 times a day as weaning got established.
Are you freezing any of your excess milk? Another thing you could consider if you are over-producing is to donate to a milk bank, if you have one near you.
I also bought a really good book about Exclusively Expressing which gives 2 ways of increasing your milk supply - have a look at this thread as it's mentioned here (22 Sept 2005)
Hope this helps.....& good luck - you're doing a great job!

The best thing for me about using a manual pump was that it was small so very portable, and also I could regulate far more quickly the speed and suction bit.

It also made me feel less like a darlek (sp?), so I relaxed more which helped the milk. With the lactaline I felt like a milking machine.

Don't worry too much about how much you are getting each time, just continue expressing as often as you possibly can. It does get much easier.
Good luck. Sounds like things are going well so far.

the only manual handpump i used was the avent one which has a silicone 'breast massager' (strange name. stuck for a better phrase i gues) I got as great a letdown with it as i do with the Ameda Lactaline. The Lactaline also has a similar silicone attachement which you pay separately for, normally.

macniel, there are little tricks to building your supply and getting the most out of it. the thread that shivs mentioned has it in there. i know its a long thread but if you concentrate mostly on the first half of it, you'll find them in there. the book on exclusively pumping is also highly recommended. i bought one out of interest. fantastic read. (i think i am the only person in the UK still expressing for a 20 month old so she gets one milk feed a day at nursery)

Macneil

Did you find a new pump? If not, have a look on your local Craigslist

Hope things are looking up

Ooh, so I looked at craigslist and there are a few right here in town. I'm seeing my lactation doctor tomorrow morning and will check with her. But that looks like a great source. Many thanks for the tips.

where are you in Canada? (just being nosey, lived in Vancouver for a while and miss all things Canadian desperately )

Yay, I'm in Vancouver, but I'm just missing London desperately. For one thing, my brother is there, but also over Christmas, there were no mince pies and there was no M&S, although I have a slingbox, which lets me watch British telly from here (fuzzily) and that showed the M&S food ads and I drooled. Also, in Vancouver, THERE IS NO DOUBLE CREAM! Even in America, they call it heavy cream, but they have it. Here, whipping cream is as strong as it gets. If you can get through Christmas without double cream, you must really love Vancouver. Still, nothing beats the sushi here.

When were you here?

Macneil, am sure your too busy to bake now, but I have a brand new jar of mincemeat if you fancy making mice pies (it'll keep til next year)! I'd be happy to post it to you. Otherwise I think it'll get thrown away.

had the tommee tippee freedom manual pump, it worked really well but broke after 10 weeks it couldn't take the strain. I now have the avent isis iq uno electric which is mains powered or battery and it can convert to manual. It wasn't my first choice but i think it works really really well.

Oh, mamama, you are such a sweetheart! Actually, my dad brought mincemeat when he came to visit, and my mum made a batch, of which I still have three, so it was really an old whine that I was recycling to complain about Vancouver. Also, sending a jar to Canada would cost about what it would cost me to fly over and pick it up from you. Many thanks, you are lovely, but no-don't-be-crazy! And have a lovely new year.

I'm glad you have plenty! The inlaws brought a few jars over when they visited because they knew I couldn't get it here, but there's only so much mincemeat 1 person can eat & Americans don't seem to fancy it! Will have to see if there's anyone else I can con into taking it!

You must be somewhere up north, mamama. Southerners in the US are big on mincemeat pies.

I second the aMEDA double electric, btw. Mine is a Purely Yours and lasted through a year of exclusive expressing with ds1. Hoping to use it only at work for ds2.