Avent Isis Breast Pump with 2 Bottels
- Brand: Philips AVENT
- Nursing and Feeding Type: Breast Pumps
- Type: Nursing and Feeding
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User-Friendly Manual Pump
Pros
Easy use and cleaning, lightweight, compact, flexible, effective, quiet and requires only one hand.
Cons
Occasional squeaking, pumps only one side, rare minor leaks.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
While it is on the higher end of the price range for manual pumps, the ease, comfort, convenience, and effectiveness of this pump make it worth every penny.
Trying to choose a breast pump, like so many other baby products, is a very difficult decision. No one wants to buy more than one, since even the inexpensive pumps are still around $30 - not bad for a single purchase, but not something you want to repeat. There are many options, and choosing the correct one can require a lot of thought and careful consideration.
Before trying to choose a breast pump, consider the following:
1. How often will you be pumping?
2. Do you want electric or manual?
3. Do you want to be able to pump both sides at once, or is a single pump sufficient for your needs?
If you are pumping regularly, such as in the case of a working mother, a sick infant, or an infant who is otherwise unable to nurse, you'd be better off with a double electric pump, either purchasing a high-end personal one,such as the Medela Pump-in-Style, or renting a hospital grade pump, such as the Medela Symphony or the Lactina. These pumps can make things faster and easier on your hands, but they're hard on the wallet, with the Pump-in-Style starting around $260, and paying a monthly rental fee, while less of an up-front cost, will run about the same as purchasing a pump if you pump for a full year or more.
For occasional pumping, a lower-end electric or manual pump is usually sufficient. There are a variety of electric pumps from brands such as The First Years and Playtex that start at around $80 for double pumps and $60 for single pumps. Manual pumps typically run in the price range of $30-$40.
Item Description:
The Avent Isis Breast Pump (also sold from some retailers as simply Philips Avent Manual Breast Pump) is a BPA-free, single pump that can be used with only one hand.
The pump is made up of 7 parts:
1. the body of the pump, the funnel like part attached that screws onto the bottle
2. silicone massage cushion that fits over the plastic funnel of the pump body, designed to encourage let-down by gently massaging the breast while pumping
3. silicone diaphragm that is placed into the pump body
4. small white valve that fits into the pump body from underneath
5. pump handle
6. pump cover, a white plastic dome that snaps over the pump body where the handle attaches to the silicone diaphragm
7. funnel cover and stand, a plastic disc that can either snap onto the opening of the funnel to keep everything sterile and clean, or in which you can set the bottle to keep the pump from falling over
The handle of the pump is used like a lever. Once let-down is initiated by rapidly pumping 5-6 times, only occasional pumping is required (every 2-3 seconds,) as the suction of the pump can draw out milk without constant pumping.
My Experience:
With my first son, I experienced milk supply difficulties and used a variety of pumps. I first used a Lactina pump while in the hospital after my son's birth. I then used the manual Medela pump that came with the accessories for the Lactina that I used in the hospital. It was a plunger style pump that required two hands to use. I then rented another Lactina pump from a pharmacy. Eventually I ended up using a Medela Pump-in-Style.
Despite the wide variety, I did not like a single pump I used. The manual I tried was difficult to use, and, since it required two hands, it was extremely inconvenient. For the electric pumps, I found all of them to be uncomfortable and ineffective. They were noisy, heavy, and difficult to clean.
This time, I was determined to find something different, so before my son was born, I ordered the Avent Isis BPA-Free Breast Pump. While in the hospital and my son was in the NICU unable to nurse, I used the Medela Symphony. It was far quieter than the electric pumps I'd used before, but I still found the intensity and frequency of the suction uncomfortable and difficult to adjust. Once we were home for a few weeks and my supply was established, I pulled out my Avent ISIS and gave it a try.
I fell in love.
The pump is so easy to assemble and comes with a plethora of extra parts for the inevitable time when a tiny valve will get dropped down the sink. Once the pump is assembled, using it is simple. The "petals" on the silicone massage cushion seems to really encourage let-down by flexing in and out as you pump. It does usually take a few bursts of 5-6 pumps to stimulate let-down. Once let-down occurs, I can usually just hold the handle down and let the milk flow, pumping once every 20 seconds or so when the flow slows. After about 10 minutes, I usually have a full bottle, but the amount you pump varies greatly for every mother.
Cleaning the pump is a snap. I either leave the milk in the bottle into which I pumped and close the bottle with the sealing disc and ring that come with the pump, or I transfer it to another container. (I use the Avent VIA cups. You can also pump directly into and feed from these containers using the adaptors sold with the VIA Storage System.) The pump then easily and quickly comes apart. All parts can be hand-washed in hot water or put in the dishwasher. It usually takes me less than 3 minutes to empty, disassemble, and clean the pump.
Compared to all of the pumps that I've tried, even including the Medela Symphony (which costs $1575,) I've been most pleased with my Avent Isis Breast Pump. Not a single other pump could match the ease of use, ease of cleaning, comfort, effectiveness, and flexibility of the Avent.
Overall:
The Good:
+ Great control over the frequency of pumping, easily adjustable to fit how your milk is flowing on any given day
+ Fantastic control over intensity of suction - depress the handle only so far as is necessary to achieve comfortable and effective suction.
+ Easy to assemble and disassemble
+ Easy to clean
+ Quiet
+ Light for easy travel
+ Compact for easy travel
+ Includes extra parts
+ One-handed pumping
The Bad:
- Handle occasionally squeaks. Usually taking it off and putting it back on fixes this.
