Breastfeeding Moms

nybride10 · May 2011

I am still undecided on this and I think we would save more money if I breastfed. I have been reading Baby Bargains but know a lot of you breastfed. Please recommend your pumps.

Jenniferk08 · May 2011

I have the medela PISA. I've been EP for 3 months now. I also have a hand pump I keep in my diaper bag for when I'm out. I got tired of packing it up along with a diaper bag.

If you go with the medela the best way to save is:

1- check to see if your insurance covers it. Some will if you get an RX from your OB or it may be covered with your FSA.

2- if it does not make sure you register for your pump with BRU. I used my completion discount plus one of their monthly 15% coupons and saved about $70 on mine.

Make sure to save your receipts since you can write off your pumping supplies

kendra316 · May 2011

I also have a medela PISA. I used ut a handful of times. Not worth the money for mt situation. But if you are workingor going to EP then it would def pay to get a heavy duty one. It gets the job done ASAP. I used my 20% off at BRU and go lot off.

LilacStar11 · May 2011

I have the medela pis as well. Love it. I ebf, but every once and a while when dh wants to feed her or now that I need milk for her cereal, I use it a few times a day.

hth!

Melanie2003 · May 2011

let me just say that BF has not been cheap for me.

i have the medela pisa - it was around $300 when i bought it after i had Ava.

i worked with a LC both times - there was a co-pay for for mom and baby, separate, to see her - and with Ava, I think she came 3x (6 co-pays). I think my co-pays were $15 or $20 then.

I went to EP'ing - bought lots of medela storage bottles because you pump all day long. and the lansinoh storage bags for the freezer. and i bought extra pump parts so i didn't spend the day cleaning the same set to us again and again. i have 3-4 sets.

Bought born free bottles at $10 a piece, because if I was EP'ing we needed bottles, and I was returning to work anyway and needed them for daycare. I think we had 8-10 of them.

with samantha, i had $100 in copays to the LC, and now insurance is denyinga portion and she's billing me $150.

i've spent about $300 on good nursing bras (2 at the beginning and 2 more this week), because shape and support make a huge difference in how i look, and i work in a professional office and need this. the target ones look horrible on me, as did medela's, and 8 other ones at destination maternity. apparently, my boobs like $75+ bras.

i also purchased 2 undercover mama tanks for $40 - they keep your torso covered and eliminate the need for nursing tops. this makes me more comfortable when nursing outside of my home.

at least i have the pump and bottles and have only needed to buy one pack of bags.

in sam's 6 months, i'm not sure i would have spent $500+ on formula yet!!!

but i think bm is very important and i'm happy to do it.

Holler4dmb · May 2011

I also got the Medela. I have only used it a hand full of times and probably could have gone without it since I didn't return to work. I mostly used it when we had company over during the holidays. I also had to use it when I had a supply issue when C was around 4 months. I don't think I have used it since then.

CarrieLiz · May 2011

Medela PISA

lawyer707 · May 2011

I plan on renting from the hospital for a month and seeing if pumping works for me and if I use it a lot. If it's a success, then I'll prob buy a medela pump.

lisa5ny · May 2011

lawyer707:
I plan on renting from the hospital for a month and seeing if pumping works for me and if I use it a lot. If it's a success, then I'll prob buy a medela pump.

This is a really good option, especially since there can be unforseen circumstances and you may not be able to BF at all. If you can't, at least you won't be stuck owning a $300+ breast pump. After the 1st month you'll know if your sticking with it and you can then just buy your own pump.

smilee · May 2011

You can rent pumps from the hospital. I would suggest doing this- especially if you are undecided. If things are going well after your little guy is here, you can get one then.

Nikosmom · May 2011

I rented one from the hospital. I had to buy the parts that the milk flowed through. I couldn't justify spending $300 on something I wasn't sure was going to work out. So I figured I could rent a pump and if it was successful I would then purchase one. I did have one on my registry but it was never purchased. GL!

mag1carpetr1de · May 2011

Medela PISA, love it. worth every penny. I returned to work when Logan was 10 weeks old, and I pumped four times a day at work, and when I was at home I would BF him then when he fell asleep I would continue to pump until I was out...

Augustbride · May 2011

I think you are not supposed to start pumping until month 2 so you can create a steady supply. I bought a medela PIS as well. To me it was worth the money. I needed something that could get me back to my desk quickly. If you are not returning to work I don't think you need such an expensive pump. I would check out the baby bargains book they have great reviews of all the pumps. I did wait to buy it until I knew that BF was going to work. My mistake was not pumping soon enough and just feeding on demand during my 16 weeks. Good Luck!

ali26 · May 2011

Like most of the others I have the PISA and love it. I pump at work and it takes less than 10 minutes.

If you're not sure about BF, then I wouldn't open the pump until you try nursing for a few weeks to see if it's for you. You can only return it if the box is unopened. Unless your baby has latching problems there's not much need to pump in the first month or so anyway.

Also, if you might want to BF initially and then wean and switch to formula once (or if?) you go back to work, you can probably get a cheaper pump just to have something to give an occasional bottle in the beginning. The Medela Swing gets good reviews for that type of use, and is much cheaper than the PISA.

nybride10 · May 2011

thanks ladies

i guess the deciding factor is going to be if im going back to work in september.... but great ideas/suggestions.

cloey615 · May 2011

I EP'd for 2 months and I had the Medela Freestyle. I LOVED IT!!! However, I got it at Target for $85 so it was worth it for me. I agree with the other ladies though, I would wait and see how BF goes. You can always go out and get one after the baby is born and you see how BF is going. For me, I was hoping I would pump longer, but it just wasn't logical once I went back to work and in all honesty DS is a happier child on formula than he was on breastmilk!

JennyNel · May 2011

lawyer707:
I plan on renting from the hospital for a month and seeing if pumping works for me and if I use it a lot. If it's a success, then I'll prob buy a medela pump.

I ended up renting one from the hospital the 1st month because it was stronger than the store bought one and my LC thought it would help with my supply issue. I couldn't return the one I bought because I was dumb enough to open it BEFORE I had the baby (duuuuh) and ended up not needing it when BF'ing didn't work out for us. I personally wouldn't stock up on much supplies until you see if it is working for you.

Huzzy · May 2011

I have the Medela freestyle and I LOVED it... I bought it from bestbuybaby.com. I don't remember how much it cost, but that was the cheapest place to buy one. I also did buy a little manual pump to leave in my car in case of emergencies! I can't remember which one, but it was by Avent. I never used it... So no reviews on that one!

nicinnewyork · May 2011

i had the medela pisa and i really liked it. i used it 4x a day when i first went back to work and later 3x- and i used it for 6 months without a problem. my only complaint is that it is bulky. i mean the unit, so in my case the backpack. the medela freestyle came out after i got my pump at my shower or i would have gotten this. it is much more lightweight.

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