Customer Reviews

Philips AVENT ISIS Manual Breast Pump, White

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I am a full time working mom and this is my third time around with the Avent manual breast pump, and I could not be happier! During the past 4 years I have tried several (and researched several more) manual and electric pumps with the hopes of breasfeeding each child for at least 1 year each. I can honestly say that this pump is far superior to anything else out there. I also want to express to anyone who is considering breasfeeding and has not done it in the past that, along with a stellar pump, you are going to need a stellar support system and some tips. When you are in the hospital for the birth of your child, DO NOT let anyone tell you that your milk has not come in and give your baby a bottle; this has happened to a lot of people I know and this theory is completely false! Also, I have noticed that some women say that breasfeeding hurts. In this situation, proper latching on is key. If your child is having a hard time, don't give up--it absolutely gets easier. Talk to a lactation consultant in the hospital or anywhere else and you will get the help you need. To keep the pain away in the first week or two, continuously use pure lanolin provided by the hospital (or get some at any superstore). I have read in some reviews (of different/previous models of pumps) that pumping hurts; again, this is where the lanolin helps. Consider the fact that when your baby is nursing, his/her mouth is wet--your nipples need to be moisturized with the lanolin before you pump to avoid discomfort. Another tip is, if you are going to work and intend to pump, start building a supply of milk in the freezer a couple of weeks before you leave the home. The best way to do this is to pump one breast while the baby nurses on the other. It is possible to get 4-8 ounces (or more if you like) a day in reserve. I have found that this also helps keep my supply up when I am back at work. Lastly, it really is important to pump at work as often as you can. I know it is "inconvenient," but your results will be so much more successful; I know results vary for everyone, but I am able to express about 18 ounces a day by pumping 3 times per day. And we aren't nursing our kids for the sake of convenience, but to truly nourish our children. The time passes so quickly and I guarantee that you will not regret your efforts. Good luck and best wishes to you and your family! I know that you will love this pump.

This was the biggest disappointment. I used a friends electric pump (don't remember what brand it was) and a piece broke so I decided that buying a manual pump was fine since I only pumped to have some milk on hand for a babysitter if we went on a date or left the baby with his grandparents for any amount of time. Well. After about a month of rare use the star shaped piece that creates the vacuum started getting sucked down into the bottle. There was too much suction for it. It was so ridiculously frustrating to have to stop pumping all the time to unscrew the pump part off, fish in the milk for the piece, snap the top clip part off to reinsert it in place, fidget with the pump handle to get it back in place, pop the cap on, screw it back on, pump very carefully, and BAM- the piece is sucked back into the bottle; repeat. There is no way I could EVER recommend this product.

I used this breast pump for 2 of my babies and it works great. I went back to work in December and pumped 2 times a day and it worked great. I switched to a double electric pump and my milk supply started to decrease. I switched right back to the Avent manual and the milk was expressed quickly and my supply bounced right back. I LOVE this product so much I bought two, so I could pump both breasts at the same time at work! I've been using it for at least 3 months now and won't go electric again. It can be a little tiring to manual pump 2 times a day, but my new little guy is worth it!

The Avent Isis breast pump works really well, if it fits you. Breasts come in many different sizes, and as few as 10% of women fit this size, approximately 25mm, well enough to get adequate milk transfer. Also, the silicone insert (for let-down stimulation) on the flange may cause irritation and pulling on the breast, as well as reduces the size of the breast flange further.
The best option is to get a pump where you can change the flange custom fit to your breasts, which could mean a different size for each breast. The Medela Harmony hand pump allows you to do this, with many sizes of replacement breast flanges available, and is similarly priced.

I gave this three stars because it might work well for some people, but I hated it. Granted, I was a first-time mom, still figuring out breast feeding, but after trying an electric pump, I don't know why anyone would use this. It squeaked a lot, and the rubber thing that goes over the cup would get milk behind it, and, generally, I just couldn't get it to work well. There might have been some trick that I was missing, but as a new mom, the last thing I needed was sitting and pumping back and forth with a squeaky pump on sore nipples. I thought that breast pumps just didn't work well, but as soon as I tried an electric pump, I realized that it was possible to pump milk easily. Thus, maybe for experienced moms this is a good fit, but if you are a new mom and can afford it at all, I suggest just going with an electric pump.

Perfect. Helps with relieving blocked ducts. I've been breastfeeding 9 months, and bought this after I went back to work so that I could have a pump at home and leave my Medela electric at work. This is great to pump before bedtime, and in case my son does not empty both breasts in the AM. Like other reviewers say, you can maintain suction on this by holding the lever (unlike the electric pump I use that cycles suction). I wish I had this months ago to take on trips, etc. Does not fit the smaller opening bottles (like Medela bottles). Comes with a few spare parts, which is great. Love it.

November 16: the pump body broke. I'm not sure why; just snapped where the handle fits. I called Avent, and they are sending me a replacement. The customer service was friendly. Hope it gets here soon.

December 16: Still not here. I don't care what the problem is, at this point; they should have just sent me a whole new one if they didn't have a part to replace it with. It's a BREASTPUMP. I wouldn't own it if I didn't need to use it. I won't buy from Avent again. I am very disappointed.

I wasn't having much success with my electric pump any longer. I wanted to give this manual pump a try. I was thrilled the first time I used it that I was able to express milk easily and quickly. My only problem was that awful star shaped valve that kept flipping over or getting sucked up part way causing the pump to lose suction. After fooling with that for several days I placed a call to Avent to report the problem with the star shaped valves. They said they would send more - maybe mine was worn out. I figured the valves would be the same but when I opened the package I found they had sent 6 cone shaped valves. These work! Call and get them or buy them yourself. They make all the difference.

I have a Medela Pump in Style for use at work -- it is faster and I can rig it through my bra to be hands-free. I got the Avent Isis as a hand-me-down from my sister-in-law, who did not care for it at all. I first tried it when I had a clogged duct, and I found it too painful. But, I gave it a few more tries and have really come to appreciate this product. Yes, it's kind of a nuisance to deal with all of the parts when cleaning, but it's quick and quiet, and when my daughter has a nap that's so long I get uncomfortable, it's so easy to grab this and squeeze out an ounce or two to make myself comfortable. I imagine I will use it on days that I have to be out of the office during my usual pumping time, as I'm not about to lug the pump-in-style to court. Good product.

When my son was born my husband bought me this manual pump. It works great, but your hand does tire out after a while. Someone told me if you hold down the handle, the milk will just flow out and you don't have to pump. This works, but then the pressure builds up so much that the little circle piece pops out of its place and you have to stop pumping and fix it. Sometimes it falls into the bottle of milk and sometimes it pops above where it usually sits. This part of it is annoying, but at the same time, you probably aren't supposed to hold down the handle - it just goes so quickly and enables you to not have to pump! I would recommend this pump for a reasonable price, and great manual pump. I like all of the avent bottles that go with it as well.

This pump, though cheap is utterly useless. There is a small white valve below the pump, which is required to get adequete pressure for it to work. The valve is poorly designed, and tends to get sucked in-to the pump mechanism, thus forcing you to open up the whole thing and re-adjust the valve every 10 minutes or so.

I would not recommend this product, unless AVENT does something about the valves that are key for this pump to work properly.