Preparing for baby: what was YOUR preference for breast pumps?!

[Siestamama]

First time mum here 😊 I’m currently 29 weeks +6 and looking into breast pumps. There is so much conflicting information about this! Instead of trusting manufacturers on the internet I want to know what real mums actually use.. All the websites I’ve been on keep saying manual pumps are great, less painful and just as effective as electric! But then I spoke to my friend who said manual ones were really painful, uncomfortable and only delivered a small amount of milk (10ml) whereas an electric pump delivered much more (150ml)? I’ve also seen recommendations to start pumping before birth and/or also collect colostrum? I live in a Spanish speaking country so I’m not getting much info or help on this issue and hiring a lactation expert is not within my budget. Also I’ve never breastfed before, my boobs are not that big (originally A cup, now about a large B?) Help!

The Medela Maxi Swing was absolutely invaluable for me!
Also it’s not recommended to pump before birth but you can hand express colostrum from about 37 weeks I believe :)

What do you want it for?

I have a Hakka (very small suction pump) just to take off some excess when I’m uncomfortable. I’ve never felt the need to give a bottle (DD1 fed to 2.5, DD2 is 7 months and still feeding).

If you want to give some bottles, the answer will be different. And if you want to pump while you’re (for instance) working the answer might be different again.

However as a general rule with baby stuff, unless you really need to buy in advance I’d consider waiting to find out exactly what you (and baby) need. That’s going to be diffeeent for everyone.

I’m not sure if hand expressing colostrum is mainly a UK thing as my friend who lives in America had zero idea what I was going on about when I told about it 🙈

I’m going to be following this thread as I’d also like to know real life recommendations for pumps.

I had a manual one which I found really effective. Also a cheap electric pump which did me fine! Depends how much pumping you'll actually be doing. I waited until I had baby and breastfeeding was working for us until I invested

To be honest hand expesing before birth is often only needed if there maybe a issue with baby. Ie could end upnin special care, most mums don't really need to worry about it. I mean you can and freezer it, don't expect to get more then a few ml, syringes are best for this.

Pumps well it can be down to personal preference but I could never pump much and found hand expressing easier. Depends on why you want to express.

Due to not being able to express much mine never had a bottle.

You probably won't need a pump-and in the early days the best way to stimulate supply is to feed!

A haakaa is essential imo, not just so handy for collecting a let down but also great for if you want to soak a nipple for a clog easily.

I also went for a Medela swing and a Medela hand pump and they worked wonderfully for me

Also to add, it's not about size of your boob, but size of your nipple and getting the correcting flange to fit for your breast pump.

Pumping is not recommended before birth as it can sometimes bring on labour, but hand expressing with small syringes is fine to harvest colostrum

Hope this helps xx

Ha, I've tried all options:

Harvested colostrum once I knew I was having a section, and it was invaluable for the early days, because DC struggled to latch. I was really surprised that for the three days I was in, I was the only person who'd done it.

Electric pump - I had a Ardo Calypso Double because it was the home version of the one I ended up using in hospital. It was very effective, quiet and easy to clean. Would happily recommend it, but of course I haven't tried any others.

I had a Tommee Tippee manual pump to take away with me when DS was ~9 weeks. It was fucking useless. The best things was that it came with a travel size microwave steriliser which we used for years.

Friends recommend a Hakkaa so when DC2 arrived I got one to try it. I didn't really get on with it, but I think they're worth a try, because if you have a good supply you can easily collect milk whilst feeding from the other boob.

Hand expressing colostrum from 37 weeks is brilliant , hand expressing is much easier than using any sort of pump for this bit .
You never know how birth will go - I ended up being put to sleep so was unable to feed for the first few hours but by having colostrum on stand by it ment he could be fed the good stuff straight away .
I've found manual pumps uncomfortable , I've always used Mandela for my electric pump and would recommend but to be honest I wouldn't buy one until you actually need it .

Spectra one a hospital grade pump if your thinking about exclusive pumping

I found the haakaa was amazing and great to start off with but took quite a while so I invested in Elvie single pump which was comfortable and fairly quick, I would recommend having both.
Agree with above, manual Tommee Tippee was rubbish, and painful.

Do not think about this before your supply has fully kicked in, and you’ve established bf well
otherwise you’re putting more pressure on yourself
do NOT underestimate how difficult breastfeeding can be for many women . Every woman ad every baby is different and you need to focus on getting a good latch - and that isn’t easy if you’re tired, hormonal, emotional etc. it’s a skill and one BOTH you and baby have to learn over many days

you can pick pump up in a day if and when you find out you enjoy breastfeeding and have the need to pump

But equally, if yoy have a baby like mine who takes 40 mins each feed you’ll be too busy to then sit about while you pump yet more of your life away when you could just sleep

Thankyou everyone, helpful replies! I’m going to try hand expressing colostrum in the last few weeks, just not sure what I will store it in 🤨 I’ve gone for a Medella hand pump as I think about 3 months in we may need to leave the baby with my husband’s mum (also I wanted to take advantage of the Black Friday sales 😂) and it appears to have overwhelmingly good reviews. It also comes with some useful accessories I’d use even if not breastfeeding! But yes I can definitely see how much of this remains unknown until baby is actually here 👍

I’m going to try hand expressing colostrum in the last few weeks, just not sure what I will store it in

You'll need sterile syringes or sterile containers, I'm in Ireland and you can just ask the midwives for a colostrum collecting pack so it's probably the same there, otherwise you can buy them on Amazon. I keep the syringes in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

How much colostrum you get can vary greatly, some people say they only get around 0.2ml each time. I normally get around 5-7ml a session, I do it once a day while watching a TV show in the evening. I think I'm gonna give up on it because I have more than I can imagine using already. The main thing to remember is it doesn't matter whether you get 0.1ml or 10ml, it isn't a reflection on how much milk you'll have after the baby comes.

I didn't collect colostrum during my first pregnancy and my son went to neonatal straight after the birth while I was still bed bound for hours after the epidural. He had to go straight on formula until I could express enough colostrum on the ward for him, which was fine but I'm prepared with the extra good stuff this time if we need it.

Pump wise, I just used a Hakka. I liked just being able to pop it on the other side while feeding, it was very effortless and it gave me enough milk for a bottle a day which was far more than I actually needed.

Elvie all the way. Medela distorts your nips. Elvie is discreet and works a treat but note that it only comes with two nipple sizes, you can buy a smaller one online if you need to.

I also agree with above that the Hakka is a great for a cheap one too.

Hi @Siestamama thanks for posting! If you're still looking for authentic breast pump recommendations, you might find our guide to Mumsnetters' best breast pumps helpful. If you have any feedback on the article, do get in touch 💐

I had no luck at all with a manual pump - if in an emergency would be better hand expressing. I exclusively pumped for 6 months and went for a combo of Medela hospital grade hired (which was bulky and expensive), Medela swing maxi (somewhat hands free, could move around the house a bit with it, seemed to get as good and consistent output as the hospital grade one and much more practical and comfortable) and the Elvie (insanely expensive, tempremental but life changing as I could express on public transport, at my desk at work and just out and about. If you're not going to have to express out the house though I wouldn't get it - it's good for walking, transport and sitting but if you try to do housework with it and do e.g. bending over it doesn't work). I don't think many people start pumping before birth but hand expressing colostrum into syringes is a thing.