breastmilk storage and feeding

I plan on breastfeeding, but would like to also pump additional breastmilk
to have a supply for when I may have to leave baby at home with Dad or
someone else, or for other such situations. I was looking at the Medela
Advanced breastpump. I had a Pump in Style 8 yrs ago and loved it. But
perhaps there are other brands that are just as efficient for less than the
$320 these are going for?

Also, in other women's experience, what are the best ways to store
breastmilk, and for how long can you keep it?

I will also post over at the BF newsgroup, but thought I'd get your feedback
too!

Betsy

"oregonchick" wrote in message
...
I plan on breastfeeding, but would like to also pump additional breastmilk
to have a supply for when I may have to leave baby at home with Dad or
someone else, or for other such situations. I was looking at the Medela
Advanced breastpump. I had a Pump in Style 8 yrs ago and loved it. But
perhaps there are other brands that are just as efficient for less than the
$320 these are going for?

Also, in other women's experience, what are the best ways to store
breastmilk, and for how long can you keep it?

I will also post over at the BF newsgroup, but thought I'd get your
feedback too!

Betsy


I haven't had my baby yet, so obviously I can't comment on personal
experience, but in my research the Ameda Purely Yours pump got almost as
good reviews as the Medela PIS, and for significantly less money ($200 and
less). A bonus of the Purely Yours is that it is a sealed pump, meaning
that the milk cannot back up into the pump. Theoretically, that means that
it can be used by more than one user, so if you decided to save money and
buy a used pump this would be the more hygienic. The cons as compared to
the Medela PIS (IIRC) were mainly that the Ameda is louder. Opinions varied
about the speed.
Here's a good comparison chart of the specs:
http://www.breast-pumps.com/professi...uide.htmAmazon has good reviews of both. I found other sites at one time, but can'tlocate them now.This is my plan: Buy the Avent Isis hand pump before birth. See how thatgoes, and if I'm able to express enough with it. My job is extremelyflexible and I have a private office, so I may not need to get an electricpump at all. (My job is flexible enough that I could go to daycare andbreastfeed a couple times a day...we'll have to see if I get the timingright!) If I decide I need an electric, I will buy a new Ameda Purely Yoursdue to price, hygiene and resale reasons. Once I decide I'm done with it,I'll sell it on EBay and get some of the money back. If I didn't have aflexible job and worked full time, I'd start out with an electric.I've read that breast milk can be stored in a regular side-by-side freezerfor 4 months and a chest freezer for 6 months.HTH!Amy

I plan on breastfeeding, but would like to also pump additional breastmilk
to have a supply for when I may have to leave baby at home with Dad or
someone else, or for other such situations. I was looking at the Medela
Advanced breastpump. I had a Pump in Style 8 yrs ago and loved it. But
perhaps there are other brands that are just as efficient for less than
the $320 these are going for?

it might be louder, but it's not what I would describe as loud, I have to
turn the volume up only a tiny bit on the radio to continue listening while
the pump is on and watching TV is not a problem. Whilst not expecting the
multi user thing to be useful it's turned out to be so, 2 other people have
used mine and babies have got breastmilk when they otherwise might not have.

Anne

Anne Rogers wrote:

(re. the Ameda pump)
it might be louder, but it's not what I would describe as loud, I have to
turn the volume up only a tiny bit on the radio to continue listening while
the pump is on and watching TV is not a problem. Whilst not expecting the
multi user thing to be useful it's turned out to be so, 2 other people have
used mine and babies have got breastmilk when they otherwise might not have.

I also have an Ameda which I use at work. I've been able to make phone
calls while using it without too much difficulty, but it did cause the
secretary problems when I was dictating letters. (I now get round that
by typing my letters onto a floppy disk rather than dictating them,
which saves the secretary work as well!) Hopefully that gives you an
idea of the volume. I've been happy with mine. If you spend extra for
a case, then that contains a mini-cooler for getting the stuff home.

The best source of info about storage is on the La Leche League
webpage, in their FAQ. Easily googled for but I can dig out the link
if you have any problems finding it. I can recommend Lansinoh storage
bags - I tried these as they got the best reviews, and haven't been
disappointed. I would definitely avoid Medela bags, which I tried once
when I ran out of Lansinoh bags. The fastenings were much more fiddly
and then leaked half the milk. Never again. Haven't tried Ameda bags
so can't report on those, but after my experience with the Medela bags
I've ordered enough Lansinoh bags to see us through until he weans.

There is a useful, though high-volume, support mailing list on Yahoo,
at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pumpmoms/.


All the best,

Sarah