Electric pumps

[kbaby]

This links to my 'what options thread' I would ideally still like to bf dd when I return to work. Shell be 5.5 months. If I can get over my boobs out in work phobia.
The problem is that I cant seem to express that much milk and wonder exactly how long it will take me to get enough milk. DD is given ebm quite often so I know she'll take the bottle.

Would a electric pump make expressing easier? Do they also express more milk than a hand pump?
Are they worth the money?
Thanks

Kbaby, not sure I can answer your questions as well as you'd like - I have expressed since DD was 3 days old - never managed BF at all and now DD is 5.5 months am still expressing 4 or 5 times a day. I have never used a hand pump - I decided to buy an electric one. It came from Ameda Engell and cost £76. Quite a lot but then I have used it every day for 5.5 months so feel as if I have got my money's worth. It is very easy and effective and if ever you have a problem with it, the people at Ameda are SO helpful and nice. It's a lot of money though if you aren't going to use it much / find that you don't manage to express easily and comfortably at work.

Loved my electric pump, at 6 months I went back to work and expressed a pint in 40 minutes..... it gets easier
I had a mini-electric from Medela (£40)

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Rowlers I take my hat off to you! I expressed for the first month due to breast refusal and don't thin I could have carried on for as long as you did.

I used a double electric pump. It was very good whe expressing every 3-4 hours as there is a risk of RSI with repeated use of a hand pump. Also pumping both breasts together helps the let down reflex in the opposite one.

The key to expressing is getting a good letdown which can be hard with a pump. I find that massaging my breasts and doing a little hand expressing first helps to get things going. I also find it easier to express when I am away from ds and he has missed a feed. I can't get much out at all if he has recently fed.

heres a link to similar questions regarding electric/hand pump

Thanks for replying everyone.
Which electric pump is the best to use and what do I do if I buy one and then its no good?

Can you try out one from NCT - don't they hire them out?

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Also vote for the mini-Medela but alas, kbaby, if you buy it and don't like it they are non-exhangeable. (Whispers as this is a valid hygiene concern) - you could borrow one off a trusted friend to try it out, I did lend mine to another Mumsnetter. There is a theoretical risk of "cross-contamination" even if you sterilise, apparently. But, hey! I travel on SE Trains every day and am much more likely to catch something vile there.

electric pumps are quicker if you double pump - both sides together - but I don't think they are any better at stimulating letdown - which is the key.

Attitude of mind is more important - try and forget what you are doing - made a huge difference for me - if I worried about how much I was getting I got next to nothing.

Also try massaging before and during pumping as well.

I used to get good amounts from the avent hand pump - but I also got rsi in my thumb joint ! I was expressing exclusively for twins so I went over to ameda lactaline and double pumped. You can also hire that pump from the nct and from the ameda website.