Which breast pump would you recommend to new mums?

[TinaMumsnet]

We're making plans to test and review new breast pumps and we'd love to know which ones you'd recommend.

Choosing the right breast pump is a very personal decision. But there are so many options to choose from it can be hard to know which one might work for you.

If you've used a great breast pump in the last two years, we want to hear about it! Tell us which one you loved and why you loved it. Your comments will help us to create a shortlist of breast pumps to test and recommend to new parents.

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UPDATE

Hi all,

Thanks for your recommendations. After three months of testing we've found the Ardo Calypso Double Plus to be the best value breast pump for most families.

See our round up of the top 10 best breast pumps for more great recommendations.

Hope that helps!

Tommy Tippee electric one. Cost me about twenty pounds, can get 100ml from each side in ten minutes.

Medela, everytime..
Worked amazingly for me on my first time breastfeeding 🍼

memory is that not due to your supply more than the pump??
I seem to have a poor supply, have tried many different pumps and have never gotten that much!

I've got a MAM electric 2 in 1 which is brilliant and much less dramatic than the hospital one I used originally. I like the fact that it has a battery so I can take it around with me if I need it. It means I can pump while playing with DD on the floor and I'm not stuck next to a wall plug.

I prefer the electric to the hand pump but it does do both if the battery runs out which is handy.

The Hakaa! Pop it on one side while you feed baby on the other. Faff free and super easy to clean etc. I recommend it to all my new mum friends.

I found my Medela harmony manual pump got me far more than any electric pump - only cost about £20 too!

Medela swing!

Medela swing is brilliant. In the early days tho when dd was struggling to feed and I had to express a lot I hired a hospital double pump and it was amazing! Would definitely recommend for anyone in the same boat

Ardo pumps are great! I had a very low milk supply and this managed to get a decent amount reasonably quickly. I hired it so there wasn't too much expense in case I didn't like it. The company were easy to talk to and helped me choose the appropriate pump. I had been given a Tommy tippee one but didn't get on with it - 45mins on each breast and barely 30mls to show for it. Your choice of pump is very dependent on your flow and your needs. So I'd suggest hiring before purchasing if possible as there are so many pumps to choose from.

Ardo Calypso Double! Super quiet and so efficient. I used to get 10oz off in half an hour.

Knocks spots off the Tommee Tippee electric one which was hugely noisy and pretty rubbish in comparison.

I'd recommed a closed system pump like the Ardo Calypso - unlike the Medela swing, milk can't get up into the pump so you can't sterilise it completely. I'd happily buy a second hand second hand pump but never an open one. Calypso was also great for having discretely variable pressure and frequency settings which were really good - I used different settings to trigger the inital letdown and then for main pumping.

Currently using the Ameda Lactaline personal and have been for 10 months.

I used the medela hospital grade at first (whilst in hospital for 3 weeks) and for a further 3 weeks at home.

I bought the lactaline due to the fact I needed a double electrical pump and couldn't afford to by the hospital grade medela.

I can say in comparison, the Lactaline has been just as good, if not better than the Medela. I have been happy with the pump and never had any issues.

Hakka. Easy to use, can completely sterilise it, don't feel like you're being milked like a cow and takes very little effort.

The Avent manual operated one.

Made me feel a little less like a cow on a diary farm and i thought it was superior to electric ones when you got used to it and managed to get a good, steady pump going.

Ps it’s easy to deconstruct and sterilise

I’d go with renting the Medela Symphony Plus until supply is established then buy the Ardo Calypso. Had fantastic results from both these models.

Medela swing absolutely. And the bra designed to hold the pump in place so new mum can have hands free for eating biscuits!

At the moment I use either a medela symphony (hospital grade) or a spectra s1.

Both can be used for single or double pumping. Both are very quiet. Both are closed systems so suitable for multiple users with their own pump kit (therefore can be sold on). They both have an adjustable stimulation phase and adjustable pump speed.

Spectra pros:
The spectra also has a night light, a digital timer display and a decent rechargable battery so no need to plug in while pumping. It costs about £150 on Amazon, can be used with medela parts once you buy an adapter (approx £5 on Amazon) and the breast shield sizes start at about 15mm.

Cons:
The back flow valve sometimes comes loose so you need to just check its pushed in properly before you start or you won't get proper suction. A very minor inconvenience.

Medela pros:
Parts are widely available.
I find it slightly more comfortable to use.

Cons:
Its expensive- €100/ month to rent in my local area, excluding parts
Smallest flange size is 21mm
It needs to be plugged in.

For financial reasons i'd choose the spectra over the symphony. I bought mine second hand for €50 and will probably sell on for the same.

Mendela every time!

Ardo Calypso, very good pump. Plenty available on selling sites if you don't want to pay full price.

Medela symphony on hire (£45 per month) or medela swing

Medela swing. Used it for all 3 of my DC and just replaced the parts each time

Any of the medela range.

I loved my Phillips advent electric pump.

Although I did use a medela in hospital and thought it was rather good too.

The size of the breast shield makes a huge difference to how successful pumping is. afaik Medela are the only company who sell sized breast shields. I couldn't get more than a few drops after 15minutes with the wrong sized breast shield but get two ounces in five minutes with the correct size.