Totally confused about Breast Pumps!! Help? Which do I choose?

[CharlyWu]

Hi everyone - I'm about to be a 1st time mum and am determined to breast feed (hoping that I will be able to).

I have been told I should get a breast pump so my partner can get involved with the night feeds. Which are the best ones to get? I am totally confused! Was told wide neck/slow teat bottles are best. Who does these?

Thanks for any advice!

I'm not an expert and hope somebody a bit more knowledgeable will be along soon, but it might be easier to establish breastfeeding first before introducing EBM.

If you do this you will have time to buy equipment after baby is born. Also, if breastfeeding doesn't work out you are not left with expensive equipment that you don't use.

I used an Avent hand pump for DS1 who had lots of feeding problems for the first couple of months. I used it again when he self-weaned at the end. With DS2 I didn't use it at all.

Hand pumps are good but can be hard work. My sister had a good electric one which was very useful for her as she returned to work and was able to express very efficiently for the CM to give.

Hi Charly, I found the Avent ISIS IQ Uno electric pump worked well for me.

It came with a bottle, teat, ring and cap etc so it has enough to get you started. It also includes the parts to use it as a manual pump too.

I think different pumps suit different people though. Some friends of mine used the Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature pump as recommended by their midwife with great success. If I remember correctly, it has only 3 parts to assemble so is very simple to use.

I was advised to wait until around 6 weeks before expressing as the whole supply/demand thing needs to settle down a little. I hope this is correct, I don't want to pass on any duff advice but this worked for me (still BFing 14 months on!).

Get a cheap avent hand pump and see how you get on with that and if you are expressing regularly then invest in an Avent ISIS IQ Uno which is great.

There's no point in spending a lot of money though until you know expressing works for you.

medela mini is crap so don't buy one.

I've got an Avent Isis which is fab, works perfectly.

Although we did try doing the 'Dad giving EBM at night' thing, it failed miserably as DS would get so wound up waiting for the milk to warm up, that I would end up feeding him anyway We just found it easier for me to do the night feeds, as it meant DS went back to sleep much much sooner and so we all got more sleep.

I have a medela mini and it's been working fine for me, but I have nothing to compare it to. That said it did go a little mental about a week ago and sprayed milk everywhere but it seems to have righted itself. Still, I've only had it for about 5 weeks, so perhaps it is crap.

I started pumping right at the start due to latching problems and although I wouldn't have started quite so soon if I'd had my druthers, I can certainly see some benefits to starting to express early. We've had no problems with DD taking bottles and also I've never had issues with low supply (maybe sometimes the opposite though).

I'm a bit about the Avent Isis. This is what I'd planned to get but the midwives at the hospital recommended the medela mini.

Oh yeah, agree with Extra Fancy about the night feeds. DH gives EBM in the evening but night feeds are one of the things that make BFing great: get baby, put baby to breast, wind baby, put baby back in cot. So easy. No faff.

Even less if you co-sleep, but I'm too chicken for that and DD sleeps well her cot just near us.

I think firstly you need to decide if you want a manual or electric. I've never used an electric one as I think I'd feel like I'm a dairy cow.

I have the Avent Isis. I like it because all the Avent system works together, so cups, bottles, teats, spouts are all interchangable. I've always had good results.

i'd wait and see how your supply is, tbh. the one i had, an electric one, wasn't anywhere near powerful enough for me and i needed to spend £80 to get one that would work for me.

I had the medela electric one initially, then bought an avent manual one when I had to go to a wedding when DS1 was a few months old (leaving him at home with grandparents and EBM) and wanted to express quietly in the toilets. The main problem with my electric one was that it was so noisy - I couldn't even watch a bit of telly whilst expressing. I found the avent manual one just as effective. Have not tried any other types than the two I have so can't make comparisons between brands, but I did find the Avent good and fairly good value. After buying it I never bothered with my electric one again.

I know the advice is not to express until supply is established, but I was really glad that I had bought my pump whilst I was pg. DC1 had problems with latching on in the first week and was re-admitted and put on a drip. I wasn't offered a pump by the hospital, although they did give me sterilising equipment, and I used my pump to express so he could be fed through a tube for a couple of days. It also kept my supply up for that period so in hindsight I was so glad that I had it in advance.

ps, I thought that I would use it for DH to do the odd feed too, but in reality he never did any night feeds - seemed so much bother when I could just feed them in bed! I did use the pump a lot though.

It's actually not a very good idea for your dh to do night feeds, particularly at the beginning as your breasts need to be stimulated at least once during the night or your milk supply may decrease. If your dh feeds the baby then you really need to get up and express which kinda defeats the object!

If he wants to do some feeds he may be better off doing one in the early evening while you're awake and can express at the same time to ensure your milk supply is maintained, or you could express before bed and then get an early night while he does the late evening one. You really don't want to go longer than 5-6 hours without feeding/expressing.

