Manual Breast pump vs Electric

[Tango500]

Hi there,
I'm an expectant mum and just looking at breast pumps. I'd like to be able to breast feed all being well but I'd like some advice from mums who know.. what do you find better and more comfortable? Electronic or manual? Thank you 😊

Hi. Congrats on baby.
Absolutely 100% electric. Manual would take FOREVER

I had a very expensive top rated electric pump (Medela something or other) and a manual pump. I ended up giving up on the electric one because it would never get anything out. The manual was far superior for me. Everyone is different though and some people will get on great with a certain brand and some people won't get anything from it.

My favourite was my manual Medela, I found the electric one useless and I also had a Tommy Tippee manual one which I bought when I forgot my Medela one day at work and that was fine but not very comfortable and made my hand hurt.

Lots of people swear by their electric pumps so I imagine I'm in the minority in not getting along with it.

Electric all the way. Manual is slow, hard work on your hands and very tedious.

I had issues of oversupply. Depending on what was happening, I favoured different pumps. Sometimes my supply caused backlog and broke my electric 🙈 In such instances, using a manual and hand expressing was far better for me.

When I had mild mastitis, the electric was a lifesaver however.

Electric, but don't buy anything until your baby arrives. You can get these things within a couple of days from Amazon, John Lewis or plenty of other places and you have no idea whether you will need one or not yet.
I'd also practice hand expression. It can be really helpful to relieve pressure quickly if you need to.

I’ve found the Medela Harmony (manual) best for me so far. Baby is 6 weeks and am only just able to express enough for 2 feeds for hubby to do while I get 5h sleep. With all pumps the bit that the nipple sits in makes a difference to how much you can pump. Don’t spend out on an electric one without trying a manual one first as you might not be able to express much at all. Have a look at Kellymom website. It’s very informative on all things Breastfeeding!

Oh amazing! Ok great, thanks for all your help 🤗

Had a manual with my first. Could barely get anything out. Got an electric with my second and it was better. I did rent one through my health visitor first though. Maybe that's an option to test an electric one?

I got an elvie and love it but do agree with not buying one until you know that you are definitely breastfeeding.

I had both, manual i could keep in my bag and use in bed in the night (DC2 was in nicu) and the electric for in the day. I used tommee tippee ones. Manual did take a lot longer and hurts your hand after a while

I have the medela. It is electric as it plugs in to the mains. Can also run it from batteries so you can get around.