- Includes only 4 oz bottle, which may not be large enough.
- Milk can seep in between the massaging cushion and the pump funnel, sometimes dripping and making a mess.
- Only pumps one side at a time.
- Requires you to do the work. While typically milk flows without a lot of effort, your hand can become tired.
- Cushion seems to occasionally cause the pump to lose suction.
Before trying to choose a breast pump, consider the following:
1. How often will you be pumping?
2. Do you want electric or manual?
3. Do you want to be able to pump both sides at once, or is a single pump sufficient for your needs?
If you are pumping regularly, such as in the case of a working mother, a sick infant, or an infant who is otherwise unable to nurse, you'd be better off with a double electric pump, either purchasing a high-end personal one,such as the Medela Pump-in-Style, or renting a hospital grade pump, such as the Medela Symphony or the Lactina. These pumps can make things faster and easier on your hands, but they're hard on the wallet, with the Pump-in-Style starting around $260, and paying a monthly rental fee, while less of an up-front cost, will run about the same as purchasing a pump if you pump for a full year or more.
For occasional pumping, a lower-end electric or manual pump is usually sufficient. There are a variety of electric pumps from brands such as The First Years and Playtex that start at around $80 for double pumps and $60 for single pumps. Manual pumps typically run in the price range of $30-$40.
Item Description:
The Avent Isis Breast Pump (also sold from some retailers as simply Philips Avent Manual Breast Pump) is a BPA-free, single pump that can be used with only one hand.
The pump is made up of 7 parts:
1. the body of the pump, the funnel like part attached that screws onto the bottle
2. silicone massage cushion that fits over the plastic funnel of the pump body, designed to encourage let-down by gently massaging the breast while pumping
3. silicone diaphragm that is placed into the pump body
4. small white valve that fits into the pump body from underneath
5. pump handle
6. pump cover, a white plastic dome that snaps over the pump body where the handle attaches to the silicone diaphragm
7. funnel cover and stand, a plastic disc that can either snap onto the opening of the funnel to keep everything sterile and clean, or in which you can set the bottle to keep the pump from falling over
The handle of the pump is used like a lever. Once let-down is initiated by rapidly pumping 5-6 times, only occasional pumping is required (every 2-3 seconds,) as the suction of the pump can draw out milk without constant pumping.
My Experience:
With my first son, I experienced milk supply difficulties and used a variety of pumps. I first used a Lactina pump while in the hospital after my son's birth. I then used the manual Medela pump that came with the accessories for the Lactina that I used in the hospital. It was a plunger style pump that required two hands to use. I then rented another Lactina pump from a pharmacy. Eventually I ended up using a Medela Pump-in-Style.
Despite the wide variety, I did not like a single pump I used. The manual I tried was difficult to use, and, since it required two hands, it was extremely inconvenient. For the electric pumps, I found all of them to be uncomfortable and ineffective. They were noisy, heavy, and difficult to clean.
This time, I was determined to find something different, so before my son was born, I ordered the Avent Isis BPA-Free Breast Pump. While in the hospital and my son was in the NICU unable to nurse, I used the Medela Symphony. It was far quieter than the electric pumps I'd used before, but I still found the intensity and frequency of the suction uncomfortable and difficult to adjust. Once we were home for a few weeks and my supply was established, I pulled out my Avent ISIS and gave it a try.
I fell in love.
The pump is so easy to assemble and comes with a plethora of extra parts for the inevitable time when a tiny valve will get dropped down the sink. Once the pump is assembled, using it is simple. The "petals" on the silicone massage cushion seems to really encourage let-down by flexing in and out as you pump. It does usually take a few bursts of 5-6 pumps to stimulate let-down. Once let-down occurs, I can usually just hold the handle down and let the milk flow, pumping once every 20 seconds or so when the flow slows. After about 10 minutes, I usually have a full bottle, but the amount you pump varies greatly for every mother.
Cleaning the pump is a snap. I either leave the milk in the bottle into which I pumped and close the bottle with the sealing disc and ring that come with the pump, or I transfer it to another container. (I use the Avent VIA cups. You can also pump directly into and feed from these containers using the adaptors sold with the VIA Storage System.) The pump then easily and quickly comes apart. All parts can be hand-washed in hot water or put in the dishwasher. It usually takes me less than 3 minutes to empty, disassemble, and clean the pump.
Compared to all of the pumps that I've tried, even including the Medela Symphony (which costs $1575,) I've been most pleased with my Avent Isis Breast Pump. Not a single other pump could match the ease of use, ease of cleaning, comfort, effectiveness, and flexibility of the Avent.
Overall:
The Good:
+ Great control over the frequency of pumping, easily adjustable to fit how your milk is flowing on any given day
+ Fantastic control over intensity of suction - depress the handle only so far as is necessary to achieve comfortable and effective suction.
+ Easy to assemble and disassemble
+ Easy to clean
+ Quiet
+ Light for easy travel
+ Compact for easy travel
+ Includes extra parts
+ One-handed pumping
The Bad:
- Handle occasionally squeaks. Usually taking it off and putting it back on fixes this.
- Includes only 4 oz bottle, which may not be large enough.
- Milk can seep in between the massaging cushion and the pump funnel, sometimes dripping and making a mess.
- Only pumps one side at a time.
- Requires you to do the work. While typically milk flows without a lot of effort, your hand can become tired.
- Cushion seems to occasionally cause the pump to lose suction.
