Product Review: Lansinoh Affinity Double Electric Breast Pump

Today's review is not from one of The Dad, it's from a mom for obvious reasons.

Since there is limited trialability, buying a breast pump usually requires a leap of faith. For something so important and costly, there’s no way to know if the one you want will work for you since you can’t try it out in the store or return it if you don’t like it. Hopefully this review of the Lansinoh Affinity  Double Electric Breast Pump will help you make this important decision.

So far, my experience with this pump has been positive. The main reason why I bought this electric double pump was because I wanted to continue breastfeeding when I returned to work but couldn’t fathom spending a minimum of $275 for a pump. This pump is well-priced at $150 or so; some places have it for even less.

The Lansinoh Affinity Breast Pump is small, lightweight and easy to carry. It has an AC adapter and can also operate on 6 AA batteries. It does not come with its own tote bag though, so you’ll have to find one that’s right for you. Remember to get an insulated bag (with or without an ice pack) for your expressed milk as well.

It has two phases of expression: let-down and expression. The let-down phase lasts for two minutes then it automatically changes to expression phase. If your breasts let down sooner, you can change to expression phase by pushing a button on the base. You can also change the suction during the let-down phase. In the expression phase, you can adjust both the suction and the speed. It has eight suction levels and six speeds. It took a while to work up from level 4 to level 8 on suction, but I haven’t noticed an increase of expressed milk. The base also has two built-in bottle holders, but they do not hold the bottles tightly. Be careful so you don’t spill your milk. Lansinoh guarantees that this pump will not allow milk to back up through the tubing into the motor. This is good because milk in the motor can breed mold and/or bacteria, plus no one wants to waste milk.

This is the only breast pump I’ve used, so I’m not sure if my complaints are specific to the Lansinoh pump or if all pumps are like this. Each pump has five pieces to assemble for each bottle which then attach to the tubing that brings the milk from the breast and into the bottle. Personally, I am tired of assembling, disassembling and washing all these pieces. If there were fewer pieces to deal with, it would be a lot better personally. This pump is also a bit loud. When I use it at work though, you can barely hear it through the office door, although the person in the office next door may be able to hear it. It comes with the medium-sized flanges, but you can buy the smaller or larger flanges at Babies r Us or through the Lansinoh website. Keep up with the white valve pieces as they are small and easy to lose. You may also want to have extra of these valves on hand since if they tear, you won’t be able to pump.

If you are a price-conscious mom who still wants an electric double pump to use away from home, you should check out the Lansinoh Affinity Breast Pump. You could even purchase a second set of parts from Lansinoh so that you have a set for work and a set for home.

The Lansinoh is a branded version of the Ameda Purely Yours (a highly rated and often more expensive model). Ameda is owned by Evenflo.

      - Clark's Mom