Advice re breast pump hire?

[Caz10]

Hi! I know this has been asked before but some of the threads are quite old so thought I'd check to see if anyone has more recent experience.

Basically I am back to work quite soon and want to build a decent supply of EBM. I have a small electric pump but can only get 2oz at the most from it - I've heard great things about the hospital grade ones and think it would be worth a try. I know they're pricey but if I can't get EBM I'll be buying formula anyway .

So does anyone have any recommendations as to where to hire from and which ones are best? Thanks!

i hired from the local nct lady - you'll find her via the nct breastfeeding line (obv).
was a fabulous enormous machine and was a marvel to use, i loved it.

the rates are v reasonable i thought, and they only charge you for the days you actually use it (and she didnt want proof either, my word was good enough.)

I hired mine from NCT as well, it was fantastic

thanks! what kind of pumps were they? we don't have an nct group in this area, so might depend if the next nearest one would hire to us...if not i could track down the same ones elsewhere

ive never been in touch witha group. i called the nct breastfeeding hotline, which is national.

mine was big hospital grade thingy... will try to find a link

nope, cant find a pic of the one i used - or anything that looks like it at all. must be obsolete. was a beautiful thing, looked like something out of a victorian laborotory... with a big glass dome over the shiney metal engine and its pistons going round and in and out... was a bit startling to look at to start with but was whisper quiet and such a smooth and gentle pumping action.... was really really great.

I don't know about hire prices so can't compare. But I bought an ameda lactaline double electric pump with 4 collection sets (2 were free at the time) for £75 from expressyourselfmums.com. They have great resale value on ebay too.

thanks for looking BOT!

suzi i think a couple of months hire would be at least that so i might just splash the cash. thanks!

anyone else?

I had this one
it doesn't say how much it is but there is one on ebay atm for £375!!!!!!

it was really good though because you can change (independently of each other) the speed of the suction and also the strength of the vacuum

I can't remember how much it was, but it was something like £40 for the first month and then £20 a month after that

thanks! they have 2 on the nct site at the mo:
nct pumps

the one on the right looks like yours BOT? that is what i am after something hefty and industrial!

anyone used either of the 2 available from nct at the mo?

Just in praise of the lactaline again Caz... I got about 2oz max with my medela mini electric. Pumped like fury every day when I had DS. Couldn't get a thing with it with DD. The lactaline I can easily get 2-3 oz each side when double pumping, within about 10 mins. I rarely pump but if I did it daily I think I'd get far more. You an control suction and cycle speed separately to each other meaning it's much easier to get a letdown.

Just that the NCT hire look really pricey, and perhaps unneccessary since you already have a milk supply etc. Mind you, if you just plan to pump like fury for a few weeks then I guess it would be cost effective.

Im loving the medela symphony

Caz10, would recommend you check out expressyourselfmums as they have a good range of pumps and accessories to buy and hire. NCT also good.

Thanks! I'm just wary as this will be my 3rd pump, got no-where with the hand one, got a loan of the Avent Isis which everyone says is great but I hated, so don't want to get it wrong again!
Is this yours suzi? lactaline

CAZ because your my december mate i have a lactaline i bought from someone on MN you can HAVE for nowt.

You could just buy yourself the connection kit

what do you reckon?

Oooh Pecka that would be soooooooo kind of you, are you sure? Did you not get on with it? I will send you money for postage cos that will be a lot, CAT me your address!! Only if you're really sure you won't need it! THANKS!!!!

caz, I hired a medela symphony from Medela (same link as fingerwomans) and it's brilliant, in about ten mins I can get 4 oz out. I'm paying £40 a month and I've had it for nearly five months now, I must be mad!!! I'm quite tempted to buy the one pecka suggested cos I'm back at work in a month and I'm going to have to express in the evening, and boy can I not be bothered sitting around for hours with a single pump. Double pumping is the way forward. Can't fault the medela symphony though. sorry for hijack, but does anyone know how the ameda lactaline compare with the symphony? It'll be worth the £85 if it's brilliant, cos I was going to keep hiring the symphony til ds gets to one.

HeadFairy

From my experience, the Symphony beat the Lactaline hands down. Didn't get on with the Avent Isis, in fact preferred the hand pump.

ok thanks for that lizzytee. That's a shame cos I thought I'd save a bit if I spent £85 and bought one rather then £40 a month until ds is a year old. Of course I might find the milk supply totally dries up before then and I'd have wasted £85 buying the lactaline.

You could buy the lactaline and resell on ebay if you find you prefer the symphony - think the resale prices are about £40-£45. Or buy one on there?

Yeah, I did think that might be a good plan.