Medela Pump in Style Advanced Breast Pump
by Medela
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Our Price: $349.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $240.00 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Medela Pump in Style Advanced Breast Pump
Customer Review: THIS IS THE CADILLAC OF BREAST PUMPS!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this pump after having a terrible time with the Medela double electric pump just three months after my daughter was born. I was wary about spending so much money on this pump since I had just spent $120 on the double electic only to find that it wasn't good for me. Anyway, I reasoned that it would be cheaper to buy a really good pump than to rent one. I'm glad I did!
This pump pumps both breasts at the same time, which means that you can pump in 15 minutes or so, give or take a few minutes for equipment cleaning and storing. I took this pump to work every day (I work twelve hour shifts) so I would have to pump three times during my shift. You definitely need to have the adapter, or this pump will just eat the batteries right up. It isn't 'whisper quiet' but if you bring a towel to drape over it, that will help cut some of the noise. Still, unless you have absolute privacy at work, it's obvious from the sound what you're doing.
This pump, out of several that I have used in my nursing experiences, yielded the fastest pumping time with the least nipple trauma and the highest milk yield. It is said that when you start pumping in place of nursing, your milk production will decrease. This may be true for some, but after my daughter bit me at nine months of age and refused to nurse again, I was able to continue nursing her with my own milk until she was fourteen months old SOLELY FROM USING THIS PUMP. When she started to bite and refused to nurse, I wasn't ready to wean her, so I just started using this pump every three to four hours, except at night. I continued this for five and a half more months, until I was sure she didn't need the breast milk anymore. It wasn't easy, but I know without a doubt that if I hadn't had this pump, I couldn't have kept producing adequate milk and I know I would have quite nursing her.
You gotta love a pump that will help you accomplish your nursing goals!
That's why I highly recomment this pump and promise that, with some perserverence, you can keep nursing and pumping as long as you wish. You will not regret purchasing it! I'm using it still, two years later, on my new baby and have had no problems with the pump. The tubing needs to be replaced fairly frequently because it gets discolored and cracked, but this is easily ordered over the phone from the Medela company, which has lightning fast shipping and reasonable rates.
The provide excellent customer service.
It would be a very good idea to have two sets of tubing and membranes in your posession before you take your pump to work. I got a crack in a tubing at work and couldn't pump because I didn't have a spare...OUCH! Don't get caught without a backup.
Hope this review is helpful...I've learned so much the hard way!
Customer Review: Great pump! Easy to use!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this pump on ebay for $219 including shipping. Before buying, shop around for a good deal!
Anyway, as a first time Mom, I had no idea what I was doing when it came to pumping and this pump is really easy to use. It only has one dial, so no need to fiddle with dials while pumping. All I do is turn it on and place the cups on my breasts and hold them there until I am done. The pump automatically switches from letdown mode to regular mode after 2 minutes. And, if you want you can press a button to switch the modes sooner than that. I do that sometimes, especially when I single pump. But when double pumping, it is hard for me to hang on to the collection bottles while playing with buttons and dials. I can get a good amount of milk in a short amount of time. Doctor Brown's bottles fit right on, so I don't have to transfer the milk from one bottle to the other and lose all the stuff that gets stuck to the bottle when it is refrigerated. The motor is a bit loud - I find it distracting when I try to visualize my baby to get let down. But I have never had a problem letting down and the amount of milk I can collect has been increasing steadily with practice.
The first time I used the pump I only got 2-3 oz, but now I get a lot more than that - probably an average of 7 or 8 oz at a time unless it's early morning. Then I get about 9 or 10 oz in about 8 minutes.
You can buy Evenflo brand breastmilk collection bottles - 4 for $4.99 - instead of the pricey Medela breastmilk storage kit to use as extra collection bottles.
Medela customer service is great too - When the Advanced was first manufactured there was a problem with the faceplate coming loose. This knocked the yellow plug out which caused me to lose suction while pumping. I called Medela and they overnighted me a new faceplate at no charge.
One thing to note: I am finding that I want a manual pump as well because a manual pump is more convenient for travel and at home use. Sometimes, when I'm out without the baby I need to pump and it is just too inconvenient to plug in all the hoses of this pump and use the battery pack. A manual pump is easier. The one that comes with the pump is exhausting to use (it's a bicycle horn style pump) so I just ordered a Medela Harmony as well. I plan to leave this pump at work so I don't have to drag it back and forth. It is heavy! I'll just bring the bottles and pump horns back and forth which should be a lot easier.
