I heard that Medela was the best and they gave me one in the hospital but my friend gave me an Avent and I just want to tell anyone pumping out there that it is amazing! It has little rubber grippers that massage the breast to stimulate flow and add to comfort while pumping. Just putting it out there!

Congrats, Mary,
Are you breastfeeding little Jack while he's in the hospital? Good for you.

Sarah (Raising Boys) was pumping until very recently. I don't know which pump she was using.

I pumped, too, but I don't remember which brand of pump I used. I pumped for the first 10 months or so. It was worth it.

I never used the Avent. I used the Medela Pump in Style and it was very effective!

It really all depends on how much you're going to be using it. If you're just using it occassionally, I've heard that most brands are fine and a single pump will do the job. However, if you're going to be pumping on a regular basis, multiple times per day, you want something heavy-duty. I used the Pump in Style as well once I returned to work. It's a double pump, and the case has a built in cooler and zipper openings for all the parts. And you can plug it into a wall or use a battery case. I pumped for 9 months, 2-3 times a day, and it worked great.

Oh, and I'll add, it's more expensive, but totally worth the money if you're going to use it a lot.

A good pump is expensive $300. However, so worth it and less expensive than formula in the long term!

I pumped for 4 months with both of my girls. I found that the cheapo one from Safety First worked great. For about $30, it is a single pump and I never had any problems. I like that it's portable...uses 4 AA batteries when the DC cord isn't plugged it. Which is great if you are out of your element and need to sneak a quickie in a restroom or the car (both of which I've had to do)