Okay, another Ameda vs Medela... pumps on sale, need to decide!

[oh_so_blessed]

I have read from some people that Ameda is louder and takes longer to pump. I have read from others that they are faster with Ameda.

I can get the Ameda Purely Yours for $150. It does not come with a hands-free bra. It is medium in portability I think - listed at 5.9 lbs. It has the advantage of being a "closed system". Looks like you can add a bra for $34 so total is $185.

I can get the Medela Pump in Style for $225. It does not come with a hands-free bra. It is less portable than the other two I think. Adding the bra is $34 to bring it to $260. Listed at 7 lbs.

I can get the Medela Freestyle for $300. It does come with a hands-free system to attach to your own bra, though some have purchased the other bra anyway which would bring it up to $335 if I go that route. It is more portable than the other two I think- listed at 5.3 lbs.

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Now, I was leaning toward the Ameda because of the closed system and the price. I have also read that it is easier to clean, and I consider that a plus because if I save time on lactation but lose it on cleaning it's the same thing.

I do not want to buy a product that will make it less convenient for me to pump. The noise I don't think of as such a big deal. I am going to have to go back to work when the baby is about 2 months old so it is important that I have the ability to pump several times a day at work in the lactation room.

---- questions ----

1) If you own any of these systems can you tell me how long it takes you to pump and clean?

2) Are you happy with the system you chose?

3) If you have tried more than one of these systems can you tell me which you preferred, and was the preference huge or just minor stuff?

4) Which would you buy now, given the prices above? I should be somewhat frugal, but I don't want to skimp.

Thanks so much!!

 

[lisanicole]

I went with the freestyle and absolutely love it. I have never used any other pump except for the hospital symphony.

I pump 3x at work and the freestyle makes it so easy. I did purchase the bra though. It empties both breast in about 10-12 minutes but i always pump for 20 minutes with a second let down. It does not need to be plugged in and the charge lasts all day. Its also pretty easy to clean.

 

[oh_so_blessed]

Okay, I think I am not going to do the Ameda afterall. It turns out it makes a beeping noise with each pump. I'm pretty sure that will drive me insane. I'm easily annoyed. And, the PIS is just too heavy. So I guess now I'm trying to find if there is any other competitor to the Freestyle, otherwise that'll be it. I would have preferred the closed system, so I'm quite sad about the Ameda noise.

 

[bananaz]

1) If you own any of these systems can you tell me how long it takes you to pump and clean?
I own the Medela Pump in Style. It takes me about 2 minutes to get set up for pumping (I use this hands-free bra), I pump for 5-10min, and then clean up takes maybe 5 minutes. Everything is really easy to take apart and put back together.

2) Are you happy with the system you chose?
Yes! It's super easy to use and seems very efficient.

3) If you have tried more than one of these systems can you tell me which you preferred, and was the preference huge or just minor stuff?
N/A

4) Which would you buy now, given the prices above? I should be somewhat frugal, but I don't want to skimp.
I'm biased of course, but I say go with the Pump in Style. It's one of the top-rated breast pumps on Amazon.com and $225 is a great price for it

 

[oh_so_blessed]

1) If you own any of these systems can you tell me how long it takes you to pump and clean?
I own the Medela Pump in Style. It takes me about 2 minutes to get set up for pumping (I use this hands-free bra), I pump for 5-10min, and then clean up takes maybe 5 minutes. Everything is really easy to take apart and put back together.

2) Are you happy with the system you chose?
Yes! It's super easy to use and seems very efficient.

3) If you have tried more than one of these systems can you tell me which you preferred, and was the preference huge or just minor stuff?
N/A

4) Which would you buy now, given the prices above? I should be somewhat frugal, but I don't want to skimp.
I'm biased of course, but I say go with the Pump in Style. It's one of the top-rated breast pumps on Amazon.com and $225 is a great price for it

I was reading that the PISA is stronger than the Freestyle. I am now thinking I want the PIS, even though it's heavier. I just want to make sure I express enough to keep up exclusive breastmilk feeding. I also like the backpack design. Turns out the sale is only $240 at Babies-r-us. I can get it for $250 shipped from Amazon so I might as well wait so I don't run out the warranty since I could wait to buy it until October and get 4 more months of warranty out of it.

I'm glad we had this discussion. I feel pretty comfortable with this choice. Most people are unhappy with the handsfree system on the Freestyle and end up buying the separate bra anyhow, so the only benefit is that it's lighter, but if it is not as strong I think the 2 lb difference will be worth the increased strength. Maybe in the end I decide to leave it at work and just pump at work and breastfeed on demand at home. If not I guess the 7 lb backpack won't kill me, at least it's evenly distributed weight.

