Breastfeeding is a rewarding yet sometimes challenging task to take on and you'll find that having a breast pump can at times make things much simpler. While having a pump is not always a necessity it does come in handy when you're going somewhere without baby-or for those times when you become painfully engorged and baby is sound asleep. I breastfed my oldest child for a mere 6 wks before returning to work and during that time I had used -what I thought at the time was- a horrible yellow manual pump which was given to me by the lactation consultant after giving birth. Little did I know, the worst was yet to be encountered....

After the birth of my second child in July 2000, I made the decision to breastfeed again. This time around I was not given a manual pump and no longer owned my old one so I thought I would 'splurge' a bit this time and go out in search of a battery or electric powered pump. While on my journey through Wal Mart, I found the Evenflo Press and Pump Battery/Electric Breast Pump. Though there was only one other battery/electric powered brand sitting on the shelf next to the Evenflo I still spent what seemed like hours comparing the two. My deciding factor was price. Evenflo was cheaper-and justifiably too, for reasons I wasn't aware of at the time. The packaging was attractive and the box claimed that this pump was quiet and discreet (a HUGE plus for me when out in public). It came with a light blue colored carrying case which all the pieces fit perfectly into. Hey they even through in a couple packages of their breast pads-which by the way after testing out I DO NOT recommend either! The pump comes with an AC adaptor and uses 2 'C' batteries. (not included)

Upon turning this pump on for the first time, it made an annoying humming sound. I immediately turned it off thinking that I must have attached something wrong. After, tightening and looking the product over I turned it back on only to encounter the same noise. I decided to sit in the living room with my husband to watch the football game while I pumped. He had to literally turn the volume all the way up on the TV in order to hear over this obnoxiously loud pump that now sounded like it was eating me alive. This pump has high and low settings. The low setting did nothing-no suction, nada. The high setting felt like someone had put suction cups on my breasts and was pulling as hard as they could. All in all-PAINFUL! There is a green button on top which allows you to start and stop the suction action. With each press of that button you are treated to yet another noise which had my husband falling over in hysterics.

Enough was enough and when I attempted to return this Evenflo Press and Pump to Wal Mart I was only allowed a store credit or exchange because of the nature of the product. I proceeded to write to the Evenflo Company and received a pleasant response stating that I would receive a refund from them if I returned the pump to them. They processed my request smoothly and quite quickly.

My overall experience with the Evenflo Press and Pump was obviously a negative one and though the Evenflo company has proved a good reputation with their other products, they still have not gotten a clue when it comes to breast pumps. If I had the choice, I would have used my ugly little yellow manual pump over the obnoxiously loud little breast eating machine called the Evenflo Press and Pump Battery/Electric Breast Pump.

Recommended: No