Recommended breast pump? Which is the best???

[yumeymummy]

Can anyone recommend a good breast pump for a first timer? I want a good one but cant afford a fortune . Thanks xx.

I used the Avent hand pump, i think i bought it from boots, did'nt cost loads, some of the electric ones cost loads.

Second the Avent hand held...was great.

Do u know if the avent one can be used with all brands of bottles? Or just the event ones?
Im thinking of using tommee tippee botttles.

Medela electric...don't bother with a hand held pump, they are cripplingly uncomfortable. I used Tommee Tippe bottles as well, and found I could just tip the expressed milk straight in when needed.

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Avent hand pump was great, easy to get the hang of easy t use easy to clean

Avent (hand or electric). I expressed for 7 weeks for ds in SCBU using the industrial hospital pumps, bought an Avent hand one when he came home and can honestly say it worked better! And much more comfortable. Personally I found the massager thing great, but try it both ways and see which works for you.

i've got the tommee tippee one, freedom i think and so far i can't fault it. had a boots own one with ds1 and was so uncomfortable but have been using this for a few days quiute happily so far!

I'm using the Avent Isis hand hand held, it seems to work great - can express about 6ozs in 10-15mins on a good day. Only fault I have found with it is the white valve 'pops' out of place when milk is flowing really fast meaning you have to unscrew and re-attach when in full flow and I never seem to be able to getting it flowing as fast again!

I have the avent manual (which was given to me free by my midwife, so why not ask just in case!) and bought a medela mini electric too. I got the electric for £20 on ebay, which is the same cost as the avent new. If you even suspect that you might want to do a lot of pumping, the medela makes life v.easy, my hand/arm/shoulder was getting v.sore with the avent. Plus medela has v.few parts to put together & wash/sterilise. Ono minus with the medela are that it's dreadfully noisy so no watching tv (and I can use it anywhere near my baby!).
You can supposedly pump straight into the freezer bags with both pumps, so if you check that out the bottle bit might not be a problem. Most people tend to stock breastmilk in the freezer rather than just do a bottle at at time, so straight into bags makes more sense. I haven't bothered to figure it out yet!

medela electric
brilliant

LucyLu- this happens to me too with the isis -annoying isn't it?

i have medela pump in styl and medela manual BOTH are brill

I used the avent isis IQ and the hand pump avent one. I actually found the and pump far more effective than the electric one so I'd buy that one first and see how it goes.

There are women who can't express no matter what they try so I wouldn't spend a lot of money before you know.

Yup, another vote for medela electric. V. efficient (if somewhat bovine.. but anyway, needs must etc.). Sometimes you can rent them.

Ameda Lactaline (from the NCT). I express 14oz per day. Expensive though!

Mango - glad its not just me - did think I may have it put together wrong! A tip that helps me express is I recorded DD crying and play it to get things flowing quicker - it seems to work a treat!!

Hand expressing without a pump is really quick and effective when you have the knack and costs nothing

I use Medela electric and it's great. Depends on what you will need it for. I think if you plan to pump only occassionally, then a handheld would make sense but if you are thinking about working and pumping or pumping regularly, electric ones are a lot faster.

I found the Avent hand pump brilliant. I borrowed a Medela electric for my first baby but preferred the Avent hand pump. I found it just as fast and you could use it anywhere (i.e. when travelling).

I'm a Medela Lactaline fan personally. I couldn't get anything with the hand pumps. I seem to remember I got my Lactaline on a deal whereby you "hired" it for 2 weeks for say £20 but if you then bought it that was taken off the purchase price. Better still, why not try to get a pump on Freecycle - it will cost you nothing but collection, and if it doesn't work for you you will have lost nothing.

Oh LucyLu - if only i needed to record dd crying ...

I bought my Avent Isis handpump from Mum2Mum who where selling new ones for a fiver. I never did get the hang of it and once I gave up trying to use it I got on much better with breastfeeding. So will see what happens this time, due 1st Aug!

I personally vote for Medela Lactaline, I found the avent hand pump time consuming and it gave me cramp in my hand! I also found it hard to expres very much with it. I then bought the meleda and I found it great, its got two bits so you can pump twice the amout in the same time as a single pump and it was easier to control the strength of the suction and the quickness of the pumping action. thumbs up