Hi Dana,
I have an Ameda Purely Yours backpack pump. It's great! I was trying to determine the difference between a Medela and Ameda but decided on the Ameda for a few reason. Also, my childbirth instructor also said there's no difference in quality between the two brands but Ameda is just less expensive. I found a great deal online with it so you'll just have to shop around for the best price. What price have you found? Also, their customer support is great as well! It's very easy to use as well. The backpack is great because it allows you to be hands free.
Here's a link (Baby Bungalow) to a web site that is selling it for $159 for the carry all and $179.35 for the backpack.
Here's another one. This is where I purchased mine... Quality Medical Supplies http://www.qualitymedicalsupplies.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc? They are offering $117 for the the pump dual kit without the carry or backpack, $137 for the carry all and $165 for the backpack. What a great deal!
You may also want to consider ebay as well. As you may know, the price differs significantly online and changes frequently as well.
In my opinion, an electric pump is definitely easier because it saved me time since the pump automatically pumped the milk out from both breasts at the same time. I didn't have a lot of time to spend away from my baby so I wanted to get it done as quick as possible.
Something you may want to consider is the hands free bra for your pump. They call it the pumping band. Check it out here: http://store.babycenter.com/product/feeding_nursing/breastfeeding/breast_feeding_accessories/3747?stage=all
Congrats to you for wanting to breastfeed!!!! Be prepared because the first two weeks will be the hardest, for me it was. My daughter will be a year at the end of this month and I'm still nursing and pumping. The first two weeks were extremely painful but hang in there becuase it will get better! It was very very hard to even imagine that it would get any better but it did after the 2nd week. Here's my advice of what you'll need, esp if you go through what I did. No one ever gave me this advice so I'm happy to share it with someone else. Be sure to purchase Lansinoh Lanolin http://www.lansinoh.com/index.php?src=directory&view=Products&srctype=display&back=Products&id=19&category=Topical+Treatments&pos=0,10,1
I used that on my sore nipples and seemed to help heal them pretty well, especially when they were raw.
The other that you'll need is breast pads. My recommendation is Lansinoh Nursing Pads. I used the disposable ones and Lansinoh holds the breastmilk leakage very well.
You can get these products at Walmart or Target or any pharmacy.
Another recommendation is Soothies. Oh my goodness, this helped me so much when my nipples felt like they held their own flame on each breast. These cooled down my nipples/breasts and were so awesome! Here's what they look like: I found mine at CVS pharmacy but couldn't find them at Walmart nor Target. http://soothies.com/ or you can purchase them from http://www.motherhoodnursing.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=44362004&Category_Id=2004. Stock up on these, they are so helpful! I think I purchased about 4 packs after the fact. They were so soothing.
You'll also need something to clean the bottles when someone else feeds your baby. Babies R Us has a good variety. Be sure it comes with the nipple brush as well.
I can't think of anything else at the moment that you'll need but I'm sure I'll think of something when I finish typing this message.
As far as a waste of money, it's hard to say. I tried the Lilypadz and in my opinion they were a waste because they didn't work and leaked anyway. http://www.lilypadz.com/index1.html
Be sure to visit the breastfeeding boards on ivillage and www.laleche.com boards. I highly recommend going to a laleche meeting in your area for assistance. The meetings are free and the women are awesome!You can find your nearest location at www.laleche.com
It's very important that your husband is supportive of your breatfeeding because I wanted to give up so bad but if it were not for my husband supporting me I would have given up after the first week. Yay! I'm going on one year and weaning her onto table foods now.
Feel free to email me with any questions!
Thanks,
Priscilla
Shurigiri@yahoo.com
