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Kunzite

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
1,183
DC - I have a Pump In Style, but if I had it to do over I would get a Freestyle because, like Cat said, it's so much more portable! At the time I couldn't justify the price difference but in hindsight it would have been totally worth it. Someone posted about a website where you can get it much cheaper in the Preggo Stuff thread, but I don't remember the site off the top of my head.

Cat - I do take my shirt off to pump, it's just easier. I have the Pump Ease bra and I love it. It took me awhile to get a system when removing the bra to not make a mess. I take either a cloth wipe or paper towel (whatever is handy) and hold one side in place with the inside of my arm while unhooking the front of the bra, then with that same hand (same side) I put the cloth under the flange as I take it off the other side. After that the other side is easier because the first bottle is sitting on the counter. Haha, I feel like I didn't explain that well at all!

Allie - I'm curious why you have extra tubing.
 

Laila619

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
11,676
dcgator|1308772091|2952217 said:
Hi ladies,

I have breifly read/skimmed through all the previous pages, and it looks like I will have some great references when it come times to pump, but before then, I was wondering if you all could give some advice on the actual breast pumps you use. Everyone seems to talk about the Medela pumps, but no one has mentioned the Ameda or the Avent. Does anyone have either of these? I was originally going to go with the Medela, but I am hearing better things about the Ameda and I am considering the Avent b/c I like the idea of the massager pads and the fact that they are compatible with the Avent bottles.

Any expereinces, stories, etc you knowledgable ladies could share would be appreciated. Thanks!

DCG, if you can do it, I'd HIGHLY recommend renting a hospital grade pump. I rented the Medela Lactina and it's an awesome pump! I've read that hospital grade pumps are the most efficient by far.
 

Lanie

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2008
Messages
1,793
Laila -- I've shouted out to you on other threads, but I don't know if you read them. I don't mean to threadjack, but how are you????? How's sweet Luke?!
 

Laila619

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
11,676
Lanie|1308866524|2953367 said:
Laila -- I've shouted out to you on other threads, but I don't know if you read them. I don't mean to threadjack, but how are you????? How's sweet Luke?!

Hi, Lanie!!! How are you? Like a dedicated PSer, I mainly post on the bling threads these days. :rodent: Luke is doing great, thanks for asking! No crawling yet, but he sits up, eats solids like a pro (we waited until 6 months) and is babbling all the time. I just recently saw a pic of Anderson...I LOVE his little chub thighs and adorable grin! I could eat him up!!! :love: Is A crawling already?

Now that we've got Luke sleeping so well (he goes down without a fuss, STTN, and naps well but we had to sleep train to get to this point), DH and I are thinking about TTC # 2 already! Am I crazy?! :wacko: :bigsmile:
 

Mara

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
31,003
DCG.. .(Thanks to LV for suggesting I check in here!)... I had the Ameda Purely Yours. I used it until 6mo and EP'd from months 4-6.

When we were visiting the Lactation Lounge in our first few days, our LC who worked with us had a husband who worked for the parent company of Medela and she said that Ameda and Medela were owned by the same parent company and they were essentially the same guts of the product, just rebranded/repackaged. But obviously Ameda is much cheaper. She compared the PY to the Symphony (I think..whatever Medela's most popular pump is (not hands free)).

Also our hospital pump was Ameda. So we could use my flanges/tubes etc if I got an Ameda. It was $100 on Diapers.Com (After 10% and a sale I think) so it was totally worth it. I ended up having weird shaped boobs or something because I Tried all the diff shape/size flanges and nothing seemed perfect, but it was doable. Anyway I"d totally recommend the Ameda PY if you didn't want to spend the $250 for the Medela. I was never a super producer or anything but the pump was good and strong and it was not too loud though it did have a semi irritating beep every few seconds, I did get used to that after a few days though! Hope this helps.

ETA... I just handed off my pump to someone else and because it's a closed system, this gal just needs to buy new flanges, tubes etc and it's totally sanitary to use, Medela is not a closed system.
 

