Purely Yours Breast Pump With Carry All
- Brand: Ameda
- Nursing and Feeding Type: Breast Pumps
- Type: Nursing and Feeding
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great pump and good case ***updated***
Pros
Easy set up, breakdown, clean up. Easy to use, not painful once learn the controls
Cons
Bag could be bigger, other than that no real cons, plastic parts contain BPA
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Great pump, easy set up, break down, clean up. I would definitely recommend because I haven't had any issues.
When doing research and reading reviews about pumps I got very nervous because pumps are so expensive and non-returnable...
I registered at target for my baby shower and Target does NOT carry the Ameda pump lines so I didn't even consider this as an option. I did NOT receive a pump from my shower so I waited and did MORE research. Especially since reading both really GOOD and really BAD reviews on the Medela and Avent pumps.
My lactation counselor recommended the Medela or the Ameda... Since I'd only read good things about the Ameda Pump I decided to go with it. Plus it was cheaper!
I purchased my pump online and got the case plus an extra goodie, and free shipping. I purchased from healthchecksystems.com
In the package I received:
-the pump, tubes, diaphrams, flanges, tubes, and all parts necessary to run the machine
-extra valves (i'm told these are fragile so its nice they included extras but i haven't had one break on me yet...)
-a mini color bag, 3 ice packs, 6 bottles and tops
EXTRA i got:
-comfort cover for the flange (this was nice in the beginning but now that i'm pumping more and used to the suction i don't really use it)
Using the machine:
There are 2 knobs on the machine one controls the length of suction, the other controls the strength of suction.
The way that the pump works ensures that there is NEVER any milk backing up into the tubes or motor. (One less thing to clean which is always good in my book, especially with a new baby) If i had known this I MAY have considered buying a used motor and purchasing all the parts of the machine that touched milk new!!! But again, i am a new mom and was unsure how these things worked... plus i had read in other reviews of the medela that milk would back into the tubes (often?) so I was very skeptical.. I even looked at my co-workers medela and saw dried milk in the tubes. The tubes are so thin how would you even clean them!?!?
This is a dual machine, but in the beginning I was only pumping one breast at a time. To do this you simply disconnect one of the tubes and close the valve to the machine. (EASY!) Once I got the hang of the suction and strength and what I could tolerate or not...I started dual pumping...
Controls are easy to manipulate even if dual pumping. In the instruction manual it gives you a tip to hold one flange in the crook of your arm and hold the other flange in the hand of your same arm so you can have one hand free to work the controls. I will probably order a breast pumping bra for use at work but if I wasn't going to be pumping at work I'd probably just continue using this method.
I haven't tried using the pump on batteries yet so i'm unsure how it works with that.
Initially, I unpacked and repacked the pump every time i used it, and set up and break down was really QUICK! but I got tired of doing this at night when I really just wanted to sleep so I set up a permanent place for it near my bed.
Washing/Cleaning:
Washing the flanges can be a little tricky because they have narrow openings, but I use the bottle brush i bought (for the baby's bottles) and its makes it much easier to clean. I also wash immediately after use to ensure that milk doesn't get stuck/dry inside of them. I also try to put them through the dishwasher once a week to get a really thorough cleaning.
It also says to always had was the valves and don't use sponges on them since they're so fragile, which i've always done and as i've said before they haven't broken on me yet...(been pumping irregularly for about 1.5 months)
Noise:
It doesn't seem to make much noise to me and i can even use it while my baby sleeps (but to be fair he is a really good sleeper, yes yes i know i'm lucky!) I've never seen/used another pump so i have no comparison....
Carry all:
The carry all doesn't have much room in it EXCEPT for the pump and its supplies. (I also squeeze a box of freezer bags in there too) I could probably fit my cell phone and wallet in the side pockets but that is probably the extent of it.
It would have been nice to be a smidge bigger in case I needed to put other stuff in it and not have to carry ANOTHER bag.