Cheers!

 

[mommyof3co]

I've had the Ameda Purely Yours and then I have a Medela but can't remember which it is right now and then I've used both brands hospital grade. Personally I like Medela better. BUT I loved my Ameda for what I was using it for back then...just occasional use to have a bottle here and there. I didn't use it consistently. When I was trying out both brands it was with my son was in the NICU so I was using it around the clock and using it that much I had much better results with the Medela.

 

[cutie4evr01]

I wanted to put my plug in for Ameda because I absolutely love mine.

1) If you own any of these systems can you tell me how long it takes you to pump and clean?
I have the Ameda Purely Yours. I can empty the first let-down in 5-10 minutes, but I generally pump for 20 mins because I have another letdown around 12-14 mins and usually a third around 18-19 minutes. I only pump 2x a day at work so those extra let-downs are important for the total amount of milk I bring home.

2) Are you happy with the system you chose?
I am very pleased with my pump. Mine doesn't make a beep with every cycle, so I don't think that's true for all of them. Maybe you could borrow one from someone to listen to it? I love that it's a closed system so I don't worry about any old milk particles trapped in the pump motor (esp since I've been using it for 2.5 years now), and it would be safer to sell when I'm finished with it. I have pumped multiple times daily through one year of BFing DD1 and over 10 months now of BFing DD2 and it's still going strong. Also, my sister had an Ameda Purely Yours that she used through 4 kids, so they're pretty durable. Along those lines, my SIL had a Medela PIS that she used through 3 kids, so they must be pretty durable too.

3) If you have tried more than one of these systems can you tell me which you preferred, and was the preference huge or just minor stuff?
My lactation room at work has a medela lactina (hospital grade). I can tell the suction is a little stronger (when turned up to max), but I still get them same amount of milk in the same amount of time with my Ameda Purely Yours, so generally I use my own pump so I can just pump in a room closer to my office. One minor downside is that the Ameda pump bottles are smaller (4oz) than Medela (5oz), so if you pump more than 4oz from a breast during the pumping session, you have to stop for a few seconds to change the bottle out.

4) Which would you buy now, given the prices above? I should be somewhat frugal, but I don't want to skimp.
Of course I am biased and would buy Ameda.

 

[Christinapo]

Ive used the hospital grade Medela Symphony and love that one, but it's pretty expensive to buy. I'm renting it right now but that's becoming expensive as well.

Because of that, I decided to buy a pump and I bought the Medela Freestyle. I love it's portability and being able to move around the house while pumping, but I do not like the vibration that the suction makes. It makes the suction not as comfortable as the Symphony so I've ended up using the rental more than the one i bought. I really want to return the rental, but I like it way too much in comparison to the Freestyle.

So now to save costs I'm thinking of getting the PIS but I'm afraid that it won't be as smooth as the Symphony and I'll also not like that.

Let me know if you end up with the PIS and how you like it.

 

[evasmum]

---- questions ----

1) If you own any of these systems can you tell me how long it takes you to pump and clean?
I own the Freestyle, takes me maybe 90 seconds to get hooked up and pumping and probably 5-6 minutes to wash and get it put back together for next pump. I did borrow a Ameda Lactaline (im in the UK, I'm pretty sure it's the same as the Purely Yours) from the hospital to begin with and I wouldn't say it took anymore or less time to clean.

2) Are you happy with the system you chose?

Yes very, it's been great for being at work, I use it with a handsfree bra.

3) If you have tried more than one of these systems can you tell me which you preferred, and was the preference huge or just minor stuff?

Much prefer the Freestyle, I don't think there was much difference in milk production or cleaning but I can hook it to my belt and do work around the house or bottle feed the baby so it makes life a lot easier.

4) Which would you buy now, given the prices above? I should be somewhat frugal, but I don't want to skimp.

Freestyle, for the benefit of being mobile and handsfree, worth the extra if you plan to express/bf long term.

 

[lori]

I've only used the Medela Pump in Style, so I can't comment on the Ameda pump. I would highly recommend the Medela pump. It usually takes me about 10 minutes to pump and it's quite easy to clean. I don't know if the Ameda pump you're considering is a double pump, but I would highly recommend a double, especially if you're pumping on any kind of regular basis. I think that price is a real bargain, I paid significantly more for mine (but it was worth every penny!)