AllieLuv83

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
1,453
CatLuver|1308858438|2953170 said:
Hi ladies, I posted this awhile back on the Mommy thread, but wanted some other input - when you pump at work, do you take off all your clothes and put the pumping bra on top of your nursing bra, then take it off and put all your clothes back on? (eek, such a huge PITA, but oh well!) I need to do both boobs at the same time so I need to be hands free and my pump doesn't do that by itself. And I do'nt want to rumple my clothes or get milk on them.

Also - does it depend on the pumping bra? I have the Made By Moms pumping band which is velcro and sticks to itself every time I take it off, and every time I take the flanges out of the holes, milk gets everywhere. Is the Simple Wishes one easier to use?

Thanks again!!


Oh I have oil stains from milk all over my pants and shirts. I just hike my shirt up or down depending on what I have. For some reason a few drops always manage to ruin every pair of pants!!!
 

AllieLuv83

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
1,453
I have extra tubing because I felt like after a while I started to get an air leak towards where the tube connected to the pump. I tried to trim it down and eventually it got so short that I got a second set of tubes.
 

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
3,160
AllieLuv83|1308872955|2953491 said:
I have extra tubing because I felt like after a while I started to get an air leak towards where the tube connected to the pump. I tried to trim it down and eventually it got so short that I got a second set of tubes.

I have visions of you sitting like 6 inches from your pump because your tubing is so short! :lol:

re: pumping and what I wear. We're business casual so my shirts aren't usually button down so I just pull up my shirt and unhook my bra. I try to wear bras that hook in the front. I put a burp cloth on each thigh so when I remove the pump from the pumping bra it doesn't drip on me. Another woman started pumping at work recently and I noticed after a few weeks that the room smelled. i couldn't figure out what it was until I put my nose close to the chair. Yuck - it smelled like milk that sat out for weeks! There is a vinyl covered chair in the room so now I use that and wipe it off before I sit down.
 

AllieLuv83

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
1,453
You know it might not have been that bad but pretty close to it, maybe like 10 inches. I need to try to do burp cloths on the thighs. I am so tired of every pair of pants getting ruined!

Eww on the smelly chair!

At my school we had an ant problem. One day I put my pump into my classroom closet at around 12:30. I brought it home and realized that my entire bag with my dirty pump parts was INFESTED with ants. I am taking 200-300 ants in a gallon ziplock bag easily. I was sooooo nasty. My creepy custodian said to me "well you know they like that sweet sweet milk" weirdo!
 

Lanie

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2008
Messages
1,793
Laila--yay! I'm glad Luke is trucking along! We are not crawling yet. But he lurches forward so I know he wants to move! And, yes, you are crazy for wanting to TTC again! :cheeky:

Allie--oh my stars, that's so disgusting. Even more disgusting that your creepy janitor commented. I would have been mortified.
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
LV, TIFFANY and other pumpers, how are you doing?? I cut down to 6 pumps a day. 10 pumps was making me nuts. I was going to give up but thought half bm is better than none. Hope everyone is well.

Allie, oh no to the ants! ugh to the janitor, weirdo!
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
Hi Skippy,

I'm still here! Pumping away! I tried to go down to 4 pumps, from my regular 5-6 pumps per day, with the hope that I'd still produce the same amount, but it was lower, and I also felt oddly stressed that I wasn't pumping . . . like I kept feeling like I had forgotten to do something. So, now I am back to 5-6 pumps per day, and I generally pump around the same amount regardless, so I don't stress on the 5 pump days. I've never been very consistent about when I pump. If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night (which she usually does), then I'll pump at 1 or 3 or whenever. If she STTN, like she did last night, then I pump when I first get up.

Ten pumps per day is CRAZY, especially since you must be going to the hospital every day! When I was pumping 8X/day, it was so super hard on me, and I never even left the house!! Seriously. Unless I brought her to the pediatrician or we went to the LCs. It is much easier now, very routine. I think you made a good choice to cut back on pumps. You have to take care of yourself too!

Are you still seeing a LC?

