I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?

My baby was born at the end of April via surprise c-section. Actually, I was not surprised that I had to have a c-section. I had a feeling that I was going to need one; I am five feet tall on a good day and the last ultrasound measured the baby at 7 lbs 11 oz. Sure, I’ve heard stories about people smaller than me pushing out larger babies- but my instincts told me that this was not in the cards. And after a failed induction, the doctors were inclined to agree. Anyway, I’m not sure how much of this had to do with the c-section, but it took forever for my milk to come in. We are not entirely sure that my milk had fully come in when I left the hospital four days after the baby was born. We also had a lot of trouble with the latch, and the baby and I were diagnosed with “difficult latch” and we were given a prescription for a breast pump.

A day after we arrived home from the hospital, the pump arrived at our home. We received an Ameda Purely Yours breast pump with the backpack.

At first, I did not really pump because the baby was using all the milk I had. I was producing enough milk, but not really any extra. But after about four weeks, we encountered a horrible bout of cluster feeding. After three hours of constant feeding, we were both tired and sore and frustrated. We tried supplementing with one of the little bottles of formula that the hospital sent us home with. My little darling eagerly gulped down the entire ounce and a half and then promptly fell asleep for four hours.

We have fallen into a comfortable routine. My baby nurses all day long, but we replace her last feeding of the day with a bottle of formula. I try to drink as much water as possible, and I have tried other things like eating oatmeal as well, but it seems like my milk supply diminishes during the day. Supplementing helps fill her belly and she sleeps through the night. But doing this leaves me with a missed breastfeeding, so every night, I use the pump so that my body will not count the feeding as missed and produce less milk.

The pump is very easy to use. It plugs into the wall, but it can also use batteries- and the backpack version even comes with an car adapter as well.

Getting Ready To Use the Pump
Before each and every pumping session, there is a bit of assembly required. First, take the clean “flange” (horn) and put a diaphragm on the top and a white valve on the bottom. Then, screw a collection bottle onto the bottom.

Then, the adapter kit goes on top of the horn; this cap connects to the tubing that connects to the breast pump via another adapter that allows for single or double pumping. The piece that connects the tubing to the pump has two holes. If you are only using one horn, you simply cap off the other connector. If you are going to double pump, you simply hook up another piece of tubing. I tend to leave the adapter cap hooked up to the tubing so that I am not disrupting the tubing seal.

Using the Pump
I have found that this pump collects milk very quickly. I can empty a side in about ten minutes- perhaps even a little less than that. The pump has dials that adjust the cycles and suction. Simply place the horn against the breast and adjust the dials as needed. The suction in the pump draws the milk out- through the horn- and into the collection bottle.

I often find myself having having to stop and adjust myself. I don’t know if this is a “me” issue or if this is a pump issue. I will say that once I have gotten a comfortable position, I am good to go- no need for further adjustment. When everything is positioned correctly, the pumping process is painless. If I am feeling discomfort, it is usually because I am not positioned correctly.

The collection bottles are made out of sturdy plastic and they hold four ounces of milk. It would be nice if they held a little more, but honestly, I usually don’t get too much more than 2.5 oz of milk from each side when I pump. The collection bottles do have this weird two piece cap with a plastic disk and then a piece that goes over the disk and screws onto the bottle. The disk needs to be placed with the number side down. My husband had been bottling up the milk, and I learned this the hard way about the number having to be face-down when I went to shake up the milk, and I got splashed. Yikes!

The pump is set up so that there is no way of milk backing up into the tubing or parts. This makes cleaning a lot easier!

Speaking of cleaning, the parts are very easy to clean. I clean the horns with soap and water and I also put them in my Avent Sterilizers. I handwash the valves with a little bit of soap and then let them dry on the drying rack. The other parts do not really get washed.

Extras
I am not sure exactly how many extra valves and diaphragms, etc. came with the pump because I also received an Ameda hand pump in the hospital that came with its own valve and horn, etc., but there are some extras that come with the Purely Yours.

First, there is a backpack. The backpack has a zippered compartment on the bottom where the pump can be stored. There is a larger compartment where bottles and other materials can be stored. There is even a pouch on the side for a bottle.

The set also includes an insulated tote with three thin rectangular cold bags that fit into the lengthwise sides and the bottom. We have used the tote to transport milk when we drove from Massachusetts to New Jersey. The milk stayed very cold, even though this was the middle of the summer!

Spare Parts
The one downside to this pump is that spare parts are not readily available in stores. I have seen Medela parts in Babies R Us and even Target, but there does not seem to be any comparable place that sells Ameda products. Their website has a list of internet retailers and a search option to look for local stores that sell Ameda replacement parts, but it would be nice to be able to pick up some spare parts while doing a shop for the family.

Final Thoughts
I am very pleased with the Ameda pump. It works quickly and efficiently and it does not hurt. I like that I can pump two sides at the same time, but I usually stick with one at a time. The Ameda pump has helped us immensely and this is a product I would not hesitate to buy. Without it, my milk supply would be compromised because of the missed feeding at the end of the day. I am very pleased with Ameda, and even though spare parts are not as readily available as they are for the Medela, I would recommend this pump to other women.