Question about breast pumps and bottles?

Question

I am expecting and I'm getting my shower list ready. I am new at this and have three questions:
1) Am I suppose to put the breast pump on the shower list?
2)Which breast pump works better, manual or automatic?
3)Which bottle brand do you experienced mommies recommend? I was looking into bottles and Dr. Browns had the best reviews?
Thank you so much for your help!

One last thing, any particular brand you recommend for breast pumps?

Answer 1

Believe me.....a good breast pump is worth all the money in the world! LOL Yes, put the pump on your registry! If you don't get it then fine, but at least you tried. DO NOT register for a cheapie ($50 - $100) They die out fast if you use it lots. Medela is by far the best, and very spendy. If you can't afford to spend lots, then I like mine which is electric and the brand is Lanisinoh (sp?) it cost 150 @Target. I would never, ever recommend a hand pump!! Electric is the best. Please believe me, I have been through 4 different breast pumps in the past 2 months........Playtex and Evenflo are NOT good.

As far as bottles, don't buy lots of just one brand. That's what I did, and my son hated the brand I had! (Playtex Vent-Air). I then tried Dr. Browns, Gerber and Avent. He puked terribly off all of them except Avent, so that's what we stuck with. All babies are different, so you'll have to see what your baby takes to better. Just get one or two different brands, then go from there.......don't waste your money! Good Luck:)

Answer 2

Well, its hard to say which one you will need. Are you planning on using the pump only when away from your child? That was my plan but with breastfeeding problems I ended up using the pump to pump all the time and even to help increase my milk supply. I used a medela pump in style and it was such a great pump! You just set there and it does its thing-both sides at a time!
I actually just used the cheap plastic bottles from the dollar store but my babies had no problem with gas, colic, spitting up and many do. I have heard a lot of good things about the Dr. Browns, too.
You can put anything you want on the list for the shower. Many times people will go in together and get the more expensive gifts.

Answer 3

I have two kids and breastfeed both of them. A couple things to keep in mind when choosing a breast pump. (Oh and yes you should put it and milk storage bags, and breast pads on your list.)
- How much you are going to be pumping. This determines which type of pump you will need. If you are going back to work then a double electric pump is going to be best. If you are going to stay at home and just need it for an occasional pumping then a manual single pump is going to be best.
- Pump Brand that I used with both kids is a Medela (I believe that is how it is spelled.) They are found at Babies R Us. Also for bottles I love the Avent bottles because they are the closest to breast feeding. Important if you are going to be pumping and breast feeding.

Hope this helps and please email if you have any other questions.

Answer 4

Medela "Pump in Style" Breast pump (it comes with a manual pump too) and Avent bottles were what I used and loved. As far as putting the pump on the shower list - why not? It's expensive but maybe a couple of people can go in on it.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I agree with the other postings about deciding which pump to buy. If you are going to need to pump alot, splurge for the modella pump in style. I bought my used (lots of sanitizing) and have used it with both of my kids. As for bottles, my first daughter would only use Dr. Browns. My second daughter won't take Dr. Browns and only uses playtex drop ins. The Dr. Browns starter kit is probably a good start.

Answer 6

This may sound wierd coming from a Father instead of a mother but i bought all the stuff and my wife is not shy on her opinions.
She did have a pump listed on her registry but no one wanted to buy the nice expensive one so she got two cheap ones and hated them both.
So i bought the Modelo(sp?) ones at the hospital (gotta love duty free on a $200 item) and she loved it. She won't use any others. Much to my dismay as it is one of the most expensive but very effective, easy to maintain, and low cost of ownership once you get over the origional price.
She likes the variable speed on it and it comes in its own convenient carry case.
About the hand pump types, she never liked those because she could only do one at a time. With the Medelo she can do both at same time.
Hope that helps.

Answer 7

You can put it on the list... what are you going to use it for? Every now and then, or are you going to be going back to work?

The pump in style, is supposedly the best... but at about $300 its pricey.

If youre only going to pump for special occations, or every now and then, a hand pump should do fine. I've heard good things about the advent isis. I had a hospital grade medela and i still barely used it... i dont respond well to pumps.

As for bottles... I would really wait on those. You wont want to introduce one for, at least, the first month and breastfed babies can be picky about bottles... so you don't want to get a bunch of one kind and then the baby won't take it.

I got a bunch of playtex drop-in nursers at my shower and i used maybe one of them, like twice.. like i said, I hardly pumped.

Answer 8

My wife likes the Medela, and if you are going to be at home you will want to use and automatic with the let down feature. Make sure you don't buy any that are shaped like a bicycle horn because they can trap milk in them which can cause disease if they aren't properly cleaned out. You may want a manual one as well (my wife has an uses) because they are a little more discreet (don't require plug in or make alot of noise) Best place to find one is Ebay....But Buy a sealed one or Sterilize one that has been used. This is a whole different topic if it hasn't been cleaned well.

Answer 9

Medela is good, im using it. and pls get electric one not manual...or else ur hand will get tired.

breast pump is especially good if u are breastfeeding and might get engorgement and the more u pump the less likely u will get engorgement... when u do get it, the breast is so pain, and harden at some part. you might not even want to touch it as it is painful...so the best way to express your milk is to pump it. Long live electric breastpump!!

Answer 10

the hospital will give you a hand pump when you give birth, or you can purchase an electric one from them...you can put the pump on your list, but that is usualy something you might want to pick out yourself..I used both an electric and a hand pump...electric was easier to use and didn't tire your arms out as much, but both were very effective..