Take care,
LV
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
Loves Vintage|1309375161|2958222 said:
Hi Skippy,

I'm still here! Pumping away! I tried to go down to 4 pumps, from my regular 5-6 pumps per day, with the hope that I'd still produce the same amount, but it was lower, and I also felt oddly stressed that I wasn't pumping . . . like I kept feeling like I had forgotten to do something. So, now I am back to 5-6 pumps per day, and I generally pump around the same amount regardless, so I don't stress on the 5 pump days. I've never been very consistent about when I pump. If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night (which she usually does), then I'll pump at 1 or 3 or whenever. If she STTN, like she did last night, then I pump when I first get up.

Ten pumps per day is CRAZY, especially since you must be going to the hospital every day! When I was pumping 8X/day, it was so super hard on me, and I never even left the house!! Seriously. Unless I brought her to the pediatrician or we went to the LCs. It is much easier now, very routine. I think you made a good choice to cut back on pumps. You have to take care of yourself too!

Are you still seeing a LC?

Take care,
LV

Are you bfing too? I tired bfing; I even tried again today but my son isn't the best bf'er; he wants a bottle after 30 mins of being on the boob. I think he got use to bottles in the NICU. I think when both babies are home I will try. If not, I know it will be crazy with both of them so I just might switch to full formula. I feel bad saying that but if they won't bf and I have received help from the LC's then I did what I could. I am hoping my second son comes home soon!

thanks!!! I am glad your pumping is getting easier!!! hugs to you momma and your beautiful daughter!
 

Kunzite

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
1,183
Skippy - Hi mama :wavey: I'm sure you'll be just fine at 6. My supply didn't take a hit until I went down to 3/day.


AFM
- My supply had a big dip again this month about a week before AF arrived. I had to start using some freezer stash which was an odd feeling. I'm pumping around 21 ounces a day and O will normally eat around 22. So I'm still pretty close to what he's eating. I tried taking More Milk Plus but it didn't do anything for me. I guess I can't expect an easy fix! I've decided that if I get under 20 ounces a day that I'll try pumping 4 or 5 times a day again for about a week to see if I can increase at all. If I can then I'll keep pumping more and if it stays the same then I'd probably go back to 3 times a day and just keep making what my body will give me until it decides that it's done. Mean AF! ;(
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
Skippy123|1309398167|2958587 said:
Loves Vintage|1309375161|2958222 said:
Hi Skippy,

I'm still here! Pumping away! I tried to go down to 4 pumps, from my regular 5-6 pumps per day, with the hope that I'd still produce the same amount, but it was lower, and I also felt oddly stressed that I wasn't pumping . . . like I kept feeling like I had forgotten to do something. So, now I am back to 5-6 pumps per day, and I generally pump around the same amount regardless, so I don't stress on the 5 pump days. I've never been very consistent about when I pump. If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night (which she usually does), then I'll pump at 1 or 3 or whenever. If she STTN, like she did last night, then I pump when I first get up.

Ten pumps per day is CRAZY, especially since you must be going to the hospital every day! When I was pumping 8X/day, it was so super hard on me, and I never even left the house!! Seriously. Unless I brought her to the pediatrician or we went to the LCs. It is much easier now, very routine. I think you made a good choice to cut back on pumps. You have to take care of yourself too!

Are you still seeing a LC?

Take care,
LV

Are you bfing too? I tired bfing; I even tried again today but my son isn't the best bf'er; he wants a bottle after 30 mins of being on the boob. I think he got use to bottles in the NICU. I think when both babies are home I will try. If not, I know it will be crazy with both of them so I just might switch to full formula. I feel bad saying that but if they won't bf and I have received help from the LC's then I did what I could. I am hoping my second son comes home soon!

thanks!!! I am glad your pumping is getting easier!!! hugs to you momma and your beautiful daughter!

Hi Skippy,

No we are not bf'g at all. I went to a LC for 3+ mos. It was crazy, and I regret that I went that long. I have never been so relaxed as when I made the decision to stop going there and to EP. We also supplement with formula, and I have been since very early on. I felt really guilty about that, but I am very proud/happy to say that I no longer do. Don't feel bad about switching to formula, if that's what you decide to do. You have to make the best decision for you and your family.

