My insurance covers various pumps including Medela PISA, Ameda, Spectra... There seems to be a lot of HBers who like the Medela PISA so I figured I'd go with that. I went to finish my registry/ies today and thought that by knowing what pump I'd have would make narrowing down the bottle choices significantly more.. Yeah, not so much. I know the PISA has bottles and bags that can be pumped into. I like the bags but how do I know where to go from there? Can the bags be used for anything or just for storage? Are there bottles they work with? Or are there bottles that the PISA work with? I'm completely stuck on this (well, and a couple other registry areas lol)!
-
I used an Ameda pump for LO 1 and it worked well with all kinds of bottles. (Ameda, Evenflo, Medela) I used a Medela Freestyle for LO 2 and I think it worked the best with Medela bottles..my Ameda bottles never screwed on tightly.
I used bags for freezing BM flat. My favorite brand was Honeysuckle!
-
I had the Ameda but I'm guessing the PISA works with the standard Dr Browns bottles (the Ameda did). But I hate Dr Browns because of all the parts. We used tommee tippee and just bought pump adapters so they were able to screw on. It worked well.
ETA: You should definitely also get bag adapters and bags with the holes at the top to be used with the adapters. That way you can hang the bags and don't have to hold them on.
-
@autumnlove: @lawbee11: Now you guys are making me consider Ameda! I saw Purely Yours Ultra and Express as my options. Did you choose Ameda over Medela or was it an insurance thing?
Sounds like almost all the bottles are interchangeable? What are pump adapters?
-
@LindsayInNY: the pisa works with several kinds of bottles. I honestly just used the medela bottles. You can get a nipple attachment and it works great. It was easy and then I didn't have to worry about other bottles!. Dr browns also works and some other ones too.
-
@LindsayInNY: Ameda was my only option. I'm not sure which type it was. I'm guessing Ultra because it had a lot of extras like a cool carrying bag and freezer bag, freezers packs, bottles, etc. Usually the breast pumps are compatible with any standard neck bottle. Tommee tippee bottles have a wide neck, but you can buy adapters that screw onto the flanges, then you screw the bottle on to the adapter. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Tommee-Tippee-Breast-Pump-Adaptor/dp/B00CXVLV20
-
I actually use the Playtex Nurser Drop-Ins bottles. I pump into the Medela bottles that came with the pump, then dump into the bottle liners or Lansinoh storage bags. Seems like a lot of work/not efficient, but I love the bottles and its worth it to me. I know a few other HB-ers do the same thing.
I don't wash the pump bottles after every pump, just toss them in the fridge and wash them once a day. It's not extra work since I need to wash my other pump parts anyway.
-
I EPed with a PISA so I needed a shit ton of storage bottles and the medela ones got $$$ fast. So I used the cheapo gerber ones that fit perfectly with dr brown travel caps. Worked like a charm for a fraction of the price. I pumped into gerbers (or medelas depending on what i had), stored them in the fridge then poured into my Avent bottles when it got time to feed Dd.
-
I found that the Medela ones fit (obviously lol), the Avent and Evenflo.
-
Yup pretty much any standard bottle will fit medela. Then just dump into bags of choice for freezing or bottles of choice for feeding. I liked Lansinoh bags
-
I use the Gerber bottles for pumping and feeding. Easy!
-
@Mrs. Coral: I did the same thing.
Because I used the playtex drop ins, I just pumped into any bottles that came with the Ameda pump which is what I used. I also used some medela ones that seemed to fit perfectly onto my pump as well. It seems like there's an extra step but I was usually combining milk from pumping sessions anyway, so I never really thought of it as extra work.
Since you asked about Ameda vs. Medela pumps, I found the Medela more comfortable but ultimately, chose the Ameda because it was a little easier to clean. I never had to worry about moisture in the tubing. -
I agree with @T.H.O.U.: that you can use your PISA to pump into whatever bottle you want pretty much (I used the medelas that I got) and then transfer the milk to a freezer bag when you're done. I did the whole pump directly in the bag thing for quite awhile but honestly found this easier in the end. FWIW I really liked my PISA.
-
I'm using a PISA now and I pump into medela and dr brown bottles. The dr brown fit but it's not a tight screw on so it pops off a lot when I'm taking the flange out of my hands free pumping bra.