Re pumps - I liked the Medela mini electric pump.

Don't get a Tommee Tippee one. I am about to send mine back to them as it is rubbish.

Electric ones are pretty noisy and can be a bit weird. I would echo what the others have said, get a simple one like the Avent until you know how things are going to go. But don't try and supplement feeds too early, especially as the night feeds are the most important as your milk supply is at it is most active.

Gosh it never struck me that you'd have to get up and express if you did an EBM night feed. So it would be worse than pointless?

Tired father rubs his eyes, goes downstairs to get milk ready, comes back to, by now, very hungry baby sits him down, starts to feed him in that peaceful night time way and then WEEEEEEEEEE WEEEEEEEEEE WEEEEEEEEEEE comes from the other side of the room

Another vote fpr wait and see - I had all this stuff ready before the birth, with hindsight I wish I'd waited.
Plus (and I realise I may be in a minority ) I never found night feeds that bad, baby wakes, stick baby on, fall half back to sleep, baby finishes, back in cot/basket, back to sleep all round. Ds very quickly went down to twice a night, each one taking about half an hour. Wouldn't have been worth the faff of DH doing one or both of them.
No, the sleeping problems started when he was about 6 months

Hahaha. Just shows what I know! Sounds like the night feeds will be done by me after all (my DH will be delighted)!

I was just hoping to be really organised and get things while I still have time - but hearing this, I am thinking I will wait and see!

Thanks for the suggestions though - sounds like Avent Isis is getting a big thumbs up!

Yes, when I did get a breast pump I got the Boots electric one which was rubbish then quickly traded it in for an avent manual whihc was much better

the ameda lactaline one (EIGHTY QUID!!) is v quiet, 40+... that's just one of the reasons it was so good. i had the medela one and it was so noisy i couldn't believe it. the one break you get from childcare in the whole bloomin' day and you can't even watch telly over it. pain in the arse.

Have to agree with Extra Fancy (my all time favourite MN name btw, brilliant!), its easier to do the night feeds yourself unless your DH permanently does the night feeds.

I always found that if someone else fed my DS expressed milk I had to express anyway because I was due to feed at that time and my boobs were full.

It was much easier to just do it and go straight back to bed.

Not to mention, if your DH is anything like mine
-baby cries
-"Baby's crying"
"Urgh? .............Oh"
...............
Clatter, bang, fall over stair gate
"WHERE DID YOU PUT THE BOTTLE???"
"WHICH BOTTLE?"
"THE BIG ONE"
"IN THE CUPBOARD"
"WHICH CUPBOARD"
"UNDER THE MICROWAVE"
"IT'S NOT THERE"
"HANG ON...COMING"
"OH SORRY, FOUND IT"
Clatter, bang, ominous crash

etc....

I got a Medela Harmony (manual) pump and seemed to get on with it OK. Didn't like the Medela mini-electric at all, though.

If you want to be prepared in case you have problems and need to express early on to keep breastfeeding, get in touch with the NCT and find a Breast Feeding Councillor near you - I think quite a lot of them organise the rental of high grade pumps, or would be able to help you find the contacts. Plus you've touched base if you need good breastfeeding support.

We could never get DD to take a bottle. DH did the odd feed during the day, but night feeds just wouldn't have worked. Apart from anything else he doesn't handle lack of sleep at all well and as I invariably woke up before him anyway...

You'll get "told" lots of things that you "should" do - I think the hardest thing for DH and I as 1st time parents was having the confidence to do what we felt was right, regardless of what we allegedly "ought" to be doing. DD's still alive at 13 months, so I'm guessing instincts work!

Another vote for the Avent Isis manual pump. I wish I hadn't sold mine now as DC3 is due soon. It was really hard to put together the first time but then I was very spaced out at the time from lack of sleep and painkillers but you get used to it very quickly and I found it very effective and comfy to use.

Definitely, defintely, definitely BF at night - it seemed to help me a lot with my supply.

Bottle wise I found the tommee tippee closer to nature ones very good for combining BF and EBM - I used the avent storage jars with the pump then transferred to the tommee tippee bottles as required.

Agree with everyone else about night feeds, found these much easier to do myself. Your partner can do nappy changes if he really wants to help, although I found it easier to do all the night stuff myself and DP would then look after babies in the day between feeds while I slept.

I wouldn't buy a pump yet. Hand expressing is good and free for later if you can get the hang of it!

Don't get a Whittlestone expresser. It's crap and it hurts.

twinklemegan - even the name of the thing sounds uncomfortable

I know. It's supposed to massage the breast to stimulate the let down reflex. It felt like someone sticking red hot needles through my breasts, and in half an hour I got a grand total of 1oz! My dad bought it for me (I chose it) when bf went pear-shaped and the Avent manual pump I had was such hard work and time consuming. I didn't want him to have to shell out £85 quid for the electric Avent pump which came with lots of kit I already had. I wish he had now.