Breast pumps again

[*Liz*]

What do you recommend?

I have a Medela swing which I find very efficient and quick enough, and an avent hand pump which I really struggle with since I went electric  .

I was wondering whether to either get or hire a double pump for when I return to work - anyone ever used the Medela freestyle or pump in style?

I'm terrified of losing milk supply with my MSPI babe - plus I have a demanding job where it isn't always going to be possible to stop and pump immediately.

[LizzieN]

Can I follow along Liz, my hand pump just broke and I'm wondering about buying electric.
xx

[gogomama]

I had both the Madela swing and Lactina plus double breast pump (the latter was rented). The double is definitely much more efficient once you get over the initial awkwardness of trying to hold both pumps at once It did the job in about half the time as the single one. I also had a few problems with the swing..namely milk getting into the tubes and the softer cups making for a longer let down time. If I were going back to work and wanted to pump in minimum time I would definitely go for the double although it is definitely not the most portable and discreet of items. If you can rent it, maybe you can try it out for a few months and see if you like it, and if not go back to using the swing. HTH.

[koe2moe]

I had pump in style... I was full time expressing, so couldn't imagine if i had a single one.  Saves you time.  Rent one when you don't plan on doing it for long!  We couldn't get freestyle back then.  It would be even better with handsfree... my wrists were in pain a lot until I found a simple hands free solution with a couple of rubber bands.  But freestyle would solve all problems and the unit is so compact!   

[Texomamama]

I used the Medela Pump in Style.  Worked great.  Didn't get any hands free modalities, but with a little practice, you can use your forearm to hold the pumps to your chest, while leaving your hands free to read a magazine, peruse Facebook etc. 

[shark]

I used the PISA with DS1 (pumped full time for a year) and it was a great work horse but by the end of the year it was done.  I bought a freestyle for DS2 and have been using it along with BFing.  To compare the 2, the frestyle pump is smaller and lighter and has some nice features like a timer and it's quieter and has a great rechargeable battery (the PISA can be used with batteries but really drains them quite quickly).  The freestyle pump is slightly less powerful than the PISA but still quite strong.  I used the PISA and 2/3-3/4 strength and the freestyle at 7/9.  Like others said, after a bit of practice I was able to hold the PISA horns with my forearms and read/computer etc... while pumping.  The horns of the freestyle are slightly different and actually more difficult to hold with arms but they do come with clips for handsfree which TBH are just so-so.  I have rather large breasts and find that the clips tend to tilt the horns up so the milk can't drain into the bottles.  I also find the new design of the horns more difficult to make a proper seal and often have to stop and start several times (I am actually calling the company about this tomorrow cause it's driving me crazy).  Why they didn't make the connector compatible between the 2 pumps is beyond me.
So overall, the pump of the freestyle is nicer than the PISA but I liked the horns of the PISA better.  Considering the freestyle is $100 more than the PISA I expected better...I don't think it's really worth the extra $.
Buying vs renting: renting here was ridiculously expensive.  we calculated that 3m of renting was more expensive than buying.
Good Luck!

[mimi1017]

I used the Medela Freestyle and love it! It is very portable and efficient.  I double pumped full time and used it at work as well.  It was great to have the hands-free option while I ate my lunch (I did it during lunch time in my room). I'm planning on using it this time around as well.  The motor and battery worked great and I used it full time for 8 mos.

[Canwi]

I'm a HUGE advocate of the Avent Isis manual pump!  I loved mine, and it lasted through both my boys.
Having said that, when I pumped at work I used one at the hospital.  It was a Medela Symphony.  I've also rented the same pump to keep supply up while dealing with issues on both boys as I was getting carpal tunnel manually pumping all day every day.

Anyway, what I'm going to get around to saying (after all that waffle ) is if you are working at a hospital that has a pediatric or L&D/post-natal unit, see if you can borrow a pump to pump with when you can get a break?  I found the LC's were my best info source.