Can we talk pumps?

[Pers]

So I am a FTM in the US who will be heading back to work much too soon! Fortunately I work in a hospital and ythey provide a pumping room with a hospital grade breast pump for employee use. However, I need something for home use as well. My insurance will cover the purchase of a double electric pump but not the rental of a hospital grade one (which would have been my first choice). So my options are the Ameda Purely Yours, Hygeia Q and Medela Advanced. I may be able to find another style Medella as well but that one I know is an option.

The lactation consultant at the hospital doesn't recommend the Medella because the milk can back up in the tubing and if that happens, there is no way to remove it from the machine. Not gonna lie, the idea of moldy milk growing in the machine I use to provide food for my daughter grosses me out. I know many women say it's never been an issue for them though and there lies the rub, is it worth the risk? The Ameda and Hygeia don't have that issue.

The Hygeia Q is one I had never heard of but she highly recommended it. It is also the one recommended by Le Leche League. It has been difficult to find reviews of that particular model since it is only available to insurance companies and government agencies. I think it may be the one provided by WIC?

Ameda is the brand the hospital uses but obviously those are hospital grade pumps while I would be getting one rated for personal use.

The women I know pretty much all went with Medella but that is also the one that ois most widely available in our area and none of them got theirs through insurance (so the Hygeia wasn't even an option).

Anyone used any of these or have some helpful insight? I don't want to get one and hate it because then I will have to pay out of pocket for a new one! Which also makes me think I should go for the most expensive option (Medella) because then if I pay pout of pocket at least I won't have to buy that one!

 

[Pers]

Nobody has used any if these?

 

[Rymel12]

I have a Medela that I love and haven't had any issues with. With that said, the hospital I delivered at was pushing the ameda pump. I figure if a hospital is recommending it there must be good qualities too. Lucky you to have such amazing amenities for pumping at work. I'm dreading going back for that reason alone. Hope my answer helped a little!

 

[sheldonsmommy]

I've used the Medela Pump In Style. It is working great for us so far (it belongs to a friend of mine and is letting me borrow it).

I've never had milk get into the tubing, only water if where the tubing plugs into the handheld part is still wet from washing or sterilizing. Then just run the pump with the tubing attached and the air flow dries it up.

 

[Pers]

Yeah Rymel12, the LC was originally pushing the Ameda to me as well but when she found out the Hygeia was an option she said that was the one to get.

Thanks sheldonsmommy for your experience with the Medela. The one offered by my insurance is the same as the PIS apparently, just not called that for whatever reason.

I did call the medical supply company and ask what they recommended and they said the most popular was the Medela however if someone was having issues with their supply or was pumping for multiples they would recommend the Hygeia because it is hospital grade and has a more powerful suction that is customizable. Just wish I knew someone with real world experience!

 

[DianaB]

I've used both a rented hospital grade medela symphony and a medela PIS when I exclusively pumped for DD1. I found the PIS just as good as the hospital quality one (only difference was noise level) and never had milk back up the tubing on me. It's also getting use with baby number 2 now and is still going strong. If the medela advanced is the same as a medela PIS I'd have to recommend that one.

 

[misspriss]

I've never used any of those. But just because you can't see milk getting into the motor in an open system, doesn't mean microscopic particles are not getting there every time. I would recommend a closed system if you can get one.

Would the parts you use at work with the hospital grade Ameda be compatible with your home Ameda? Just a thought!

The Medela Advance has less settings than the PIS, but it is essentially the same in power. It is their lower feature model that is not available except through insurance companies and government assistance agencies.

 

[Skittleblue]

I used a medela symphony in the hospital, and ended up getting the advanced through insurance. I never had problems with it until I dropped and broke it. I replaced it with another of the same model. It seemed to have the same suction as the symphony. I ended up using it to build up my supply once I was home, since I had such a low supply early on. My main issue with it was just that it was noisy, but that wasn't really a huge issue.

I never had trouble with mold or anything. When I was finished pumping, I would pull the connectors free from the tubing and let the motor run while I put everything up. When I finished, the inside of the tubing was always dry, even if the parts had been wet when I started.

 

[babyv13]

I use the ameda one, it has a different name in the uk but as far as I know it's the same pump! I love it and don't see any difference between it and the medela symphony I used in hospital apart from the noise!