Which breast pump would you recommend?

[DollyPopsOut]

DD2 is now 9 weeks old and I would like to start pumping so that I can leave her for the odd evening etc. Question is, which pump would you recommend?

For DD1, I had the medela mini electic which I used til it broke on me at 12 months. I liked it but found it slow and noisy. One of the community MWs who BF for 3 years suggested an Avent hand held, which she said was brilliant. I bought one and have tried it out, but can't seem to get anything with it. The suck just isn't strong enough, IYSWIM (or I haven't set it up correctly which is perfectly possible).

I would like to pump every day to build up a decent supply in the freezer for nights out, sleeps in (so DH can do the honours) and eventually when I go back to work. Which pump would you recommend? Is it worth renting one? Anyone tried the Avent ISIS electric one? That's quite expensive, even on Ebay, so I am loath to splash out unless it is going to do the trick.

Any advice gratefully received. Many thanks .

Avent hand pump was fab for me. Saw it didnt work for you, dont know why but perhaps depends on shape of boobs? I dont know. I know it helped to stimulate flow before expressing.

I would try the AVENT electric, although it's the only one on the market I haven't tried (for a magazine review, not for my own personal pleasure!); otherwise a Lactaline or even - gasp - hiring one of the utterly fabulous ones you can only hire, sorry, forgotten the name, the ones that absolutely whoosh the milk out of your norks.

I had the Avent Isis hand held and had to persevere to find the best position for expressing.
I found that leaning forward and swapping sides when supply dwindled helped me

any of the Avent pumps worked very well for me, electric and manual. For some reason medela pumps didn't work as well, maybe I have Avent boobs!

I loved my Avent Isis. It did help to get suction if the breast or the silicone bit was damp when you put it on, gave a better seal.

With it, I used to pump 8oz morning and evening which allowed me to return to work pt and also to have a weeks holiday with my Gran where all dd1's milk was ebm!! It was like half a gallon of the stuff in the freezer for dh - adn I expressed with the pump while we were away and kept up my supply for coming home.

My old pump broke recently and I bought an Avent hand pump, and I was so impressed! It is brilliant, 0-4oz in 5 MINUTES!!!!!

i hated avent hand pump-got hardly anything from it but medela mini electric was fantastic-got it from ebay

I have the Tommee Tippee freedom and i'm finding it really easy to use

I also have a Bruin electric from Toysrus which is very good, and very quiet, and was only £20

I also got very little out with a hand pump. Definitely the Medela electric pump is best imo.

I had the avent hand pump and found it worked really well - mayb as you say you might not have it set up right. I now have the Tommee Tippee Freedom one after DP had a bit of an accident with the Avent (managed to melt it while boiling it in water cos he's too lazy to get the steriliser out!). Not as keen on the TT one TBH.

Many thanks. I have a friend coming over on Tues who is a champion expresser. Will ask her to look at the Avent one and see if I have got it set up right. Once I have, will have another few goes and see if I have any more joy. If not, then it's an electric one which i'll rent - I like the idea of milk whooshing out of my norks!

Thanks for all the replies - much appreciated.

my doula (ooh get me!!) recommended the avent electric and she seemed to have every pump known to mankind lol. agree re medela and also avent - I found the same with them altho i'm managing fine with the medela, just can't listen to the telly at the same time

dolly - are you going to be donating as well? sorry - I can't remember who it was who said they were going to. if so, the hospital might give you a pump - I got the medela from them

Have you tried it without the silicone insert? I found it hard to get a seal with the insert but much easier once I took it out.

medela was too noisy and used to stress me out during eastenders... ameda lactaline is expensive but brilliant, nearest thing to the ones they lend you from teh hospital.

oh, and the medela motor broke and i took it back to boots and they swapped it immediately without the receipt. apparently there's a known problem with the motors.

i found it much easier without the silicone insert too.my boobs ended up a 34H, i could get gd suction with the avent pump like this but found i couldnt get a gd enough 1 with the medina,the funnel seemed too narrrow-perhaps if depends on the size of yr boobs?!

Quick update - I tried this morning without the silicone massage cushion and with a fullish boob. We now have suction (hurray!) but speedy I aint. After 10 mins of actual pumping I got about 10ml. At that rate I should be able to go out in about 2009 .

I think I will have to investigate the electric options. Off to see what Ebay has to offer .