If you ever asked me, which product that contribute the most to my successful breastfeeding journey, I would answer it is my Avent Isis manual pump. Curious why? Find out more details in my Philips Avent breast pump reviews right here.
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Table of Contents
A Quick Glance
This is an older generation of Avent manual breast pump (NOT Avent Comfort series). Philips Avent Isis manual breast pump, or in short, Avent manual pump, is a portable handheld breast pump model, which require no battery or electricity.
Its efficiency was claimed to resemble hospital grade pump (read the claim here). The main selling point of this pump is its patented five-petal massage cushion that helps creating a comfortable (non-painful) pumping experience.
Why I love this breast pump
The reason is simple. This is the ONLY pump that is able to drain and empty my breast MOST EFFECTIVELY. I have tried other breast pump models (even single electric and dual breast pump), but none of them can beat the amount of milk that can be expressed using Avent Isis manual breast pump.
Here is the proof…
In my pumping routine, I use Avent Isis manual breast pump and Medela Swing simultaneously. Here’s how I do it.
I attach my Medela Swing (by nursing bra, ensuring tight attachment) on my left (which is the super producer breast, hoping that Swing will be able to extract decent amount of milk) and use Avent on my right breast.
Once I reach let-down, I start both pumps at the same time. When I can no longer extract milk from my right breast using my Avent, I switch position, and do the same thing. And the result is…
Avent Isis manual breast pump yields much more milk compared to Medela Swing
Avent manual breast pump outperforms Medela Swing. It is able to extract MUCH MORE milk, and hence empties breasts more efficiently. This is such a CRUCIAL feature that we want from our breast pump.
If I don’t pump with Avent manual breast pump from the beginning, perhaps I’d think that I would never have enough milk for my babies. Thanks to my close-to-5-year-old Avent breast pump, I can still breastfeed and pump milk for my daughter till now.
Alright, enough for the raves.. Now I would like to point out some more general pros and cons of Avent manual breast pump.
Pros:
- Soft massage cushion that helps massaging breast while pumping, leading to more milk being expressed and more comfortable pumping experience.
- Strong suction. Every mother has different suction preference. From my personal experience, strong suction works best to extract milk out of breast, provided that it is still within your comfortable level. I’ve tried several breast pump models (not hospital ones), and so far I feel Avent Isis manual breast pump is the one that gives strongest suction yet not painful. Other models either does not have provide enough comparable suction, or if it does, pumping becomes uncomfortable.
The funnel and base covers make this pump stays hygienic when not in use
- Pump body comes with funnel cover and base cover, making it easier to keep sterile when not in use. With other breast pump models, I need to get additional storage or sealable plastic bag to keep it covered.
- Lightweight and portable, does not dependent on power source. This feature makes it great to bring for travelling. I’ve been travelling several times with this pump. Its portability makes pumping while travelling feels like a breeze.
- Able to see milk spraying out of breast. I don’t know if this matters to you, but for me, seeing my milk spraying is part of my milk-producing booster, as well as a gauge when my milk-ejection reflex starts. That’s when I switch fro stimulation phase to pumping phase. And, when I can’t see any more milk spraying, I know it is time to stop.
- You are in full control. You set your pumping rhythm, you are free to stop any time to massage or gently squeeze your breast and restart again. You can even readjust the flange position and recreate vacuum (which I find is a good way to get milk out) any time. You are in full control of your pump and not the other way around.
- Express milk faster. With Avent, you get more milk faster. I think this is because you can control the speed (and hence, pump at faster speed) and Avent has a pretty high suction, which extracts more milk. I can say this because I have another electric breast pump (Medela Swing) which I use in combination with Avent. I found Swing operates in slower speed and thus, it takes longer to extract out the milk. Not only me experience this. My sister, who has a double electric breast pump (Ameda), also notice this speed difference.
Cons (and tricks to alleviate some of them):
- Small star-shape valve that easily pops out while pumping. I personally never had this issue before, but I definitely hate fiddling with this small valve. Based on my friend’s suggestion, I replace this valve with duck-bill valve and never had problem ever since.
Duck-bill valve, fit tighter than star-shape valve, and the milk drops right at the center of the funnel
- Noisy squeak from pump handle. You want a quiet breast pump, especially if you pump often. Squeaky breast pump is annoying and ruin your pumping mood. Fortunately, there’s a quick fix on this. Simply apply a small amount of coconut oil / olive oil on your pump handle base, and gone the squeaky. Some mothers suggest applying lotion or moisturizer, but I am not comfortable applying non-edible substance on my breast pump. I don’t want it to ruin my milk, so I stay with edible substances.
- Milk collected under massage cushion. I hate this! Even more because I don’t have abundant milk supply. Every drop of milk is precious, so I tried to minimize milk wastage. To minimize this issue, assemble the pump while still wet. Yes, wet, don’t wipe it dry. And this issue, miraculously, is gone.
