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: Buy it even if you're staying at home!
Summary: 5 Stars
I doubt if I would have kept breastfeeding past my baby's first month without this pump. I'm a nervous first-time mom and it was a relief to know how much milk my baby was getting. I hate that common breastfeeding mantra, "If they're gaining weight everything's fine." Like I wanted to wait for my baby to be gaining poorly before I knew to do something! Anyway, it was one less thing to worry about, especially when jaundice made my baby too sleepy to eat well at first.
I like this pump better than the one I used in the hospital, which I had to turn all the way up to get enough milk.
The only thing that should come with this pump but doesn't is the Made By Moms Pumping Band (at babyuniverse.com and other places) which is an elastic contraption that straps the collection funnels to you so you can do other things at the same time. I pump in my office at work and can eat my lunch or use my computer. I also got an additional 10 ft of air tubing and aquarium tubing connectors from the pet store so I am free to roam within a room.
I also highly recommend the Medela car adapter. I occasionally have meetings for work where I have to drive an hour and be gone all day, so if I pumped on the way there and back I was OK and I didn't have to tell my boss I couldn't go (of course, I couldn't drive myself and pump without the Pumping Band.) Car trips with baby are a lot easier too!
One last note: If you haven't had your baby yet, when you go to the hospital ask for a Medela pump to use, and then you can keep the kit for your home pump and have a spare. I wish I had gotten more pump kits, as it seems I'm always washing a kit just before I have to go to work.
Customer Review: Works well when there are no problems......
Summary: 2 Stars
I researched numerous breast pumps on numerous sites and finally ended up purchasing this pump from breastfeedingworld.com (was $50-60 cheaper) and at first was very happy with it. The let-down reflex feature is nice, as is the removable cooling pack. Other than those features, I am not impressed. My first pump I had to send back because the face plate and the little yellow plug (if using 1 or both pumps at the same time) kept coming loose and would cause me to loose suction, which after the 100th time gets very frustrating. I called Medela and they immediately sent me a new pump. Again, the face plate kept coming loose during pumping, and again Medela sent me a new face plate. Finally, the last straw occured when I was removing the tubing to store the pump for travel and one of the pieces that extends from the face plate (where the tubing is inserted) litterally shattered as I was removing it (and I'm no Hercules!). Not to mention that this machine is VERY, VERY LOUD. There is nothing discrete about pumping with this machine. Currently I am borrowing a friend's Pump in Style Original and I am so much happier with this device. I've had no problem and the Original model is so much quieter.
Side note--Despite the problems I've had with the Advance model, the Medela customer service is wonderful. Each problem I had was immediately addressed and the new parts were received the following business day, FedEX overnight. Truly, you can not beat their customer service.
In short, don't spend the extra money on the Advance model, buy the Original and save yourself the money and frustration.
Customer Review: It's worth the money!
Summary: 5 Stars
After 8 long weeks of PAINFUL nursing, and hours of lactation consulting, I accepted the fact that my daughter wasn't going to be breastfed. But that doesn't mean she can't have the best nutrition available. I had rented the Lactina (Medela) for the first 2 months. When I realized that my milk supply could keep up with pumping alone, I bought the Pump In Style Advanced. I have now used it for almost 3 months and love it. I had doctors and lactation consultants tell me that the pump and bottle method wouldn't last long, because my milk supply would diminish. I'm glad that I didn't listen to them. I have a freezer full of breast milk! Although I used to pump 6 times a day, I now only pump 4 times a day. (Wake-up, lunch, dinner, bed). I get 32-38 ounces a day, and I keep the dial in the middle between minimum and maximum strength. Periodically, I throw in a couple of extra pumpings, to keep up with her growth spurts. It is a bit louder than the Lactina, but still an amazing machine. I love that you can't tell what it is in the bag. The cooler is in there, as well as all the pump accessories. There's a bit of extra storage room, too.
I use this pump at home, at friend's houses, at work, and have taken it on vacations. The battery pack is just as effective as plugging it in. If you aren't able to breastfeed for whatever reason, and still want your child to have breastmilk, I highly recommend this pump. Shop around because prices vary on different websites. No matter how much you spend on it, it's no more money that a few months of formula!
Customer Review: First-time Mom wondering why you need this particular model? Here's why ...
Summary: 5 Stars
If you question how often you would use a pump (in order justify the expenditure to yourself or a reluctant husband/family member) here's why YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THIS PUMP:
You can pump a bottle so that your husband or family member can help you with the numerous night feedings or give you a much needed break to take a nap or go do something for yourself.
You can pump a bottle to take on the go in case you are going somewhere you cannot easily breastfeed.
If you get mastitis or a clogged milk duct, you will need to pump that breast empty every feeding so that you will heal quickly. It was so painful for me but this pump gave me much needed relief.
When the wonderful time comes that your baby sleeps long stretches at night, you will get engorged. When you wake up with very full breasts, this pump can quickly relieve you and not risk you decreasing your milk production when they start sleeping through the night.
You can pump ahead to freeze your milk in case you get sick and need to take medication that is not good for your baby. This will prevent you from having to give up unnecessarily on breastfeeding too soon.
ALL OF THIS CAN BE DONE SO QUICKLY WITH THE MEDELA BREAST PUMP. It is the only machine on the market that can accomplish what it does in the amount of time it does and it is worth every penny. So if you need help in justifying why the expensive machine is worth it, those are a few of my best reasons why I can't live without it and you shouldn't either.
Customer Review: Pretty good but I was hoping for better for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I like the convenience of being able to carry this pump with me and I like that it comes with pump/freeze/serve bottles in a separate carrying case with a cooler block. Plus, the bag is good-looking and you wouldn't even know it's a breast pump. And the pump itself works well.
What I was not thrilled about is that the bottles didn't come with nipples and the Medela nipples are not easy to find on their own. I had to buy a separate pump and store starter kit (4 bottles, caps, nipples) to get a decent supply. Also, the pump is a little louder than I thought it would be but if you zip the pump's compartment while you're pumping, it does cut down on the noise. Another thing is that I expected there to be different speeds of pumping like there was in the Ameda hospital pump I rented for a couple of weeks but even at $319, it has only one speed (although you can adjust the vacuum strength).
Last, and this isn't directed specifically at this pump but at all pumps that can pump both breasts simultaneously... I don't think they're worth it. I don't really even pump both breasts at the same time anymore because it's not easy to sit there holding both cups over both breasts on top of adjusting the dials and possibly holding or trying to soothe a baby. I constantly broke the suction seals and dripped milk on my lap. And I spent so much time readjusting the cups and trying to get comfortable that I could have just pumped one breast at a time (which I do now). Fortunately, the Medela pump works pretty fast magic on me.