breast pump advice please!

[averagemum]

Hello, my ds is 4.5 months, exclusively bf. I'd like to start expressing milk (have never done it so far!) but am totally confused over which pump to buy. It would only be occasionally, so I don't think I need to shell out on an electric one, but do the manual ones work? Any advice would be fantastic!

avent is the best one and easiest to use, it isnt the cheapest, if you just want cheap there are many own brands but the avent one is the least complicated to put together and works.

Not sure about the manual ones, I'm sure they're not as efficient though as the electric ones... If you want a very basic electric one, the medela mini is great, I used it for ages & it was very good. I also expressed only occasionally until very recently. My boy is now almost 6 months & I tend to express more, so I've bought the medela swing, also fantastic (but more expensive).

thanks for the quick responses ladies! I've looked at the Medela mini and think I might go for that one - did you find it simple to use Maria? Am a bit bewildered by the whole idea of pumping / storing, though I know if I get used to it then it should make life easier!

yes, the medela mini is incredibly easy / simple to use... Generally pumping is not hard, you'll soon get the hang of it. Most often I use up all the EBM I get in the next 24 hrs after expressing, but you can also freeze (am not sure how long you can keep EBM frozen for, someone else may come along to tell you).

Have found the mini easy to use/clean but quite noisy - can anyone recommend a quieter pump?

Avent Isis IQ Uno is very quiet and very effective1

EBM can be kept frozen 3-6 months in a normal freezer or 6/12 months in a deep freeze, depending on which where you get your information!

True, the medela mini is quite noisy... the medela swing (bit more pricey) which I got after I completely wore out the mini is a bit quieter.