breast pump--which one?

[pixiedust]

I just called my insurance company, and they will cover a personal double electric pump at 100% if I buy from one of a few vendors.  I checked out their sites, and it seems my main choice is between the Ameda Purely Yours or Medela Advanced Personal Double Electric.

I didn't think insurance would cover such a fancy pump, as it's kinda so-so in general, so I'm not sure which one to get.  I think either will be "more" than I need--I WAHM and will continue to WAHM after the baby is born (but non-traditional hours).  I wanted to get a pump so that DH can sometimes feed her etc., but no constraints re pumping times or location.

Which would you get?  Also, do I need to get anything else, like storage bags?  And does my pump selection change which accessories/brands I need?

[ringstrue]

I got APY. It's less of an all-in-one so if something breaks it's easier to just replace the single part. Both are great options tho.

[chicago]

I'd go with the Medela, but I'm not much help otherwise. I haven't bought any storage bags, flanges, any of that. I'm clueless on that stuff.

[ringstrue]

Any 4-6 pack of 6oz bottles should fit, save for those crazy shaped designer ones.

You'll need latex nipples for the bottles (newborn size). Get as many nipples as there are bottles.

You can get any sort of storage bags you want. I say get a pack of 50 to start out with.

Get breast pads- I liked the contoured ones since they weren't as visible. Maybe just a 20ish count one to start?

I also had a few cloth breast pads which I would leak right through, but when layered with a normal pad, they felt A LOT nicer on my nipples at first.

Oh I say get a pumping bra as well. I didn't have one last time and I could have really used it.

[curbsideprophet]

I used the Ameda for DD. I was happy with it. I liked that it was a closed system.

[IndiaInk]

I've heard a hundred good things about Medela pumps and more negative reviews for Ameda. But have no personal experience with either, so I'm sort of in the same boat as you.

[bowies]

I just ordered the Medela since it gets consistent raves.

[VillainV]

I've heard really good things about both brands. My insurance doesn't cover a breast pump, so I ended up buying a Medela Pump In Style Advanced, which I think is pretty comparable to the one your insurance covers.

A few things to think about:

- Will you be pumping on-the-go at all? I'll be pumping at work and don't always have access to an outlet, so I chose a pump that has a battery pack. It also has a car AC adapter so I can pump in the car if I have to. If you think you may need to pump away from home, then you might want to pick a pump that will be compatible with that.

- How easy is it to get parts? You might do a quick internet search for parts for both of those pumps, or see if the medical supply company can get you parts quickly. I know Medela is super-easy to get parts for, not sure about Ameda. Apparently valves and membranes are often-replaced items, so you might consider getting some parts ahead of time to make sure you don't have to stop pumping for a few days to wait for new parts to arrive. Most Medela parts can be next-day-shipped from Amazon though, so that might be a consideration. This might not be a huge deal if you WAH because you can avoid any milk supply problems by just BFing instead of pumping

- Despite having a fancy double-electric, a lot of people recommend you buy a single manual pump as well (they run around $30-40).

[pinotgrig]

Baby Bargains rated these equally. That's nice you get a choice - my insurance just sends whatever they happen to have on hand so it could be the medela or the ameda. And our insurance is typically really awesome.

Thanks ringstrue - I've been wondering what sort of accessories I ended to start picking up. Very helpful!

[Deleted]

Medela. Hands down.

[pixiedust]

Feb 25, 2014 18:59:46 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

Get breast pads- I liked the contoured ones since they weren't as visible. Maybe just a 20ish count one to start?

This may be stupid...but are they called "contoured"?  Or do you just look at the picture/shape?

[marie3246]

We had similar options and went with the Medela based off advice from here and reviews. I haven't used it yet, but I received it already and it looks pretty nice.