Not exactly a question you'd expect from a guy

[sraun]

kosmickitten is about sixteen weeks along now. She's starting to think about dealing with a baby - they're doing baby registration, and she's pondering breast pumps. She thinks she'll be an occasional user - she's not working, and by the current schedule she'll be done with college. So, what she wants is the capability to leave enough milk with bernesemntdog, a sitter, or a relative, that the baby will do fine and she can go do something away-from-baby for a few hours. So, she's looking input. Electrical vs. manual. Any specific brand/model recommendations or dis-recommendations.

If you really want to write a monologue in comments here, go ahead and I'll forward it to her. If you'd like to have a dialogue with her, leave me contact info and I'll have her get back to you.

Comments

[mamabeast.livejournal.com]

i've sent this on to a friend who did the whole pump thing so hopefully she'll help

[mamabeast.livejournal.com]

NYWren (nywren) replied to a comment you left in a LiveJournal post
(http://nywren.livejournal.com/36640.html). The comment they replied to
was:

> http://sraun.livejournal.com/450630.html#cutid1

> can U help here?

Their reply was:

the best advice is to use an electric. hospital grade is the fastest but
can be uncomfortable until you get the settings right for you. The dual
breast ones are fun and quicker then the singles(also good) and you can
buy them at walmart/target/whereever. Not as quick as hospital but
getting your breats to letdown is easier.

I had a manual and until I learned the trick of the message forcing milk
letdown it was about worthless. Once I did though I kept one with me
because I was on the road so much and never knew if I would have electric
or not. It isn't so much strengh and patience as it is getting your body
to relax enough to work. Not something most people have the patience for.
Took me months of trying before I figured it out.

Make sure to pump as consistantly as possible because you body adjusts to
how much is being taken and frequency. If you baby lets go and you have
extra, I would pump it out so your body knows to keep making that amount
or more. So you are ready with extra when you need it. Just because you
pump it doesn;t mean you have to use it. You can toss it- you will make
more!

OH- IMPORTANT-

Lactation nurses can be very helpful but they can be milk nazi's as well
so take them with a grain or two of salt. Do NOT let them force you into
anything you don't feel up to but do talk to them about concerns. They
know more about it then most. Also talk to other Mom's.

My single biggest obstacle was stress and relaxing enough for my body to
letdown the milk. Find your happy place and relax and you will do fine.

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

Gah! I just typed out everything I know about pumps, and my connection ate it. I'll try again tomorrow...too grumpy and pregnant now.

Or feel free to just have her message me. I'm only about a week further than she, and I've been talking to some hospital lactation consultants about pumps.

[dek9.livejournal.com]

Don't bother with a manual even if it's only occasional. In fact, if it's only occasional, then your best bet is the electric kind that they sell at places like Target, et al (Medela, etc). I don't remember the exact model I had, but with new tubes and collection devices, several moms have used it (you really don't want to reuse someone else's collection stuff, but the nonsense people give you about the pump not being usable by other is, I am told, just that - nonsense).

The manuals aren't really worth it, unless you have a LOT of time on your hands, and strong hands. The electrics they sell "over the counter", as it were, are really meant for occasional use. They aren't for heavy duty pumping.

When I had Aidan, he refused to latch on, and as stubborn as I was, I was determined he was getting breast milk anyhow, so I pumped for 5 months. In a case like that, it's best to rent one of the industrial pumps they have at the hospital for $50/month. But, again, if it's just occasional, the electric ones you can pick up almost anywhere will do.

Hope this helps!

[mbcrui.livejournal.com]

I'm with Dek9, forget about the manual. After the first time you'll be out buying the electric. Might as well just start with them. And unless you're working, the ones from Target should be good enough. If you're working full time, you probably want to go with the bigger ones that work faster. I used to take a 15 minute break twice a day and get enough milk for the whole day. With the smaller electric ones, it'd take a good 1/2 hour to get 8oz of milk.

[ann-totusek.livejournal.com]

I'll answer any questions that she has, but I'd also refer her to the lactation consultants (specialized nurses) who are likely available at whatever hospital she's planning on delivering at, and also would suggest contacting the La Leche League, with the understanding that some of the members thereof can be "milk Nazis."

[buttonlass.livejournal.com]

I used an electric Medela, I think it was Pump n'Style or something like that. It was in a black self contained box with extra storage for parts. It was lovely. It was worth every penny to be able to do both breasts at once. So if she's registering for one it's well worth it. I was mostly a stay at home mom and this worked great. Plus it had a car adapter in case you got caught out.

I have very strong hands and patience and the manual pumps are terrible.

When Nico was new and they kept him for a few days I got to use the hospital pump which was great. But really overkill for in your home occasionally to go out.

If you don't magically get the pump she wants you can always get them used. They sell all the external parts at Target and Babies'r'Us. Unless someone has seriously messed up and let the milk back up a lot, used pumps are fine once you replace the parts, i.e. breast cups, tubing, valves.

And a lactation consultant is really useful if you're new at mommahood. You can avoid many problems getting a little advice right off the bat. I never had anything go terribly wrong as far as mechanics, which I attribute to the nice lady who helped us.:)

I have a fair share of recent experience if there are more questions. We breast fed Nico for most of the first year until I tried to go back to work. Oops.:)

wait...

[(Anonymous)]

My advice is to wait... don't buy one until after the baby is born for two reasons: 1 - your insurance may just cover it minus a small co-pay, and then you can get a nicer pump than you would otherwise. 2 - something may happen that may cause you to switch to formula early and then you wasted the money on the pump (for me, undetected physical problems that prevented me from producing more than 1 oz per day after weeks of trying, even with gobs of herbs and other medical intervention)

You can always rent for a couple weeks - which your insurance will probably also cover.

(ps... just thought I'd comment after I saw your post in Jeff Dunteman's friend's list)