I always carried an extra set of tubing and several membranes in breast pump bag, just in case I had any issues. Needless to say, I only had to change my membranes(the white flaps) a few times. One time I had to replace a set of valves after my oldest son, knocked one of my flanges off of the kitchen counter. When the breast shield landed on the floor the valve cracked. I didn’t notice the crack until I had to use my breast pump the next day. The broken made a huge impact on the amount of milk that I was able to pump and my breast pump was’t working properly. It lost some of its suction and it was making a weird sounding noise. I took my breast shields off the bottles and examined my valves, this is when I noticed that it was cracked(it was not a huge crack either). After I replaced my valves, I no longer had any more problems with the suction on my breast pump.
My favorite feature on my breast pump was the one- touch let down feature. When I first started using my breast pump, I thought that you had to turn off the pump and turn it back on in order to return to the faster pumping phase. While pumping one afternoon, I was reading the manual (gasp!) and discovered what that mysterious looking button on my breast pump was (The button next to the down arrow with the drops under it). You can press this button to switch between the 2-phase technology phases.
Cons
Medela Pump in Style breast pump is a open motor system and this is the only down fall that I wish I knew about when I made my decision about my breast pump purchase. If I had to do it all over again, I would look into purchasing a breast pump that has a closed motor system, such as the Ameda Purely Yours Ultra breast pump. I have heard of users of the pump in style, getting mold growth in the motor and on the diaphragm. I took my plate cover off after I had pumped a year and I didn’t see any mold growth.
Does Breast Pump Sticker Shock Leave You Gasping?
I know that some moms are worried about the initial sticker shock of the price of a good quality breast pump. When choosing a breast pump, remember “you get what you pay for.” If you purchase a cheaper model you might end up replacing it if you plan on using your breast pump multiple times a day. For a period of time, I was using my breast pump 4 times a day and my pump was still going strong after 14 months of use. However, the cost of a heavy duty breast pump is cheaper than formula. An average can of formula costs around $20, an average month you could easily use 6-10 depending on the size of the formula can and how much formula your child drinks on an average day.
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