Other stuff to note:
Regarding pain while pumping... I only experience pain if my child happened to be really rough during one feeding and that is more sensitivity than pain (if this happens i use the comfort cover on the flange or just avoid pumping that day). I have never turned the suction over halfway other than to see how it felt and that was a bit painful but i never need to go higher to get milk, (i'm usually able to get 3 ounces or more per breast in less than 15 minutes more if I haven't Breast fed in a while) I think the fact that you're able to adjust the suction when you're ready for it also contributes to the fact that i've never really felt pain while pumping...
The pump also has a place for you to set both bottles in if your preparing to pump or just finished which i've found to be very handy. Especially when the baby starts fussing/crying unexpectedly and I have to stop pumping really quick. The holders are fairly deep so even if I bump the table the bottles don't tip over and spill all the milk i just pumped!
All in all a great product (i've also read when you do have problems that their customer service is great, but i haven't experienced that myself...)
Update
With the recent scare of BPA products in plastic I wanted to find out if the AMEDA products did indeed have BPA in them.
Initially I emailed the company. I never received a response from them (I waited 3 days).
Today I called the 800 help line. There was no hold time! When I asked about BPA the representative was up front and said yes their nottles do contain the BPA. She went on to inform me about how BPA is only transfered during REALLY high heating of the contents, and according to her you don't normally do to this to breast milk.
I also inquired about the other parts of the pump... (The flanges) and she said yes, but again the flanges aren't heated during use and shouldn't contaminate the milk. She was very helpful (although i think she was eating her lunch while talking to me, i could hear her chewing on something anyway... didn't bother me too much!)
Since i found out about the BPA in the bottles and i DO heat my breast milk in hot water (probably not high enough to release the BPA but i'd rather be safe than sorry). i decided to invest in some glass ones. The evenflo 4oz glass bottles (original style) actually fit on the flanges. so i pump directly into glass bottles now. they are a bit heavier but i think its worth it. The bottles were only 1.79 each at lullaby lane.
So, my experience with support? pretty good, just annoyed they didn't answer my email. But the lady on the phone was nice (even if she was talking w/ her mouth full.. to be fair i did call around lunchtime) and i got the information i needed, and even better? No hold time.
I registered at target for my baby shower and Target does NOT carry the Ameda pump lines so I didn't even consider this as an option. I did NOT receive a pump from my shower so I waited and did MORE research. Especially since reading both really GOOD and really BAD reviews on the Medela and Avent pumps.
My lactation counselor recommended the Medela or the Ameda... Since I'd only read good things about the Ameda Pump I decided to go with it. Plus it was cheaper!
I purchased my pump online and got the case plus an extra goodie, and free shipping. I purchased from healthchecksystems.com
In the package I received:
-the pump, tubes, diaphrams, flanges, tubes, and all parts necessary to run the machine
-extra valves (i'm told these are fragile so its nice they included extras but i haven't had one break on me yet...)
-a mini color bag, 3 ice packs, 6 bottles and tops
EXTRA i got:
-comfort cover for the flange (this was nice in the beginning but now that i'm pumping more and used to the suction i don't really use it)
Using the machine:
There are 2 knobs on the machine one controls the length of suction, the other controls the strength of suction.
The way that the pump works ensures that there is NEVER any milk backing up into the tubes or motor. (One less thing to clean which is always good in my book, especially with a new baby) If i had known this I MAY have considered buying a used motor and purchasing all the parts of the machine that touched milk new!!! But again, i am a new mom and was unsure how these things worked... plus i had read in other reviews of the medela that milk would back into the tubes (often?) so I was very skeptical.. I even looked at my co-workers medela and saw dried milk in the tubes. The tubes are so thin how would you even clean them!?!?
This is a dual machine, but in the beginning I was only pumping one breast at a time. To do this you simply disconnect one of the tubes and close the valve to the machine. (EASY!) Once I got the hang of the suction and strength and what I could tolerate or not...I started dual pumping...
