Sorry about the lack of postings things have been extremely busy. At the beginning of the month I starting working again half time, so I still get to spend all afternoon with Emerson. While I'm gone Emerson gets to spend quality time with his dad who's going to grad school at night and luckily can watch him during the mornings and early afternoon. Because I'm not around to feed the baby, I bought a new breastpump. I decided on the Avent Isis IQ Duo.
I really like this pump. I was debating between this one and the Medela PIS Advanced. I already have a Medela Swing which I do not like at all (can we say painful!) so I was open to trying a different brand. Avent has a great reputation and after reading all the reviews, I decided to take a chance on this pump. The fact that you could set up the suction strength and duration as well as the massaging petals on the horns were definite deciding factors. When I opened the box, although there are a lot of pieces, setup was very intuitive and I didn't even have to look at the instructions. I already had an Avent microwave steam sterilizer so it was a breeze to get everything ready to use. My first pumping session went great. I got a total of 6oz with no pain whatsoever. This was after I had nursed my son. There was no milking sensation! I set the pump to mimic my baby which was very easy. There are an infinite amount of pumping rhythms you can make, and you also control the suction strength. There are several parts to clean. The horns, the diaphragm, the massaging petals, the valve, as well as the bottles. The good news is that you don't have to mess with the tubing at all because it's a closed system. The pump itself is surprisingly quiet. Much quieter than the Swing I had been using. The bag is very stylish and inconspicuous although the straps are a bit thin and I could see them being uncomfortable if you had to carry the unit for long periods of time. Everything has it's proper place in the bag and it's easy to see where things go. I would definitely recommend this pump over others on the market. The comfort factor and the infinite customizations outweigh any negatives. And Emerson is a happy well fed baby!