Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump Review

I have two daughters.  Over three years ago, when I attempted to nurse my firstborn, I found it very hard.  No one in my family could support me and found it easier to advise me to go with a bottle, since they were inexperienced.  Of the few friends I did have that were experienced, I felt insignificant because they were so successful and I was having a terrible time.  My problem, I had milk supply issues and my milk took a long time to come in, the Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump was not ideal for someone like me.  Not for the frequency in which I needed to express milk.

At the time, I was also a working mom and had to return to work 1.5 months after my daughter's birth.  Foolishly, I thought the Isis would be a good enough pump for me to take to work to express enough milk to feed my daughter the next day.  It was not possible.  Before I knew it, I was supplementing with formula because what little I expressed did not meet the amount my baby needed for each day.  Eventually, she was on 100% formula and only nursing when I came home from work.

With my second daughter, I decided to try again.  This time I knew the Isis was not going to cut it.  So I did my research and also spoke with a lactation consultant and found the perfect breast pump for me.

So, why am I reviewing the Isis?  Now that I have a little more experience, I can honestly say it is a good product.  I have used it at home to relieve engorgement or to make one spare bottle of breastmilk here and there.  What it was especially useful for though, was road trips!  My husband and I enjoy to go on several day or weekend trips a year, and often that means an hour or more in the car.  The manual breast pump was perfect for these occassions.  I would sit in the back seat and pump under a receiving blanket so that baby would have something for her tummy while we kept the car moving.  It was practical because it was compact and easy to assemble as opposed to my electric hospital grade pump, which I did not own a car adapter for anyhow.

So, while the Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump was not a good choice for me to take to work to pump most of my child's bottles, it was definitely a must have for one bottle or two here and there.