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donnabrown
07-13-2000, 10:20 AM
I'm awaiting the birth of my daughter (and waiting, and waiting, and waiting....you all know the drill!), and have been given the Avent Isis as a gift. I will be a stay-at-home mom, so I figure my pumping needs will be more for convenience than necessity. Does anyone who has used the Isis have any pointers/advice? This is our first child, and there's SO much to learn. Thanks!

Suey68
07-16-2000, 08:41 AM
I love the Isis and it's great for stay-at-home-moms. I used it during the 3 months of my maternity leave. When I went back to work, I found that it wasn't fast enough -- since you can only pump one side at a time. I'm in the process of buying an electric to use at work. But if you're at home, and don't need to pump all the time, I think you'll love it!!

I usually try to pump in the morning about 1-2 hours after I've fed baby (my baby is 3 mos. and goes 4 hours between feedings). In the beginning, you'll be nursing alot, so maybe try 30 minutes after a feeding!

I'd start pumping a couple weeks after the baby to build up a "stash" -- you never know when you might need/want to give a bottle. Also, I started giving our son bottle at 2 weeks. I know some say wait longer, but I wouldn't wait too much longer than 4 weeks. Also, a lactation consultant told me to give the baby at least 3 bottles a week to get him used to it.

GOOD LUCK!!

lchui
07-21-2000, 02:10 PM
When i first tried the pump I was discouraged - i got less than an oz after 10 minutes of pumping. Then i got a tip on the breastfeeding newsgroup to pump on one side while baby is on the other - it took some adjustments (baby and pump co-existing in front of me) but with baby's help, the milk flowed and i was able to get satisfactory results.

joodyjr
12-19-2000, 07:57 PM
I have been using the Isis occasionally and I love it. However, I'm currently waiting for my Purely Yours pump by Ameda for use when I'm at work. As much as I love my Isis, the Ameda will allow me to double pump and shortem my time, which at work is important. I was pretty fortunate that I didn't have any trouble working the Isis, I got great results the very first time. It's comfortable, and I've even managed to work it one-handed (sometimes). Cleaning is a snap too! I think for the price it can't be beat.

mimi
01-10-2001, 11:15 AM
I know it can be overwhelming...I have heard very good things about the Avent Isis. The best advice someone gave me was to find a good lactation consultant. They can help you with when to pump, when to start giving the bottle, etc. Each baby is an individual so I don't believe in any hard and fast rules. Congrats.

elaine
01-26-2001, 05:46 PM
I have been very successful with only the Avent Isis pump. My best tip for it: whenever you're a passenger on a car trip, you can pump - great if you're going to be busy as soon as you arrive, and someone else can feed the (now hungry) baby.

JakesMom
03-11-2001, 02:38 AM
This is a GREAT product! Dishwasher-safe, small, unobtrusive, and not too expensive to replace. I found it to be just as fast as the Pump In Style, and since I hated the electric pump action, was very happy to settle down with my $40ish Isis.

I would recommend that you keep an extra handy -- if you lose any of the parts, you'll need to replace the whole thing. It does come with two or three of one VERY important little silicone doodad, but once those are lost, you're in trouble. (Unless you can also breastfeed, but I couldn't.)

What I did (I went back to work after 5 weeks -- torturous!) was keep one Isis in my desk at work, a working model at home by the bed, and one new spare at home just in case.

I would also recommend that once your milk starts really coming regularly, you freeze small bottles (if you use Avent, just put those disk-tops on and label the bottles) in 3-oz amounts. (Leave at least 1oz of extra room -- the milk will expand & separate when it freezes.) The extra stash will really come in handy if you get sick and can't breastfeed, have to go out of town unexpectedly, or just have a rough period where your milk slows down. Our son was a slow drinker, and I'm ashamed of how much milk was wasted because he couldn't drink it and I assumed my milk flow would always be plentiful. Once he caught up with me and I got sick of always eating to keep my milk up, I found it great to "get ahead" a bit and freeze a few bottles here and there.

I will also second the suggestion of using a lactation consultant -- at home! They might visit you in the hospital, but frankly, half the people who come in your hospital room are there to palpitate your abdomen, check your nether regions, your pulse, and your boobs. No part of your body is your own, and while you will be ecstatic over your new bundle of joy, it will be hard to process what they're telling you about breastfeeding. Get a consultant to come visit you after you get home. The advice of a professional at this time is incredibly helpful, and you'll definitely get more out of it once you're comfortably at home.

If you do have problems with breastfeeding (milk supply, nipple flatness, weak suck), it really helps too to have that woman there by your side. (Mine called me almost daily for a week or so to offer moral support!) You will be a bundle of hormones and not thinking straight 100% of the time, and you may need that extra support if things don't go as smoothly as you hope or just take longer to synthesize.

Just remember that there is no one right way to feed your baby -- whether it's with breastmilk, formula or both -- and your baby will know he or she is beloved no matter how he or she is fed. And NOBODY should tell you how to do it, when to start or stop, or berate any choice you make (unless you're giving your kid whisky or something awful like that).

Good luck - enjoy that little blessing!
- Jodi

thomcatbob
03-15-2001, 12:59 PM
Jodi had some great tips especially about the lactation consultant. I bought the Avent Isis prior to delivery thinking it would suffice because I was a stay-at-home mom but due to some unforeseen problems with breastfeeding...it's not as easy as it seems...I have extensively used the Medela electric pump rented from the hospital. If I had known I was going to have to rely on pumping as often as I did, I would've purchased the Medela. The Avent does work great if you're only going to use it minimally.

Good luck with delivery and be sure to rely on your lactation consultant. I had some who worked with me for 8 weeks who were so supportive. I ended up breastfeeding and bottlefeeding which has worked out great for us.