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This is my detailed reviews of Ameda Purely Yours breast pump. If you read my story on how I stockpiled my breast milk stash, you would know that I used this pump for quite sometimes when my second baby was a newborn. At that time, I haven’t owned any electric breast pump at all. So it was my first time trying a dual electric pump.
Fast forward to now, I’ve been trying several popular brands of electric breast pumps, including Medela and Spectra. So, how is Ameda breast pump performance compared to the other pump models? In this article, I will share with you the detailed pros and cons of Ameda Purely Yours breast pump.
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Product overview
Ameda Purely Yours is a dual electric breast pump that has a simple design with several outstanding features, such as separate control of suction and speed. It has been known to rival the most popular breast pump, Medela PISA in terms of performance.
Breastpump type: electric breast pump, run on either power source or 6 AA batteries.
Single/dual: can be used for single and dual pumping, thanks to the T-connector
Suction adjustment: yes
Cycle speed adjustment: yes, can be controlled separately from suction level
Breast flange size: 25 mm (default), other sizes available (30.5-mm, 28.5-mm insert, 35.0-mm, 32.5-mm insert), and 22.5-mm insert.
Note: if you are looking to replace your Ameda collection kit, you can buy a Hygiene Kit set , which includes everything except the pump motor and the adapter. This is great if you receive a hand-me-down Ameda pump from your relatives.
Highlights
Suction strength and cycle speed can be controlled independently
One of the most powerful features of Ameda breast pump is the ability to control suction strength and cycle speed independently. In most breast pump models, typically we can only adjust the suction level, whereas the cycle speed is auto-adjusted following our chosen suction strength.
In Ameda breast pump, you have two separate dials / knobs to adjust suction and cycle speed, as pictured below. This creates a more customizable experience because every mother has different preferences regarding cycle speed, independently from the suction strength. For example, I love to use high-speed cycle with high suction, which, unfortunately, cannot be done with some pump model.
Ameda breast pump is very light-weight and compact, making it very portable to tote around. Whether you are pumping at home or at your workplace, you won’t need to lug a huge bag to carry around.
I can put Ameda pump motor with all the collection kit (bottle, breast shield etc) plus several Avent VIA cups into my cooler bag without overstuffing it. That means only one bag for carrying every thing!
Closed system
Ameda Purely Yours breast pump is a closed-system pump, that means the milk won’t get into contact to the tubing and the pump motor.
This feature can be seen clearly from the connection between suction tube to the breast shield (see picture). You can easily notice that the tube is placed very high, far away from where the milk comes in. There’s no way the milk would travel up to enter the tubings.
This brings several advantages, including easy clean up (no one likes cleaning dirty tubings, ugh..) and suitable for multiple-user sharing (you simply need to have your own milk collection kit).
4. FDA-approved
Do you know that Ameda is FDA-approved? I think having an assurance that the pump you are using is acknowledged by FDA is one great plus point.
5. Dual bottle holders
I love this! The pump motor also house two bottle holders, which are very useful when you are setting up your pump, and especially when you clean up afterwards.
By putting the bottles inside the holders, you won’t worry about getting one bottle knocked down accidentally and spilled your precious milk.
6. A lot of breast shield sizes to choose from
In addition to the standard size breast shield (25 mm), Ameda also offers custom-fit breast shields with varying dimensions.
Size M-Lcontains 30.5 mm shields with 28.5-mm insert (so you got two sizes in this option)
Size XL-XXL contains 35-mm shields with 32.5-mm insert
Size S contains 22.5-mm insert
Additionally, you can also use Pumpin Pal breast shieldwith Ameda shields.
Here’s a video explaining all features of Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump.
Cons
Nothing is perfect. And so is Ameda pump. What are some of thee major complaints that I have with this pump? Here they are.
Different suction levels / cycle speeds are not easily distinguishable
As I mentioned before, you can adjust the suction levels/cycle speed using two different knobs, which I think is pretty cool.
Unfortunately, the knob does not have clear ticks corresponding to different suction/speed levels. This is very different from other breast pump models (for example, Spectra S1 has 12 distinguished suction levels, whereas Medela has 10).
Most of the time, I ended up using either the fastest speed/ strongest suction where the knob reaches max, or somewhere in the middle between 0 and max. In my opinion, changing the design slightly by adding ticks around the knob will tremendously help in navigating around different suction and speed level. I bet all Ameda users would love to see this change.
No let-down / massage button
Unlike Medela Swing/ PISA and Spectra, Ameda breast pump does not have a preset let-down / massage mode. Yeah, theoretically you can stimulate let down by turning the speed to the maximum while keeping suction low. Unfortunately, I found that the maximum speed is still too slow to trigger let-down. I would rather take one breast shield out and do manual nipple stimulation to get much quicker let-down.
Spare parts are not so widely available.
For spare-part availability, Ameda still can not beat its rival, Medela, whose spare parts are widely available in various retail stores.
To buy replacement parts, you need go to specialty stores or buy online, such as in Amazon. Having said that, I would suggest, if you decide to buy Ameda pump, you better buy some replacement parts as well to minimize the hassle in the long run, especially parts that can wear out quickly such as the duckbill valves.