Controls are easy to manipulate even if dual pumping. In the instruction manual it gives you a tip to hold one flange in the crook of your arm and hold the other flange in the hand of your same arm so you can have one hand free to work the controls. I will probably order a breast pumping bra for use at work but if I wasn't going to be pumping at work I'd probably just continue using this method.
I haven't tried using the pump on batteries yet so i'm unsure how it works with that.
Initially, I unpacked and repacked the pump every time i used it, and set up and break down was really QUICK! but I got tired of doing this at night when I really just wanted to sleep so I set up a permanent place for it near my bed.
Washing/Cleaning:
Washing the flanges can be a little tricky because they have narrow openings, but I use the bottle brush i bought (for the baby's bottles) and its makes it much easier to clean. I also wash immediately after use to ensure that milk doesn't get stuck/dry inside of them. I also try to put them through the dishwasher once a week to get a really thorough cleaning.
It also says to always had was the valves and don't use sponges on them since they're so fragile, which i've always done and as i've said before they haven't broken on me yet...(been pumping irregularly for about 1.5 months)
Noise:
It doesn't seem to make much noise to me and i can even use it while my baby sleeps (but to be fair he is a really good sleeper, yes yes i know i'm lucky!) I've never seen/used another pump so i have no comparison....
Carry all:
The carry all doesn't have much room in it EXCEPT for the pump and its supplies. (I also squeeze a box of freezer bags in there too) I could probably fit my cell phone and wallet in the side pockets but that is probably the extent of it.
It would have been nice to be a smidge bigger in case I needed to put other stuff in it and not have to carry ANOTHER bag.
Other stuff to note:
Regarding pain while pumping... I only experience pain if my child happened to be really rough during one feeding and that is more sensitivity than pain (if this happens i use the comfort cover on the flange or just avoid pumping that day). I have never turned the suction over halfway other than to see how it felt and that was a bit painful but i never need to go higher to get milk, (i'm usually able to get 3 ounces or more per breast in less than 15 minutes more if I haven't Breast fed in a while) I think the fact that you're able to adjust the suction when you're ready for it also contributes to the fact that i've never really felt pain while pumping...
The pump also has a place for you to set both bottles in if your preparing to pump or just finished which i've found to be very handy. Especially when the baby starts fussing/crying unexpectedly and I have to stop pumping really quick. The holders are fairly deep so even if I bump the table the bottles don't tip over and spill all the milk i just pumped!
All in all a great product (i've also read when you do have problems that their customer service is great, but i haven't experienced that myself...)
Update
With the recent scare of BPA products in plastic I wanted to find out if the AMEDA products did indeed have BPA in them.
Initially I emailed the company. I never received a response from them (I waited 3 days).
Today I called the 800 help line. There was no hold time! When I asked about BPA the representative was up front and said yes their nottles do contain the BPA. She went on to inform me about how BPA is only transfered during REALLY high heating of the contents, and according to her you don't normally do to this to breast milk.
I also inquired about the other parts of the pump... (The flanges) and she said yes, but again the flanges aren't heated during use and shouldn't contaminate the milk. She was very helpful (although i think she was eating her lunch while talking to me, i could hear her chewing on something anyway... didn't bother me too much!)
Since i found out about the BPA in the bottles and i DO heat my breast milk in hot water (probably not high enough to release the BPA but i'd rather be safe than sorry). i decided to invest in some glass ones. The evenflo 4oz glass bottles (original style) actually fit on the flanges. so i pump directly into glass bottles now. they are a bit heavier but i think its worth it. The bottles were only 1.79 each at lullaby lane.
So, my experience with support? pretty good, just annoyed they didn't answer my email. But the lady on the phone was nice (even if she was talking w/ her mouth full.. to be fair i did call around lunchtime) and i got the information i needed, and even better? No hold time.