- Milk collected on pump neck. I hate this, but I don’t have any solution except to unscrew the pump body carefully after each pumping session and pour out the milk into the bottle. PS: Issues 2 and 3 are addressed in the new Avent Comfort manual breast pump.
- Breast flange only has one size. This is the biggest disadvantage of Avent manual breast pump. It only has one flange size, which is around the same size of Medela standard flange size (24-mm diameter). That may make pumping not comfortable especially if you have bigger breast (think of Medela flange size XL). For this problem, some mothers reported that removing the soft-petal cushion may help. Note that the new Avent Comfort breast pump has larger soft-petal cushion that was designed specifically to address this problem. Check it out here. I personally have opposite issue. My breast is small (think of A-cup size), such that almost all of my breast tissue is covered inside the flange, making it slightly more difficult to retain the vacuum condition while pumping. I sincerely hope that Philips Avent will consider creating a smaller breast flange for mothers like me. Yes, I am able to extract most of my milk with the current model, but sometimes I wonder if I would be able to extract even more if Avent has a smaller flange.
In Amazon, this breast pump is rated 4 out of 5 and received close to 700 reviews. Click here to read more reviews.
Who is this breast pump for?
If you
- Have tried double or single electric breast pump and only manage to extract a small amount of milk
- Already use dual pump but still want to get more milk
- Feel your breast is still not empty even after pumping
Then I strongly recommend this breast pump to try.
This is NOT for:
- Nursing mother with extra large breast ( you better try other model that offer big-size breast flange)
- Rigorous power pumping (it is handheld and thus can be very tiring to solely pump with this => rather, I suggest combination of dual pump and Avent manual to ensure empty breast)
- Exclusive pumping (you need dual pump, but yes, you can have avent manual as the last finishing touch to further empty your breast
If you need a heavy-duty breast pump, I strongly recommend you to try Spectra S1 (check out my detailed review here).
Does Avent Isis manual pump is appropriate for working mother?
I would say, it depends on your working environment, and depends how you are going to use it.
If you are going to pump solely with this, please note that it may take you longer, compared with if you use it in combination with other electric pump. If you have flexible working arrangement (say, you can sneak out of your desk for about 20 minutes or so without some one constantly looking for you), then yes, this pump is for you.
In my case, yes, i I use this pump at work (in combo with other electric pump to make pumping faster). Typically, It takes me about 20-30 minutes to pump with combo Avent Isis + other single electric breast pump.
Summing it up…
- This breast pump is easy to use and very efficient in emptying breast, yet it has some pros and cons to weigh on. Considering its main advantage of being able to empty breast very well and extract MORE milk, I highly recommend to try this breast pump.
- Unfortunately, this breast pump has been discontinued by the manufacturer, therefore, only a few left in stock. So, act fast.
This is the breast pump that gives me MORE milk
Want more milk?
Get your Avent Isis manual breast pump NOW
Have you tried Avent Isis manual breast pump before? What is your favourite breast pump and why? Leave me a comment below to share your experience.
Hi Rina,
It might come as a surprise but after my girlfriend and I had our second baby, we actually used the exact same brand of Avent for a breast pump. It’s definitely one of the best out there. Thanks for sharing and good luck with your business.
Hi Peter, glad to hear that your girl friend loves this Avent Isis breast pump too. Yes, I totally agree with you that it is one of the best manual breast pump.
Hello! While I currently am not pregnant or breastfeeding, I do feel more comfortable buying this product after having seen that it does yield better results than others on the market.
Hi Brooke, yeah, this is especially important for mothers who have not-so-abundant milk supply. Every drops of milk count, so definitely we need to have a breast pump which can effectively remove milk from breast.
Hi there Rina,
This is a very interesting review on breast pump. I am thinking to recommend it to my sister-in-law who is still nursing but couldn’t help to notice that it’s being discontinued.
Do you know where else I could get this besides Amazon? Are there other manual pumps that yield similar results? Thank you for your feedback.
Hi Cathy, me too, is very sad knowing that it’s being discontinued. This old model definitely outperforms the its newer version, the comfort series, in terms of suction strength.
I noticed that Amazon still has some stocks left, so if you’re fast enough, you may be able to purchase one. Alternatively, you may get a better chance by directly contacting local Philips distributor in your country.
For alternative, you can try Avent comfort manual (if gentle suction works for her – in my case, I need strong suction to get my milk out- so this one doesn’t work for me- but again, different mothers have different preferences). I also heard great reviews on Medela harmony (currently being the best seller in manual pumps in Amazon). But, I haven’t tried it personally though.
Hi,
What a really thorough review of the product. I find personalised reviews much more trustworthy than reviews on shopping sites!