Who is this breast pump for
This lightweight and compact breast pump is clearly designed for working mothers. Of course, if you are a stay at home mom wanting to express extra breast milk for your baby, you can use this breast pump as well.
Although I was able to use this breast pump to establish my milk supply at the beginning, I don’t think this breast pump is powerful enough for exclusive pumping. Typically an exclusive pumping mom would prefer to rent its hospital-grade model called Ameda Elite.
The highlight of this breast pump is its ability to control suction and cycling speed independently.
However, its lack of distinguishable suction/speed levels and unavailability of let-down mode makes it less impressive to use.
Having said that, I should also say that I’ve met several pumping moms who are extremely happy with their Ameda pump. You can read more Ameda Purely Yours reviews here.
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In my opinion, I would rather buy Spectra M1 which offers similar portability, closed system design, with definite 5 suction levels (though cannot control speed), and adjustable let-down mode, at much more affordable price.
OR if controlling the cycle speed is a MUST-HAVE feature for you, check out the more popular Spectra S1, which offers 12 preset suction levels, independent control of cycle speeds, 5 preset let-down mode, with built-in battery which lasts up to 3 hours pumping. You can read my Spectra S1 review here.
I hope this review helps you to learn more about the detailed pros and cons of Ameda Purely Yours breast pump.
Having learned all the benefits and the drawbacks, would you still want to buy this breast pump? What do you think?
It looks like a decent pump. It lookss like a high-tec equipment.
Can you explain me where can these pumps be used else of sucking out breast milk? Or is there any other purpose for sucking out milk other than feeding a baby?
It is great that this pump has adjustable suction levels. And ability to work with seperate AA batteries is awesome
A breast pump is solely used to extract milk out of breasts. This is usually done when the mother cannot nurse baby directly (for example, the mother needs to work full-time outside but still wants to provide breast milk to her baby).
You are right that Ameda PY is a decent pump. In fact, it is one of the top 4 popular brands of breast pump I’ve ever heard of. However, to buy a pump, usually one needs to weigh the pros and cons, such as performance, how fast to use the pump, etc, and that’s why I provide these detailed pros and cons.
Btw, you pointed out a good advantage of Ameda PY. By having AA batteries as alternative power source, one does not need to worry if she forgot to bring the AC adapter.
Hi Mariassa,
I agree with you that Ameda is a decent pump., but I also prefer Spectra S1 over it.
About Avent, in general I love Avent products (I use their bottles and sterilizer) and I love the old version of Avent manual pump. The comfort models, sadly, does not fit my body, so I couldn’t get the most benefit from them.
Andreasays
I was given this pump by my insurance and it worked well for occasional pumping, but once I went back to work and was pumping several times a day I felt like this pump couldn’t keep up (started making some pretty interesting noises and inconsistent suction by the end of the day). I ended up buying a Spectra S1 and much prefer this.
I’m glad you like Spectra S1. My Sister has Ameda and it seems to work well for her (though for me I don’t get enough vacuum strength). But I agree that it has some noise.
Tyler Redlev says
It looks like a decent pump. It lookss like a high-tec equipment.
Can you explain me where can these pumps be used else of sucking out breast milk? Or is there any other purpose for sucking out milk other than feeding a baby?
It is great that this pump has adjustable suction levels. And ability to work with seperate AA batteries is awesome
Rina says
Hi Tyler,
A breast pump is solely used to extract milk out of breasts. This is usually done when the mother cannot nurse baby directly (for example, the mother needs to work full-time outside but still wants to provide breast milk to her baby).
You are right that Ameda PY is a decent pump. In fact, it is one of the top 4 popular brands of breast pump I’ve ever heard of. However, to buy a pump, usually one needs to weigh the pros and cons, such as performance, how fast to use the pump, etc, and that’s why I provide these detailed pros and cons.
Btw, you pointed out a good advantage of Ameda PY. By having AA batteries as alternative power source, one does not need to worry if she forgot to bring the AC adapter.
~Rina~
Mariassa Claire says
Nice review. I would place Ameda Purely yours as a decent double electric breast pump. I always prefer Medela PISA or Spectra S1.
Of lately I have been impressed with Avent pumps. That been said, each mom has her personal preferences And I know quite some of them.
rina says
Hi Mariassa,
I agree with you that Ameda is a decent pump., but I also prefer Spectra S1 over it.
About Avent, in general I love Avent products (I use their bottles and sterilizer) and I love the old version of Avent manual pump. The comfort models, sadly, does not fit my body, so I couldn’t get the most benefit from them.
Andrea says
I was given this pump by my insurance and it worked well for occasional pumping, but once I went back to work and was pumping several times a day I felt like this pump couldn’t keep up (started making some pretty interesting noises and inconsistent suction by the end of the day). I ended up buying a Spectra S1 and much prefer this.
Rina says
I’m glad you like Spectra S1. My Sister has Ameda and it seems to work well for her (though for me I don’t get enough vacuum strength). But I agree that it has some noise.