Customer Review: AWESOME milk supply because of this pump!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a part time stay at home mom, and I would not have made it to 9 months of breastfeeding without this pump. I had a lot of problems breast-feeding my second baby. No problems with the first - go figure. I could not nurse her in the beginning due to cracked and bleeding nipples (from not nursing in the correct position) and this pump got me through it!! My pediatrician told me if I wanted to keep nursing I had to stop nursing (weird I know but she was right) and only pump. The way my daughter was nursing was making my nipples worse. So I stopped nursing her, and only pumped. My Dr. said the simulation of the pumping would heal the nipples. 5 days later it she was off my "are you crazy?" list - as I was all better. I got some breastfeeding consulting (so worth it) and off we went. The pumping actually healed my nipples and allowed me to still give her breastmilk. With my first baby I had the original Medela and it was pretty good, although I had problems with my supply. Mainly this was my own fault (I think). I did not pump at the exact times my baby would have eaten while away from him. Big no-no. Then with my newest daughter I decided to splurge and get the advanced backpack one because my milk supply was so important to me. WOW, what a difference. The beginning 2 minute cycle of the pump is awesome. It definitely feels MUCH more like an actual baby nursing, and closely matches it. For me this pump cuts down on the beginning pain when you first latch on the pump and start the cycle. With the old one it just jumps right in a starts sucking REALLY hard. With this one the beginning cycle is softer and quicker - hence getting the nipples ready and the milk flowing before really sucking it all out. I had an incredible supply of breastmilk and had bags and bags in my freezer for date nights!! :) I am a part-time stay at home mom - SO yes this is for people that plan to be home all the time with their kids. Sometimes she doesn't nurse all the milk out, so I pump the rest once she's done!! It's great!! Also, the sleek design of the backpack allows me to take it out and not feel self-conscious. I also bought the vehicle adapter and this allows me to pump while on the way to the movies!! Another way I keep my supply up. I can't say enough about this pump.
Customer Review: working nursing moms - get it if you can afford it...
Summary: 5 Stars
It took me a while to purchase this pump as I really couldn't justify the price. I rented a pump from the hospital (the lowest priced one the hospital had) but when I tried to take it to work my first week back, I felt like I was I was carrying a sewing machine around - it was big and bulky and in a bright blue hard plastic case. So I thought instead, I would use one of my single pumps at work. (I was given an Isis hand pump at my shower and had bought an Evenflo electric/battery). But, it took forever to express from one side at a time - 15 mins each side. And I could not justify two half hour breaks per day in addition to my lunch hour. (I pumped at 10 or 11am and then again at 2 or 3pm). On occasion, I even struggled with trying to use my Evenflo on one side and my hand operated Isis on the other... what a pain. It was all about how much time I could spare at work...
Anyway - once I decided that I was committed to continuing to pump at work - I plunked down the $$ for this pump and the time and frustration it has saved me has made it worth every cent. My baby is 11 months old now. I still pump at least once per day at work - and it makes me feel so good to know he has Breast milk at home to supplement his solids/meals when I'm not there.
Mostly I left the pump/bag in my office and just take the bottles and pumping parts home to clean daily (and I got a portable freezer bag to transport milk) but I had to commute to NYC once or twice per month and I was able to take it along and store my milk in the built-in freezer compartment . The bag looks like a briefcase (its discreet if you're shy about people knowing what it is) and although the pump is a tiny bit heavy it was still fairly easy to tote around on subways and such.
IT IS LOUD - just know that. I at least had private places at work to go where I could close a door, plug it in and not worry about the noise. But if you are committed to pumping while you are at work and have time issues, or if you have to pump for your health or because you can't feed from the breast - I say if you can scrape together the money for this you should get it.
Customer Review: THE BEST!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This pump I read about online when I had already registered for a single electric Avent pump. Although after I had read the review for the single one, I pulled it off my registry. I was concerned with the bad reviews from other mothers who were going back to work after having their baby. Everyone said you have to buy a good pump Medela's the best and it produces real results for working mom's who are breastfeeding. I was not happy about spending $320 though. So I decided to wait for the baby and see what happens. My expectations of breast feeding were high and I thought it would be easy. Well my baby came only 2.5 weeks early and she had trouble latching on properly. So I had to pump in the hospital. There I used the Medela commercial pumps which work perfect. So the day I left the hospital I stopped at the lactation center there and bought the Pump in Style for $40 dollars cheaper than babies r us had it for. I then signed up for lactation classes and weight checks. My baby nursed for 2 weeks improperly so i went to using the bottle, after alot frustration and her weight not being up enough. Since pumping and bottling, I've been using it and it's wonderful. I also had trouble with the face plate and called the company the next day explained the problem. They overnighted me a new face plate without any problems. They were very helpful and friendly. Good Company. My advice to mothers is pump right away to get your supply going and get used to using it, especially if you have to return to work in less than 12 weeks. I returned in 6 not by choice. But you can pump and freeze milk. Good thing to do. Plus, it was nice my husband was able to bond with the baby b/c he feed her every night while I pumped. And still does. So it wasn't all me. and family members enjoy being able to feed the baby too. Buy it and you won't be dissappointed. It's a must for the career mom.