****************
Question to all: How long does it take you to pump? It usually takes me about 30 minutes, maybe a little more. Is that long or normal?
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
Loves Vintage|1309787481|2961460 said:

Are you bfing too? I tired bfing; I even tried again today but my son isn't the best bf'er; he wants a bottle after 30 mins of being on the boob. I think he got use to bottles in the NICU. I think when both babies are home I will try. If not, I know it will be crazy with both of them so I just might switch to full formula. I feel bad saying that but if they won't bf and I have received help from the LC's then I did what I could. I am hoping my second son comes home soon!

thanks!!! I am glad your pumping is getting easier!!! hugs to you momma and your beautiful daughter![/quote]

Hi Skippy,

No we are not bf'g at all. I went to a LC for 3+ mos. It was crazy, and I regret that I went that long. I have never been so relaxed as when I made the decision to stop going there and to EP. We also supplement with formula, and I have been since very early on. I felt really guilty about that, but I am very proud/happy to say that I no longer do. Don't feel bad about switching to formula, if that's what you decide to do. You have to make the best decision for you and your family.

****************
Question to all: How long does it take you to pump? It usually takes me about 30 minutes, maybe a little more. Is that long or normal?[/quote]


I use to pump about 20 mins. I then did 15 mins. I think each person is different but do you get flow for the whole 30 mins? thank you for your supportive words. I think this is the last week of pumping for me.
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
Skippy123|1309912653|2962345 said:
Loves Vintage|1309787481|2961460 said:

Are you bfing too? I tired bfing; I even tried again today but my son isn't the best bf'er; he wants a bottle after 30 mins of being on the boob. I think he got use to bottles in the NICU. I think when both babies are home I will try. If not, I know it will be crazy with both of them so I just might switch to full formula. I feel bad saying that but if they won't bf and I have received help from the LC's then I did what I could. I am hoping my second son comes home soon!

thanks!!! I am glad your pumping is getting easier!!! hugs to you momma and your beautiful daughter!

Hi Skippy,

No we are not bf'g at all. I went to a LC for 3+ mos. It was crazy, and I regret that I went that long. I have never been so relaxed as when I made the decision to stop going there and to EP. We also supplement with formula, and I have been since very early on. I felt really guilty about that, but I am very proud/happy to say that I no longer do. Don't feel bad about switching to formula, if that's what you decide to do. You have to make the best decision for you and your family.

****************
Question to all: How long does it take you to pump? It usually takes me about 30 minutes, maybe a little more. Is that long or normal?[/quote]


I use to pump about 20 mins. I then did 15 mins. I think each person is different but do you get flow for the whole 30 mins? thank you for your supportive words. I think this is the last week of pumping for me.[/quote]

Well, with the initial let-down, I do have what I think you're referring to as flow. After that things slow down, so I do hand compressions for a few seconds on one side, then the other, which will then speed things up again, then it's slower again after a few minutes. Sometimes I will do the hand compressions a few times, until I am getting just drops really, but I still keep pumping until completely empty. I don't know if I am supposed to do it this way, but I had learned that you have to completely empty the breast, which is why I continue to pump for so long. Perhaps I shouldn't??? I average 20 oz a day, so that's why I've always been afraid of not pumping completely because supply might drop further.
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
hmmm, I don't know. I use to go for a long time but then I noticed when I just got super slow drops I would stop or it would take forever to get it to completely stop. Hopefully someone else will chime in? sorry I wish I knew the answer.
 

Logan Sapphire

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 5, 2003
Messages
2,405
I pumped for 30 mins and got at least 2 letdowns. I did have milk coming out the whole time until the very last mins of the pump session.
 

drk

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
1,102
How long I pumped depended on how long it had been since the last time I'd pumped. I also had a slow let-down, and righty was super super slow. Lefty always emptied first, and righty wouldn't empty without lots of breast compressions while pumping. When I was pumping every 2 hours, I'd pump at least 20min. If I'd gone 3-4h, I'd pump about 30min. And once I cut back to pumping 4-5 times a day, I'd pump for about 40min a session. I would still have milk flowing at the end.
 

dcgator

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
1,115
I just wanted to thank those of you who gave your recommendations for breast pumps. I think I have decided to go with the Medela, but hold off on buying it until I come home from the hospital. The hospital does have the Medela hospital grade to rent, so I intend to start with that one, and we'll see where it goes from there.

