breast pump recs

so through insurance I can get either

Ameda or Hygeia brands. . any advice between the two. I can actually also get a Medela but I didn't love my last one and don't love that they aren't WHO compliant. .

Thanks

Re: breast pump recs

Re: breast pump recs

Re: breast pump recs

breast pump recs

I had a friend who got an Ameda bc she read a closed system was better. The pump was awful and almost had to give up EBF after returning to work. She got a Medela pump and pumped a TON more.

Re: breast pump recs

I remember reading on here that a few people loved the Hygeia pump.

Re: breast pump recs

My insurance covered the Ameda Purely Yours and I used it for five weeks and was very disappointed with it. Luckily at around the time where I was getting really upset with it my office sent me a $250 gift card to Buy Buy Baby and I used it to buy the Medela Pump in Style Advanced and I am sooooooo much happier with it. I was nervous to spend all that money on another pump after I already had the Ameda but it was SO WORTH IT.

I've heard a lot of people say they thought the Ameda would be better because it's a closed system (so milk/condensation cannot get into the tubing) and because it has separate controls for the speed and suction. I also heard someone say they thought it had fewer parts. I have personally found that none of these things make the Ameda better and here's why:

1. Yes, the Medela is not a closed system but if you use the pump correctly I don't see how milk could possibly build up in the tubing. Yes, I've seen condensation (a very small amount) in the end towards the flanges but all you have to do is run the pump for a minute after you disconnect the flanges and bottles and the condensation clears right out.

2. For me, the Ameda had MORE parts and the flanges were awkward sizes. On both breasts I was definitely somewhere in between their 25 and 28.5 flanges. To use the 28.5 flange, you basically have to use their 30.5 flange and then put a 28.5 inch insert inside of it. Also, on one of my breasts, depending on how full it was, the 28.5 flange was sometimes too big and the 25 flange was sometimes to small! So I had to carry the 25 flange, the 30.5 flange and the 28.5 insert for that breast. It was SO ANNOYING. Medela's 27 flange is much better for me on both breasts.

3. The little white membrane on the Ameda is so fragile and I tore several of them. When they are torn, the pump doesn't work and you have to replace.

4. Yes, the Ameda has separate controls for speed and suction but I could never figure out the right combo for me. The Medela doesn't require you to figure out the right combo - it only has one knob that controls both and it works great. The combined setting is very effective, much more than I was at guessing which combo was right with the Ameda. The Medela also has a special "letdown" mode which the Ameda does not have. The Ameda left me trying to figure out how to set the pump to cause letdown, which was a lot of time/effort/stress, especially in the early days.

5. I would pump at the highest suction on the Ameda and I still wouldn't get nearly as much milk as I do with the Medela, which I have never turned up to the highest setting! I get more milk with the Medela and I pump for less time per session.

Long story longer, I wouldn't recommend the Ameda at all.

Message edited 5/12/2013 10:02:09 PM.

Re: breast pump recs

thanks everyone for your advice. . def some stuff to mull over!!

breast pump recs

I wouldn't touch anything but medela

Re: breast pump recs

I have an ameda and medela. Until i had a very good flow, I wasnt able to get much use out of the ameda, or the medela. i used the medela for pumping with my DS bc he wouldnt BF and didnt last very long, my supply dwindled. However my DD was great at latching and I was able to use both with no problem and would get a ton of BM at a time.

Anyways, I wanted to say its hard to know what will work until u try it. If u are getting a free one, id say try it out, if its not working send ur DH out to get a different one.

Re: breast pump recs

What's who compliant?
I have an ameda closed system and it sucks. I use a medela pisa.