Product Review: Medela Harmony Breast Pump

I purchased the Medela Harmony Breast Pump to use occasionally to store extra breast milk in case of emergency. I found it to be a terrific hand pump - easy to use, comfortable, and effective for expressing breast milk.

Product overview

The Medela Harmony Breast pump comes with one pump, one soft breast cup, two membranes, two 5-oz. pumping/storage bottles with lids, and a bottle stand. Also included are instructions for using the pump and a breastfeeding information guide. The Medela Harmony Breast Pump retails for around $34.99.

Effectiveness and ease of use

For occasional use, the Medela Harmony Breast Pump is fantastic. It is easy to use and quite comfortable. Being a manual pump, the amount of suction is completely up to the mother using the pump - for less suction, simply don't pump the handle all the way down. This can be wonderful, especially in the early days when nipples may be sore.

The Medela Harmony Breast Pump is very effective at stimulating letdown. By pumping the shorter end of the handle, the mother can replicate the shorter, faster sucks that a baby would use to stimulate the letdown reflex. Once letdown occurs, the longer end of the handle serves to express milk quickly, similar to the longer sucks of a nursing baby. This dual action feels natural, closely simulating the act of nursing a baby.

Membranes can wear out rather quickly, which can negatively impact suction. However, the Medela Harmony Breast Pump comes with two replacement membranes, and additional membranes are quite inexpensive and can be purchased everywhere that Medela products are sold.

The bottles that come with the Medela Harmony Breast Pump serve a dual role. Attach one to the pumping mechanism to collect milk as you pump, and then simply remove the bottle and seal it with one of the included lids for convenient storage for the refrigerator. These bottles can also be used with any of Medela's battery-powered or electric breast pumps.

Cleaning

The Medela Harmony Breast Pump is very easy to clean. Simply pull apart the pieces to wash and sanitize them. I did find that when sanitizing, boiling in too-hot water can warp the breast cup, which can decrease suction. However, when cleaned and sanitized properly, the Medela Harmony Breast Pump is easy to clean and reassemble.

Bottom Line

The Medela Harmony Breast Pump is the perfect choice for mothers who need to pump only occasionally, to store extra breast milk for emergencies or for short periods away from baby. This is a quality hand pump that is well worth the $34.99 price tag.