Pumps?

Question

Is the manual brest pump harder to use than the automatic? Dose one hurt more than the other? And what brand is better?

Answer

Electric is best, IMO. I love Medela. I got the pump in style double electric pump by Medela free from my insurance company.

Answer

I have a Medela manual in case I leave something at home that I need for my lump. It works great but my hand gets tired

Answer

I don't know much about brands. I got the avent manual as well as the electric. The electric is easies to use. Neither hurt and they worked well. If you plan on pumping a lot definitely get an electric one. A manual one is nice if you are on a day trip or camping or something.

Answer

If you're buying a breast pump out of pocket, rather than getting it through your insurance, you might consider waiting to buy the automatic one (expensive) until you know if you will produce milk or enough milk. Put the money aside for it, but you don't want to buy one, and end up with a 300$ machine you won't need in the case you aren't lactating. The manual pump will be hard and tiring if your pumping a lot or exclusively pumping. But it's all about your motivation! Lol. The spectra brand is good, so I've heard. Good luck!

Answer

Because everyone is different, some respond better to a manual pump or hand expression than an electric pump and vice versa. With either or though, as long as you have the correct flange size (which is not always the size that comes with the pump), pumping should not hurt.

With that being said, your insurance will more than likely cover a pump for you. Depending on your insurance, they may give you a few options.

The most popular one is the Medela because they are widely used and so well known and most stores sells replacement parts. However, I highly highly suggest doing some research and looking up reviews before choosing if you have that option.

The one I highly recommend are Spectra S1 and S2. They are hospital grade pumps but are sold for the fraction of the cost of Medelas (my insurance doesn't cover them, so I bought mine on Amazon for $121). The S1 and S2 are the same exact pump, the only difference between the two is that the S1 has a recharable battery- a car adapter can be bought for both separtely though. They are recently new to market in the US (they came to the US in 2013), but they've been slowly working their way up and winning over the hearts of Medela users.

The reason being is, most pumps, especially the Medela from what others have said and told me, tug at you when pumping. It can be painful and annoying and just not that effective at emptying you completely. The Spectra pumps are the only pumps on the market that mimic the sucking of a nursing baby, are much more comfortable, and according to many, take less time to get more milk out. They're a closed system (no milk can get into the tubes, meaning less chance of bacteria growth, in turn more hygenic), it has a built in night light in the handle with two settings for night time nursing and also has a 30 minute timer in case you fall asleep.

Pumps?

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