Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Electric vs manual breast pumps

14 replies

KoolDog · 25/04/2016 18:45

Hello everyone!

I'm 35 weeks today and this is my first ever post... so probably not down with all the abbreviations - yet!

I want to know what everyone's thoughts are re manual vs electric pumps. I want something easy and quick, primarily. Thoughts re that and which brands??

Thanks x

OP posts:
AndNowItsSeven · 25/04/2016 18:46

Medela swing.

Scarydinosaurs · 25/04/2016 18:48

I had a medela and I never managed to get a hand pump to work. Medela one was pretty good, I only used it to pump during the period when stopped breastfeeding.

Runningupthathill82 · 25/04/2016 18:52

Electric pump without a doubt. Medela Swing is fast and quiet, and the best I've tried aside from the hospital grade double pump I hired when I was exclusively expressing. Don't touch the Tommee Tippee pump with a bargepole - it's always on offer for a reason.

A manual pump is ok every once in a while (I used mine to pump on occasions when I was out and about and couldn't use the electric one) but IME is much slower and faffier.

KP86 · 25/04/2016 18:52

No, not Medela! The milk can get sucked back into the pump. Gross and annoying. Ameda have closed systems, which is much better and more hygienic. I've only used those two brands personally (expressed for 12 months) but Ameda was 1000X better for me.

Definitely electric over manual if you can afford it, too.

MewlingQuim · 25/04/2016 19:10

Depends how much expressing you expect to do, are you just wanting some to store or do you think you will be expressing for all feeds?

I found breastfeeding ok but just used to express a bottle or two a day just for DH to feed DD when I was having a kip.

I used a phillips avent hand pump but found pumping tedious and difficult to get much milk out even when I was pretty engorged . I borrowed a friends electric pump thinking it would be easier. I hated it even more. The noise and the feeling of it was really offputting and inhibited let down making it even harder to get milk out. I went back to the hand pump.

I think you can hire pumps? Might be best to wait and see how you get on before shelling out ££ on a pump that hardly gets used.

ArsePicker · 26/04/2016 01:53

Medela swing.

I can't imagine anything worse than a manual pump.

Mermaid36 · 26/04/2016 08:23

I've been using the Medela Symphony (hospital grade electric double pump) whilst my twins are in NICU and I can't imagine having to pump (8 times a day) on both breaststroke with a manual pump!!

I rented mine from the Medela website and it was delivered the next day

MyBreadIsEggy · 26/04/2016 08:26

I had a Tommee Tippee electric and a Tommee Tippee manual....the electric one got the tiniest dribble out Angry So I tried the manual and got 3oz from each boob.
Then I hired a Medela Symphony electric pump from my local children's centre and it was amazing!!

Writerwannabe83 · 26/04/2016 12:18

I had a Lasinoh manual pump and it was fantastic!!

I could easily express an ounce a minute with it.

And it's so practical to carry on your person a should you ever need to be in a position when you need to express when away from home. I can't imagine carting an electrical pump around is very practical if needed.

My manual was fantastic when I returned to work and was expressing 2-3 times a day whilst there, it was just very convenient.

However, we use Medella electric pumps at work when women come in with babies aged 2/3/4/5 days old and breast feeding isn't going well and for some women it works fantastic and other women can barely get 5mls out though that's probably due to a poor supply I imagine.

Redhead79 · 29/04/2016 19:28

How much/often are you planning to pump? If it's a lot then electric is defiantly worth it and would also recommend the medelea swing - I take mine to work and pump 2-3 times there. You can also put battery's in it and move around (I even attach the cup to my boob with tape to be totally hands free!).

If it's only going to be occasionally then a manual would be fine and much less expensive. I had to buy an emergency one when I forgot to take my electric one to work one day - got the boots own brand one, it was as cheap as chips and much better than the manual medelea one I have. Also if breastfeeding doesn't work out for you (or you have a bottle refuser) then you've not spent loads on an electric pump and if you find you're pumping more than expected then you can always upgrade.

NickyEds · 29/04/2016 21:48

I found my Lansinoh double electric good and easy to use. It's one that can be fully sterilised so you can get one second hand or buy new but safely sell it on when you're done.

Marmite27 · 29/04/2016 21:53

I'm currently (right now!) a spectra s1 double pump. I exclusively express and it's saved my sanity.

The bottles it comes with are a bit cheap and flimsy, but avent ones fit. It's available on Amazon.

I started with a tomme tippee electric, but 6x 40 minutes per day was too much for it. Interestingly I've just lent some parts from it to a friend who only uses hers occasionally, and they've cracked while she waits for TT to send her replacements.

HeffalumpHistory · 29/04/2016 21:54

Electric all the way. I had a Nuby manual first time around & got maybe 3oz in half an hour. Didn't pump much.
Although still not expressing much, using Medela Swing electric this time around has made a massive difference. Still takes me a while to get a decent amount but it's quiet & not giving me sore hands/boobs

YorkieDorkie · 29/04/2016 21:58

Can't get a drop with a manual (Tommee Tippee).
I get 6oz each morning with my medela swing, it's amazing. Had to buy the smaller shield though, the one it comes with was too big.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page