Ameda/Hollister "Hospital grade" pump vs. Medela Pump In Style

I was planning to purchase the Medela Pump in Style pump, but was just
told I can borrow the Ameda pump from WIC (I work for a health dept,
they have a few for employees). I don't know which model only that it's
"hospital grade and runs US$450. I just have to buy the kit.

I was thinking maybe I'd buy the medela anyway, since I plan to have
more than one kid, but saving $200 is nice too. However, I'd guess the
kit is only applicable to that pump, so if at some point down the road
the pump was no longer available, I'd have to buy a different one
anyway.

Is Ameda that much better than the Medela? Does the "hospital grade"
mean anything?

cjra wrote:
I was planning to purchase the Medela Pump in Style pump, but was just
told I can borrow the Ameda pump from WIC (I work for a health dept,
they have a few for employees). I don't know which model only that it's
"hospital grade and runs US$450. I just have to buy the kit.

That's a nice perk!

I was thinking maybe I'd buy the medela anyway, since I plan to have
more than one kid, but saving $200 is nice too. However, I'd guess the
kit is only applicable to that pump, so if at some point down the road
the pump was no longer available, I'd have to buy a different one
anyway.

The kit is probably particular to Ameda. You could get an Ameda
purely yours electric (roughly equivalent to the Medela PIS, but
costs less) and probably be able to use the kit on both pumps.

Is Ameda that much better than the Medela? Does the "hospital grade"
mean anything?

Hospital grade pumps are usually better than the double electric.
Often, for people who exclusively pump, they are recommended
in order to maintain supply. I think the common wisdom is that
you'll get more production out of a hospital grade, but this varies
from woman to woman (heck, there are some women who do
better hand expressing than with a pump!) The downside
is that they are usually less portable (heavier).
Another downside for you is that the pump
would only be at work and sometimes it's nice to have a pump
at home (in case you have trouble keeping up and need to pump
at night or on weekends) - in that case you'd like to have something
at home. Plus, you probably want to pump some before you go
back to work to build up your stash. A nice compromise might
be to get a good manual (Avent Isis or the Medela Harmony?)
for home use and use the Ameda at work.

That said, I adore my Medela PIS. It's pumped for 3 babies (2 of
mine, and my sister's) and would still be going strong if I were
still pumping. All in all, a very nice pump.

Mary W.

cjra writes:
: I was planning to purchase the Medela Pump in Style pump, but was just
: told I can borrow the Ameda pump from WIC (I work for a health dept,
: they have a few for employees). I don't know which model only that it's
: "hospital grade and runs US$450. I just have to buy the kit.

: I was thinking maybe I'd buy the medela anyway, since I plan to have
: more than one kid, but saving $200 is nice too. However, I'd guess the
: kit is only applicable to that pump, so if at some point down the road
: the pump was no longer available, I'd have to buy a different one
: anyway.

: Is Ameda that much better than the Medela? Does the "hospital grade"
: mean anything?

To the best of my knowledge the kits are interchangable. At least
they were in 1997, which I admit is a long time ago.

Larry

so this will be something that you will have access to at work? you won't
have to move it around or anything?

if that is true, then I'd go for it, a collection kit is not as cheap as
you'd hope, but not that expensive either, like Mary suggests though you
could make it more worthwhile by going with the Ameda Purely Yours as your
home pump rather than Pump in Style. I have the Ameda and I love it, it
gives you total control over speed and suction and provided you manage to
get one that doesn't have dumb plastic bit sticking out (some do, but I'm
not sure whether they are older or newer models than mine) they are very
portable, should you need to and take regular batteries rather than needing
a special battery pack.

Cheers

Anne

cjra wrote:
I was planning to purchase the Medela Pump in Style pump, but was just
told I can borrow the Ameda pump from WIC (I work for a health dept,
they have a few for employees). I don't know which model only that it's
"hospital grade and runs US$450. I just have to buy the kit.

I was thinking maybe I'd buy the medela anyway, since I plan to have
more than one kid, but saving $200 is nice too. However, I'd guess the
kit is only applicable to that pump, so if at some point down the road
the pump was no longer available, I'd have to buy a different one
anyway.

Is Ameda that much better than the Medela? Does the "hospital grade"
mean anything?

I didn't have the Ameda, but rented the Lactina (Medela's 'hospital
grade' pump) which I used when working. I was primarily interested in
the most efficient pump, as I didn't have a lot of time on my hands and
had to squeeze in 3 pumping sessions/workday when I returned to work.

I loved it. It had variable speeds, adjustable suction, and was pretty
darn efficient. (For baby #2, when I was only working p/t, I tried the
Avent Isis, and could finally understand what people meant when they
felt that they couldn't express as much milk as they needed.)

The downside was that it was a tank -- heavy, huge, and in a weird
case. But I really was quite concerned (as was my
supervisor....nice...) whether I'd be able to both pump on a limited
schedule and, well, not miss a lot of 'meeting time.' Back in the
pre-9/11 days, airport security wouldn't ask me to turn it on (yes!),
but just ask what it was.

It worked like a clock for 2 years, 7 days a week, initially a stupid
number of times a day -- no issues.