Good luck to the rest of you ladies, and I look forward to joining the conversation in a few weeks!
 

tiffanytwisted

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
792
I pump until there is no more milk flowing, which is usuallly about 20 minutes, sometimes a little longer.

Skippy- you mentioned that this would be your last week pumping, and I just wanted to say that I know that was a difficult decision for you and commend you on doing it for this long! I know how difficult it is with two, and I'm sure it's even crazier for you with one at home and one in the hospital. I think the only thing that has kept me going this long is the fact that my boys eventually figured out the latch, if they didn't like to nurse I probably would have gone full formula long ago. Anyway hugs to you!!
 

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
3,160
My first pump of the day takes almost 30 minutes but yields the most. My other pump sessions usually only take 15-20 minutes. Of course it feels like an eternity by the time I set up, pump and clean up!
 

Logan Sapphire

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 5, 2003
Messages
2,405
puppmom|1309966608|2962800 said:
My first pump of the day takes almost 30 minutes but yields the most. My other pump sessions usually only take 15-20 minutes. Of course it feels like an eternity by the time I set up, pump and clean up!

True, but pumping is such a good excuse to hand off chores to your husband! I used to do it quite a bit. DH would remember the early days where I had to pump on schedule or else my boobs would explode and think that the later days of pumping were just the same. He'd get very concerned that I needed to pump and would do chores thinking I had to pump right then and there. I usually didn't correct him either :naughty:

Oh, what's that? The baby's diaper needs to be changed and the toddler needs to sit on the potty? Wow, that's a tough one- let me hook up to the pump and I can cheer you on for moral support :bigsmile:
 

drk

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
1,102
:) LS. DH used to refer to my pumping time as my "me time" after I told him I'd seen posts from women on the BC EP thread saying that about their time hooked up to the pump. The time to read, watch TV, or surf the internet was the only good thing about pumping (apart from the benefits to K). I have no idea now how the heck I managed to pump so often for so long. I was insane!
 

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
3,160
It's a great excuse for a break at work too. I go into a quiet room with just a rocking chair and table and pump. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I play games on my cell phone. This week, I'm doing the PT exercise for my broken pinky!

DRK, didn't you have to pump WHILE you worked? Now that's dedication!
 

drk

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
1,102
Yep, I pumped while I worked. Stuffed my Med.ela Free.style up my scrubs top to dangle off my bra, and then let it run, whether I was in the operating room, or the endoscopy suite, or a dental clinic. I'd just wait till the patient was asleep before turning it on, though I sometimes had to finish pumping while taking the patient to recovery room. It was not much fun, nor relaxing.
 

Kunzite

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
1,183
LV - I try to pump close to 120 minutes a day. They say that's the gold standard for EPing. When I pumped 4xday it was easy to get to 30 minutes each time but I don't normally make it to 40 minutes now. That could be another reason my supply went down. I'm not sure how they came up with 120 minutes, though it seemed to work well for me.

megumic - That article was depressing! I'm glad I don't deal with anything like that. My pump bag is on my desk all day! I think everyone in the office knows what it is too because I pump on a different floor than I work so I get a lot of questions like, "why are you visiting our floor?" All innocent of course. Luckily most people assuming I'm going up to visit my DH because he works up there.
 

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
3,160
Ladies, DS turned 1 a little over a week ago. I still nurse him 3-4 times per day on weekdays but have cut down to pumping once per day. I did this mostly because I was pumping a ridiculous amount of milk and we were lucky if DS would take 6 oz while I was at work. So, I cut down to 2 pumps per day first and my output when from 24-30oz to 12-15oz. Then to 1 pump and I get about 5-8oz. Anyway, I told myself once N turned 1, I would stop pumping. I have a freezer full of BM to help transition him to cow's milk during the day and I can't imagine I would have any ill effects from eliminating my one pumping session (other than the obvious decrease in supply). I just can't bring myself to stop. I keep bringing the pump to work *just in case* but I panic and pump every day.

Any advice? How did you stop? Were you hesistant at all? I posted a while back about extended BFing while working and it seems like lots of women were able to keep on with nursing a few times a day once they stopped pumping. I just don't know what my hang up is!
 
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