breast pumps: Medela vs. Ameda?

[Anonymous]

I used a PIS until my daughter was 11 months and pumped into the little evenflo glass bottles. They are compatible with the pump and screw right on. I thought the milk stayed a little fresher in the glass bottles compared to the plastic ones.

[Anonymous]

I have the Freestyle and I don't think it's hard to clean at all. It's so nice to be able to pump hands-free and get other things done around the house or answer emails at work. The microwave sterilization bags that Medela makes are fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Three cheers for the Medela Freestyle. It is lightweight (1lb), relatively quiet, has a digital timer, and generally made me feel less like a milking cow than any other pump I had seen. It is very easy to clean, especially if you use the Medela Microwave Steam Bags. You can also throw the parts in a bottle sterilizer. I purchased two sets of parts so I could always have one set ready to go. It made a huge difference in my nursing experience.

[Anonymous]

I have both the Ameda electric double pump as well as the Medela double pump in style backpack version. The Ameda is better quality, sturdier and has better suction (can get out more milk because you can manually adjust the suction to better mimic your baby), but despite all these great features, I don't like it as much as the Medela. So, I would go with Medela if you're planning to pump at work.

The Ameda horns are very bulky. They have rubber inserts that goes against your breast, which are more comfortable and simulates the glands (Medela doesn't have these). However, mine always gets milk stuck behind them, which disrupts the suction. The internal part of the ameda horns also frequently get milk stuck in them, so it's wasted or spills out. The ameda horns are also very VERY difficult to use with an Easy-Expressions bustier / hands free pumping bra because they are one large piece. I still haven't figured out how to double pump easily with this Ameda pump! Oh...one other major downside, because the horns are bigger and heavier, they don't stand well when you have the bottles attached, and I've actually had the bottles tip over several times, spilling milk everwhere (on my desk!).

By contrast, the Medela horns are two pieces and are MUCH MUCH easier to use with the hands-free pumping bra/bustier. Trust me, if you're pumping at work, this is a huge deal. You don't want milk collecting in different parts of the horn and spilling out on your desk, clothes, leaking, waste, etc. Medela is easier to clean and pack in my opinion. My only complaint is that the suction always isn't very strong, especially if you're pumping for a while and become desensitized to it. I often have to massage my breasts manually while pumping those last 5 minutes. I don't find the motor on the Medela to be very consistent, and it often sounds weak and chuggy on the higher settings (again those last 5 minutes of pumping).

all in all, i prefer the Medela because it's easier to use with the hands-free pumping bustier, so I can type while i pump. I'm sure there's a way to do it with the Ameda pump, but it's been too difficult and messy for me. I really wish there was a pump that had the Ameda suction and comfort but the Medela convenience. Maybe the Freestyle is the answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have the Medela Freestyle (which I absolutely adore) and it is really easy to clean. No experience with an Ameda, and I think the Freestyle's parts are a little different than the PIS or other Medela pumps, but cleaning hasnt' been a problem at all. At work, I rinse off between pumpings, and clean in one of the microwave sterilizers at the end of the day. Once a week, I boil the parts.

Is this much cleaning necessary? I only hand wash in hot water and soap. Am I doing enough, or should I be more worried about sterilizing?

[Anonymous]

I have only used Medela pumps (PIS, Freestyle & hospital grade). If you don't have extra parts, the cleaning can be a bit of a pain. I bought the Medela because it offered different flange sizes.

[Anonymous]

The ameda and medela breast pumps are the top brand of breast pumps available. These breast pumps comes in a variety of models like electric where there is no need to use the hand for pumping the milk. This is more convenient to use and the working mothers can save time. The ameda breast pumps are more flexible and portable and comes in up to date styling.
http://www.trusted-breast-pumps.com/shop-by-brand/ameda-breast-pumps.html

[Anonymous]

Just FYI - the Ameda Purely Yours and Medela Pump in Style bottles are interchangeable. I have both and agree with commenters' comparisons of the two - I think Medela gets the edge, and being able to buy replacement parts at the store is very convenient. But as far as worrying about BPA, you can just buy the medela bottles and use them with the Ameda.

[Anonymous]

I have the Medela PISA and don't find it hard to clean at all. The horns that come with the accessories set are one piece and slightly easier to clean. I just use hot soapy water and boil them about once a week. I don't know that I've ever gotten milk in the tubes, which would be the only difficult pieces to clean.

An FYI - if you have a valid Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupon, you can use it at Buy Buy Baby for the PISA (they don't sell the Ameda) so it is not so expensive. I was all set to buy the Ameda because I didn't see any justification for spending the extra cash on the Medela, but with the coupon, the difference wasn't quite as bad. I'm so glad that I went with the Medela; I use it at least 3X per day (5X yesterday!), and durability was really important to me. I understand that the Medela lasts a little longer.

I waited to buy my pump until after DS was born. If I had to do again, I would have bought the pump beforehand and kept it closed with the receipt. DH went on a special trip to the baby store to buy it when I was homebound with our newborn!

[Anonymous]

There are a wide variety of Ameda breast pumps available in the markert. Depending on your nursing needs you can find just what you are looking for. Portable breast pumps, Hospital grade breast pumps, Manual breast pumps are few of the Ameda breast pump products. You can choose the products based on your needs from the models available.
http://www.trusted-breast-pumps.com/shop-by-brand/ameda-breast-pumps.html

[Anonymous]

You didn't really ask about Avent, but I ebf for 9 months while working full time, and the Avent manual pump worked great for me.
And it costs around $40!
I loved it, and got very efficient with it, pumping 10oz in 10 min with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You didn't really ask about Avent, but I ebf for 9 months while working full time, and the Avent manual pump worked great for me.
And it costs around $40!
I loved it, and got very efficient with it, pumping 10oz in 10 min with it.

I love the Avent manual pump -- until I ended up with carpal tunnel syndrome from using it as my exclusive pump (I was exclusively pumping, so that might have made it worse than if just using it occasionally). Definitely get an electric pump and save yourself the nightmare.

[Anonymous]

I have an Ameda that I got from a friend, but I just wanted to mention that my best friend works in the NICU and she said that women who use the hospital pumps generally do better. She works with women who can't breastfeed at first (baby is really sick) but want to keep up milk production and she said that the women who use Ameda and Medela almost always lose production as compared to those who do the hospital pumps.

Just something to consider if you're pumping at work.

[Anonymous]

are all the milk storage bags the same or do you use the same brand as the pump you are using?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used a PIS until my daughter was 11 months and pumped into the little evenflo glass bottles. They are compatible with the pump and screw right on. I thought the milk stayed a little fresher in the glass bottles compared to the plastic ones.

I did the exact same thing!