Why this pump did not work for me (revised)
Written: Jun 18 '03 (Updated Jun 24 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: inexpensive, a/c adapter
Cons: ineffective, noisy, painful
The Bottom Line: I cannot recommend this pump to others. I ended up supplementing with formula because it simply did not work for me.
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| brooklynsmum's Full Review: Gerber Battery Or Electric Breast Pump Kit |
I blamed my body for my unsuccessful attempts at expressing milk instead of this pump until I bought an Avent pump instead. I found out that I was indeed capable of expressing milk, only not with the Gerber pump. With the Gerber I was only able to express milk during the first week when I was engorged and after that I was lucky if I got even an ounce at a time after trying for 45 minutes. I called the 1-800 number on the first day because I thought there was something wrong with the pump. It turns out that sometimes you have to "adjust" the suction by turning the bottle attachment slightly until you feel suction. There are several settings from low to high, but I was only able to express using the highest suction setting, which was quite painful.
THE PUMP
The pump contains only a few parts - The pump itself, a funnel that fits over your breast, a 5 ounce bottle complete with nipple, a/c adapter, and two batteries. Also included in the package is a sample of Gerber Nursing pads (which I hated - see my review on them to find out why), a bag to carry it in, and a bunch of coupons.
The pump also has several settings from low to high. However, it isn't exactly hands free. You still need one finger to press a button to release suction in order to mimic the actions of a baby. To operate it, you simply fit the funnel over your breast, turn it on, and continually press the pulse control button. In a perfect world, with a perfect pump, your milk would then magically let down and fill the 5 ounce bottle within minutes. This is not the case with the Gerber Breast Pump.
THE GOOD
There are few parts to this pump, which makes it easy to clean and it is easy to use, however, as I mentioned earlier, it isn't exactly hands free. I found that the rubber covering over the pulse button made it difficult to press, so I took it off which made it much easier to operate. The pump does have the convenience of being both battery and electrically operated, although the a/c adapter is a must since it sucks back batteries quite quickly.
The pump also comes with a bottle fitted with a newborn nipple, which I found the most useful part of the kit. The carrying case was also a nice touch, but not one that I used because I didn't dare use this pump outside the house. I can only imagine what people would have thought had they heard the noisy hum coming from a bathroom stall!
THE BAD
I've already mentioned the noise. Using the pump on one side while I nursed on the other was out of the question because the noise was much too distracting for my daughter. If the noise was my only complaint, I would still be happily pumping with this pump instead of having it collect dust on a shelf.
The Gerber Breast Pump does not work. I tried many, many times to produce milk. I really believed that it was a problem with me and not the pump, so I kept trying. I was able to fill an ounce at a time, even first thing in the morning while I was engorged. It took me several days to fill a bottle. I know first hand what it means to cry over spilled milk - ask my husband; he dropped a full bottle on the floor once. When I did use the pump, it was extremely painful. Maybe this is why my milk wouldn't let down enough to fill the bottle.
MY OVERALL IMPRESSION
I am very disappointed with my experiences with this pump. It destroyed my confidence in my body and caused me to give up expressing milk. I'm still not sure why I wasn't able to express milk with this pump. After a couple of months I supplemented with formula instead. It wasn't until the birth of my second child that I attempted to use the pump again with the same disappointing results. I put it away and bought an Avent instead and am now able to express milk with no problems. This leads me to believe that the Gerber pump is simply ineffective. I wish I had done more research and saved my money to begin with.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
brooklynsmum
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Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 59 members
About Me:
It's birthday time at our house. Reviews to follow!
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