Mail Call: EPing for Twins

Sara has twins, and reading around on message boards she's gotten the advice that a "hospital grade pump is NECESSARY" for an exclusive pumper in her situation. Here's what she asked our pumping moms:

I have been renting a Symphony for the past 3 months and I am about a week away from having to return it. My insurance only covers 3 months, which is a value of $160. I have purchased the Medela PISA from Target, but have not opened the box and broken the seal, so I *do* still have the option of returning it. I thought I had read enough good reviews about it to be confident in my purchase, but after reading this and other posts from twin moms, I am concerned that returning the Symphony is going to decrease my supply when I start with the PISA. I really don't have the money to be able to rent the Symphony for $50/month, but I also realize that I don't have that kind of money to buy formula if my supply drops and I have to go that route. The only reason I was able to get the PISA is because I saved all my Target giftcards from my baby shower.
So whats the deal? Is the PISA "designed for pumping only a few times a day, not around the clock"??? What would you do if you were in my shoes?
Thanks for your opinions! ~Sara

Here's what our Pumping Moms had to say -

Advice from Arvada -
Dear Sara, Congrats on your twins! I would think that using the PISA would be just fine. I started with the Symphony for about a week and then upon my discharge from the hospital, used my PISA. I never saw a difference in my supply. I have been using my PISA around the clock for nearly 14 months now. While my supply has changed over time, based on the need of my baby, it has never tanked because of a change in pumps.

I would also encourage you to try fenugreek if your supply does drastically change. I do think you might see a small change in your pumping volume with the switch but once your body becomes familiar with the new pump, you should see it come back up.

I would highly suggest that you do change out your membranes about every other month since they will wear out over time. You can get the little white membranes and most Targets and BRU's.

Also, make sure you familiarize yourself with the various parts of the PISA pump since it is vastly different than the Symphony. But you know you can always ask questions here on this blog and any one of us will gladly reply to your question.

Advice from Kristen:
I have a Medela PISA & I pumped 6- 8 times a day for an hour at a time for almost 6 months & now I pump 5 -6 X a day an hour at a time & I get 5 -7 ounces at a time. I love my PISA... Mine is almost 4 yrs old ( got it for my first son & only used for a month) and I have had no problems.

I would say that as long as you keep your nutrition good & your water intake up you should be fine. If you see a drop at beginning you can always add supplements to help (I use Mother's milk plus capsules).

Do you have a health flex plan? If so, you can use that $$ to buy pumping supplies & pumps. Good Luck!

Advice from Kylee:
Sara - I had a Medela PISA - used it for 6 months. The first 3 months I pumped 6-8 times a day, and then the other 3 months I pumped 4 times a day. I had no issues at all with my pump. I would use and will use my PISA again.


Advice from: Janna
First of all I would like to say, great job! I found it hard just to maintain a supply for one baby, so good job providing breast milk for twins by EPing!! As far as switching to a personal use pump, I did notice a slight decrease in my supply when I switched from the Symphony to the Medela Freestyle. However, I also returned to work and was away from my baby, so that may have been a contributing factor as well. I wouldn't give up on trying to get your insurance company to continue to cover the cost of the Symphony. I was able to get approval for an additional 3 months after my coverage ran out just by asking my physician to put in a referral. I that doesn't work, I would go to your babies' pediatrician to see if he/she can get approval; your pediatrician may be able to persuade the insurance company to cover the cost because of the numerous benefits of breast milk (including cost saving benefits to the insurance company due to less childhood illness). Additionally, starting January 1st, insurance companies will be required to cover the cost of breast pumps; your insurance company may be more willing to approve the pump because they will be required to cover it starting in 2012. If that doesn't work, I would check to see if you qualify for WIC. WIC provides loaner hospital grade breast pumps. They can also provide formula if you need supplement. If all these options fail, I would go ahead and use the PIS. I had a friend that was able to build her supply with this pump, so I know that it works well for some moms. I hope this helps! Good luck!!

Advice from: Jennifer
Hi Sara, I have to be honest with you and say that I completely regret returning my Symphony to the hospital. I rented it for the two months that my daughter was in the NICU. Insurance didn't cover a dime, so we paid for it completely out of pocket. I started using the Medela Freestyle and that in combination with starting my menstrual cycle again slashed my supply in half the next month. I'm not certain it is all due to the switch in pumps since my period also started that same month, but I will always wonder if I had kept the Symphony would my supply have stayed up. I even debated going back and re-renting the Symphony again. To me, it was a much more comfortable pump. I find the Freestyle slightly more awkward and not as smooth as the Symphony, as well. With the Symphony, I was able to pump only 4x/day and get more than enough milk for the day and to freeze the excess. With the Freestyle, I pump 6x/day and only freeze excess every few days.

Overall, we've made the transition and survived. Luckily, I had an oversupply so my reduction in milk hasn't been drastic enough that I need to supplement. I also have a massive freezer stash that I can break into on the rougher days. But, I do still miss that Symphony!! Best of luck!

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