Frankly, I'd buy a different kit for each kid regardless (you can't
really clean the inside of the tubing), so I think the kit cost is a
sunk cost....but truly, if I were you, I'd go with the hospital grade.
My concern was that I'd end up working my way through pump choices
(manual, PIS, rental hospital) trying to find something that worked,
and I felt -- probably erroneously -- that starting with the hospital
rental would be a better approach.

Caledonia

"Caledonia" wrote in message
oups.com...

cjra wrote:
I was planning to purchase the Medela Pump in Style pump, but was just
told I can borrow the Ameda pump from WIC (I work for a health dept,
they have a few for employees). I don't know which model only that it's
"hospital grade and runs US$450. I just have to buy the kit.

I was thinking maybe I'd buy the medela anyway, since I plan to have
more than one kid, but saving $200 is nice too. However, I'd guess the
kit is only applicable to that pump, so if at some point down the road
the pump was no longer available, I'd have to buy a different one
anyway.

Is Ameda that much better than the Medela? Does the "hospital grade"
mean anything?

I didn't have the Ameda, but rented the Lactina (Medela's 'hospital
grade' pump) which I used when working. I was primarily interested in
the most efficient pump, as I didn't have a lot of time on my hands and
had to squeeze in 3 pumping sessions/workday when I returned to work.

I loved it. It had variable speeds, adjustable suction, and was pretty
darn efficient. (For baby #2, when I was only working p/t, I tried the
Avent Isis, and could finally understand what people meant when they
felt that they couldn't express as much milk as they needed.)

The downside was that it was a tank -- heavy, huge, and in a weird
case. But I really was quite concerned (as was my
supervisor....nice...) whether I'd be able to both pump on a limited
schedule and, well, not miss a lot of 'meeting time.' Back in the
pre-9/11 days, airport security wouldn't ask me to turn it on (yes!),
but just ask what it was.

It worked like a clock for 2 years, 7 days a week, initially a stupid
number of times a day -- no issues.

Frankly, I'd buy a different kit for each kid regardless (you can't
really clean the inside of the tubing), so I think the kit cost is a
sunk cost....but truly, if I were you, I'd go with the hospital grade.
My concern was that I'd end up working my way through pump choices
(manual, PIS, rental hospital) trying to find something that worked,
and I felt -- probably erroneously -- that starting with the hospital
rental would be a better approach.

I first rented and then bought a lactina (used, through the special needs LC
at the hospital, so I had some verification that it wasn't a stolen rental).
Since I was EPing, I needed a pump which would handle that level and
frequency. I've flown with it repeatedly without problems-although it's a
pain to drag through the airport (and I LOVE whoever designed the nursery in
the Houston airport-it's one of the few truly nice places to pump I've found
in a year and a half of EPing which didn't require sitting in a bathroom
stall).

Since I bought the Lactina, I plan to keep it after I stop pumping for Alli,
just in case I need it again or someone I know does, but after 18 months of
pumping, I plan to buy a new kit for it and store it with the pump (just in
case they change designs before I need it again), because there's definite
wear on my parts after this many uses and washings.


Caledonia

"cjra" wrote in message
oups.com...
Is Ameda that much better than the Medela? Does the "hospital grade"
mean anything?

I EPd with the Ameda from WIC for probably six months or so, and I dubbed
the thing the moo machine before I rented a Lactina. It worked fine, but
I always felt it was a bit of a boob grinder compared to the Lactina.

Jess

Anne Rogers wrote:
so this will be something that you will have access to at work? you won't
have to move it around or anything?

Right. I'd leave it at work. I'm the only one who'd use it (my office
is small). But I am thinking I'd need something for home as well, esp.
in advance of returning to work to build up a stash.


Thanks all for the advice. I will probably start off using it, and if
it's too inconvenient just buy one I can have at home. I was just
excited it was offered...

Mary W. wrote:
cjra wrote:
I was planning to purchase the Medela Pump in Style pump, but was just
told I can borrow the Ameda pump from WIC (I work for a health dept,
they have a few for employees). I don't know which model only that it's
"hospital grade and runs US$450. I just have to buy the kit.

That's a nice perk!

Yeah, it was kind of funny how it came up. I'd just done a TV spot and
the other person doing one just after me was the WIC supervisor. Our
WIC is *heavily* breastfeeding oriented (they said they get 40% of
their clients for at least a few months, which is actually quite good
for a WIC population). So she was asking me if I planned to breastfeed.
I laughed and said "of course!" given she'd just did a 15 min
presentation on the benefits of it, I wouldn't have said no. But I was
planning to already.

Now if I can just find a pediatrician. No one I've asked seems to like
their's. Our director is still a practicing pedi, but there's no way
I'd use him! A little too close for comfort...

I have the Ameda/Egnell Elite hospital pump. The kit is interchangable
with the Ameda PY home pump.

If you do use it, I *HIGHLY* recommend to buy the "flexishelds" inserts
(~12USD/apiece...well worth it!!). They are soft rubbery inserts that
simulate the baby's mouth. In addition, I would look at the custom
breast flangues kit (~18USD), if you have larger BBs.

HTH.
Mo