I attempted to breast feed my child but wasn’t producing enough milk – may be if I had this knowledge then I might have carried on but it’s great that you’ve done this for other mums to see, as it is a very common problem!
Sammi
Hi Sammi, I’m sorry to hear that you weren’t producing enough milk. I hope you will be able to breastfeed your next baby. Don’t forget to arm your self with plenty resources, because I believe having enough information and solid support is necessary for breastfeeding, especially during early days, which can be really challenging.
For what it’s worth, although low supply is not an issue I’ve worked through, I used this pump for a combined four years of active-duty military work to have milk for our first two kiddos. The first nursed for a year and a half and the second two and a half, and I pumped during a range of work “experiences”, including a regular office day, weekends away, three-week trips, and inspections whose time limits necessitated three days of near twenty-four hour activity, so very little sleep. I actually initially spent $400 on an electric double pump to find this $30 manual pump more than outperformed the expensive hospital-grade version! Anyway. Just wanted to point out thar this holds its own against, and really is far better than (in my opinion), the most expensive, “best” pumps out there. Even when working full-time and exclusively breastfeeding.
Maria, I totally agree with you. While I have tried several electric breast pumps, the only way I can ensure my breast is thoroughly drained, is by using Avent Isis pump after double pumping.
This little pump is so powerful. Too bad it is discontinued.
Hi Rina
Thank you for writing so many useful information for breastfeeding moms!
I am nursing our third child, my firstborn had only five and a half months of exclusive bm, the second child had the privilege of sixteen months (i was under pressure, had no basic knowledge/courage to ebm at work and fell pregnant with second child when he was only five mth old). With my second child, he decided to stop drinking milk – i had to throw away my milk stash cause he only had 0.5 oz everytime so the remaining had to be thrown away for 2-3 mths and i got pregnant again so my milk supply dropped.
I used medela fs for the first two boys at home, but with the second child i used medela manual at work and i was really impressed at how mich milk i could get out from it just within 10 mins of pumping! Handling a toddler and a baby was not easy so whilst i used medela fs at nightme i used avent manual during daytime (on weekends) as i could easily disconnect from the pump if i needed to chase my toddler or to sabe the baby who could have been trampled by hos brother if i was tangled up with the tubes from the pump haha!
But anyway with my third, my medela was lost during its service (its first service after 5 years of purchase) so we resorted to spectra s1 (thanks to your review!) And yes for someone who has been using medela fs when compared to spectra s1 it was like a miraculous change – its like spectra s1 developed suckling skills my baby has it is so soft yet so strong and it drained my breasts just like avent manual!
Anyway back to avent manual, now with 2 toddlers and a baby i only use spectra s1 during nighttime, and during the day i use avent manjal as it is tubeless like the s1 (i first bought this back in 2012, for only £10 at asda)
My first set of diaphgram was changed (it was provided during my purchase) due to a minor tear in 2016) but now it is still up and running at its best. Only the first 4-5 times was a bit difficult but as i learnt how to massage my breasts during ebm, it empties my breasts lile my baby does, even faster
I work in a healthcare provider setting so you can imagine the busy hours, so even 10 mins was enough for me to ebm and drain my breasts. Less parts to wash is a big bonus – after ebm i just wash them with plain water, store in a sealed tupperware and push them in the pantry fridge.
I have just purchased the newer version (just in case my manual pump break down, i hope not) so i couldnt make a comment just yet but i hope it will help me to continue breastfeed my baby
Just as philips claims: helping you to breastfeed longer (or so i dont quite actually remember hahaaa!)
I am still in my maternity leave and so i hope to use spectra s1 at workplace but i’ll see i would produce more with avent manual
Thanks again for sharing your information!
Thanks for sharing your experience with Medela, Spectra, and Avent, Fazleen.
As for switching from Medela to Spectra, that’s exactly what I feel, too.
And I love love love the old version of Avent manual. It’s quick to pump, less part to handle with, and I still use it to empty my breast completely after using Spectra.
I’m really surprised and impressed by this product, I always thought electric doubles were the gold standard in breast pumps for extraction and efficiency, but I’m converted! I’m so pleased I saw this review as my pump is fiddle to set up and to get a full feed from it I need to pump throughout the day, but this could halve my time! Yay! Are other manual pumps just as effective would you say?
I am Glad I’m not the only one feeling that manual pump can be powerful. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried any other manual pumps. I heard good review about Medela Harmony but never had a chance to use it.
I have a question my boobs are on size 40A will this pump is good for me?as i have read thaf this is only good for womens with small breasts.
Thank yoj for the answer.
Hi, the one matters is not boob size, but your nipple size. Avent has only one / two breast shields for Avent Comfort :25 mm and 27 mm. So, measure your nipple size and see if this will fit you.