My pump

I own the Ameda Hollister "Purely Yours" breastpump. I have owned the pump for almost seven years, since my second son was born. It still works fine. Before Darth D. was born, I bought new plastic valves, but everything else I simply re-sterilized.

The only piece I have ever had to replace was, actually, one of the plastic valves. It ripped two months after Darth D. was born. The valves are kind of delicate, made of a thin plastic, and somewhat easy to tear after too much handling. But again, I got a lot of use out of those valves before I had to replace one--two months worth, pumping eight or nine times a day. And the valves themselves are really cheap; I bought four of them at the lactation services department at my local hospital for ten dollars.

The only nuisance about the Ameda pump is that the pump, and the parts for it, are not sold at baby stores around here. I had to drive to the hospital to get replacement parts and accessories, and the lactation services office does not keep great hours.

The Medela pump, and parts for it, seem to be sold at more stores like Target and Babies R Us. I have never really seen the Medela pump in action, though, so I don't know how good it is.

Obviously, cost is a factor when deciding what pump to get. Seven years ago, I paid $250.00 for the Ameda breastpump, and I thought it was a lot of money. I don't think the prices have changed that much, but believe me, the money was well worth it. I didn't have an electric breastpump with my first child, and I suffered greatly for it. But more on that later.

The important thing here is this: I would recommend the Ameda pump to anyone. But whatever pump you choose, if you can afford it, GET ONE. Get the best one you can possibly afford. You never know, before the baby is born, how long you will end up needing it.