Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump - Carry All

I've been using this pump for four weeks now and I love it. My son has trouble latching on so I've been exclusively pumping (roughly 12 times a day ) and the pump is perfect. It's comfortable and easy to use. Make sure the "cycle" is turned all the way up, then when your milk starts flowing, turn it down to the lowest setting for maximum milk expression.*** Most hospitals use a professional AMEDA pump. When I gave birth I started pumping right away in the hospital. They give you their pump to use and a new package of "parts" (two bottles, tubing, and flanges). KEEP THEM! They fit with this pump as well. Then you can have two sets so you don't have to wash as much. It is so much less work for me since I pump so much and now I don't need to wash the parts as much.Most of the parts are dishwasher safe. There are two tiny plastic pieces that must be hand-washed, but that takes seconds because they are so small.The machine does make noise when it's on, but it can easily be muffled by a pillow or blanket. Sometimes I don't even use anything, even in the middle of the night when I pump in bed next to my husband.*** Like most new moms, I thought breast feeding would be easy and natural, but my son has a really hard time latching on. I would have had to feed him formula and everyone knows breast milk is the best option (if available). But breast feeding is NOT easy and does NOT come naturally to every mom or every baby. Keep that in mind if you are thinking about a hand pump. Double electric is the only way to go if you plan on going back to work or pumping frequently.I really like this pump and I recommend it highly. Happy pumping.

As with many new moms, I considered both the Ameda Purely Yours and the Medela Pump in Style when choosing a personal use breast pump. I ultimately chose the Ameda over the Medela because of the Ameda having a design that prevents milk or moisture from entering the motor and causing mold to grow; I had heard this is possible with the Medela. I was, however, concerned about the performance of the Ameda, since I had read many reviews that said that their APY started having problems after several months, but had also read that customer service was very good about sending replacements.I have now been using this pump for almost 6 months. Over that time span, I have, on average, probably used this pump once a day. About 90% of the time I use it to pump one side, usually in the morning. I initially used it to build up a freezer stash while on maternity leave. Since returning to work, I use it to extract extra milk on the days I am not working (since I usually don't get enough just from pumping sessions at work), to replace feedings my baby takes when I have been away from him, and now to extract milk to mix with baby cereal. My employer provides Medela Lactina hospital grade pumps, so I use those when I am at work.I have found that the Ameda Purely Yours has been a great choice for this level of use. I find the Ameda parts easier to assemble and clean than the Medela parts, mostly due to the one piece breast shield style and one piece valves. I haven't used a Medela Pump in Style, but I would guess I get a similar amount as what I get with the Ameda Purely Yours. My Ameda doesn't yield as much as I can get with the Lactina pumps at work, and it does take longer to finish pumping, but I would expect that difference from a personal use vs. hospital grade pump. One day I worked from home, and definitely got less milk and required more pumping sessions with my Ameda than I usually do when I am at work.I have noticed that sometimes the tubes don't create as tight a seal as I would like when clipping them to the pumping horns and I can hear air hissing out while pumping. I also notice now that the little diaphragms that keep milk from entering the tubes now sometimes have trouble fully flexing with the pumping cycle and stay in the collapsed state as my pumping session progresses. I am wondering if, like valves, they are a maintenance item requiring replacement. I haven't had to buy any new valves yet. I have had some motor problems where now, if I turn the suction past 2/3 to 3/4 the way up, the motor eventually conks out and I have to turn it off and wait a few minutes before using it again. But it is not enough of an annoyance for me to request an exchange, as I usually now only turn it up to 2/3 the maximum suction, which works fine for me.The pump comes with six milk storage bottles, which is very nice, though each bottle holds an ounce or so less than the Medela bottles. I have used the Ameda and Medela bottles interchangeably with both pumps, though the Ameda connector is slightly smaller than Medela. I don't really like the caps for the Ameda bottles, since they come in two pieces: one that screws onto the bottle, and one that holds a disc over the opening. I prefer the one piece Medela caps. The cooler tote that comes with the pump is great, and I use it daily to bring milk to work and day care. The cooler is also the perfect size for laid flat Lansinoh milk storage bags, so I can easily flat-freeze bags of milk after my pumping sessions at work.I have no regrets about having chosen the Ameda Purely Yours for a casual use at-home pump, as it serves this purpose just fine. If I didn't have access to hospital grade pumps at work, I would probably opt to rent (or possibly buy) a hospital grade pump. I find being able to achieve maximum milk extraction at fast speed to be very valuable for a working mom who wants to keep up her supply and provide her baby with the most breast milk possible. For me personally, that would be worth the extra expense over a personal use pump like the Ameda Purely Yours or Medela PIS.

I began researching for a breast pump almost the instant I became pregnant because I was going back to work about 8 wks after delivering. I immediately researched Medela since that is all I had heard about. Then I came to Amazon...thank goodness for choices and peoples opinions. I ended up with the Ameda for the price and positive user reviews.I have been using the pump on and off for about 6 weeks and the best thing about this pump is the ease of cleaning. Your milk does not go through hoops and bounds to get into the collection bottle/bag so you are getting mostly all of what you pump. And in the early stages of baby's life, while you are establishing your milk supply, EVERY bit counts.I almost didnt purchase the pump because of all the complaints about the noise. I find the noise normal for a machine this size. Its small/compact and is does an amazing and QUICK job of collecting milk. I have pumped in my bedroom with my daughter fast asleep. Do not let the complaints about noise deter you from buying.I'm not back to work so I cannot comment on the ease of traveling with the pump but I can say that a lot fits into the compact bag. There is a cooler enclosed square pack that comes with 6-4oz bottles with sealed caps, the pump accessories and I even put the Playtex drop-ins and adapter in there. Really cute bag. Worth the price and the countless hours online reading reviews!