I used the ameda with my first and liked it just fine. But towards the end at 13m I was barely getting an ounce. I thought it was my supply but I wonder sometimes of it was the pump. I do love that it was a closed system. I'm forever getting moisture back into the medela tubings -
I just use the medela bottles. And I've used both medela and lansinoh storage bags. I never pumped directly into the bags, but I don't get that much when I pump and I always froze about 5 oz at a time.
-
Like many other people have said, I just pump using my PISA into Medela bottles. If I'm keeping the pumped milk to use in the next couple days, I just put the bottle in the fridge, but if I'm saving it in the freezer, I transfer to a Lansinoh storage bag. My DD is only 7 weeks old so I don't know how the re-transfer from bag to bottle will go, but it seems like it should be simple enough.
And my girl didn't have any trouble with the Medela bottles and nipples, but I know lots of folks have to try multiple different types to find one their kiddo likes.
-
@LindsayInNY: I have the PISA and wanted to use glass bottles to feed. My son does about 1-2 bottle feedings a day and the rest BF. I found that, like mentioned above, many bottles work with the pump, BUT Lifefactory glass bottles didn't. They wouldn't screw on well, and the suction was impacted. My son ended up not liking the nipple that came with Lifefactory anyway, but I wish I'd known in advance that they weren't the best fit. FWIW if you want to use glass, Dr. Brown's glass work perfectly with the PISA.
As for the bags, I sometimes pump directly into them and then freeze. I personally defrost the milk in the bags and then cut the tops off the bags to pour into a bottle. It works well for me!
-
I had an Ameda and I used Playtex Nursers with the drop in liners. I pumped into the Ameda bottles and froze flat in the Lansinoh bags. Register for lots of extra pump bottles so you don't have to wash as often.
Also, I pumped into bags on Fridays since I was freezing that milk and used rubber bands it hold them on the flanges. And I highly recommend keeping an emergency box of bags at work just in case you forget bottles.
-
We used the Medela bottles for pumping and storage. We had some Comotomo that we used for feeding.
-
Whatever you do, don't use the lanisoh bags, they leak! I like Nuk bags and Dr brown bottles.
-
I never had an issue with my Lansinoh bags but they were pretty expensive. Target's Up and Up bags are very similar and way cheaper. Just an FYI.
-
I have a PISA and pump directly into Avent bottles, since that's what my LO uses. I bought the conversion kit to be able to pump into the Avent bottles, since they are wider than the Medela bottles. Soooo convenient since I can just pump into the bottles and send those same bottles to daycare the next day. For freezing, I just pour into bags from the bottles - that way I know exactly how much I'm freezing.
Conversion kit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005BXEY/
-
I had the PISA and pumped into the Medela bottles and used their storage system (the caps with days and AM/PM). Then I poured what I needed into DR Brown bottles because I hated the Medela nipples.
BUT in hind sight I probably should have pumped right into the Dr Brown bottles. It would have saved so much space and dishwashing! -
@marionberry: Didn't think of Target for bags - that's a good option too!
-
@Mrs.Someone: @marionberry: @LindsayInNY: my daycare lady swears they all leak but Medela which I understand are super $$$. I just stored them flat and dealt with the leaking, although it was never every bag for me. I'd have 1 or 2 a week that would leak.
-
I almost EP (we nurse 1/day, even on the weekends) with a PISA and have figured out a system that I LOVE:
* Pump into Medela bottles with storage caps.
* At the end of the day, re-distribute the milk across the number bottles I'll need for the next day and just swap the storage caps for nipples. (Use the same bottles you pumped into)
* Bag any extra - I prefer Lansinoh bags. I hated the Medela ones.
* Put new, empty Medela bottles into my cooler bag for pumping tomorrow. REPEAT.If you can get LO to take the same bottle brand that you pump into (in my case, Medela bottles), you will cut your washing in half. It is wonderful!
ETA: it looks like a lot of other people in this thread already shared this method. I posted before reading, oops!
And my girl didn't have any trouble with the Medela bottles and nipples, but I know lots of folks have to try multiple different types to find one their kiddo likes.
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
25 comments