Product Review : Medela Pump in Style

If you are breastfeeding, it is necessary to have a good breast pump. As a mother, it will be necessary sometimes to be away from your child whether you are working or not, even if it is just for a few hours. It is also a possibility that at some point you will need to be on a medication that is counterintuitive to breastfeeding. The breast pump should be comfortable to use, pump milk quickly, and be easy to use and clean. The Medela Pump in Style breast pump meets all of these needs and more.

Medela is a leader in breast feeding resources. The Pump in Style breast pump is a double daily use breast pump. If you intend to work part time or full time, the Pump in Style is wonderful as you can pump one or both breasts concurrently and save lots of time.

Features of the Medela Pump in Style Breast Pump
1.) The pump has a knob to adjust the strength of the vacuum.
2.) The pump has a knob to adjust the speed.
3.) Medela Pump in Style comes in a discrete carry-bag.
4.) The Pump in Style kit comes with 4 bottles and caps, bottle stands, 2 shields, 2 membranes, and tubing.
5.) The Pump in Style bag has a removable cooler bag (great for commuting or carrying bottles to daycare/on a trip or home from work) and a stabilizer panel so the bag does not tip over while pumping.

I have found that the adjustable speed and vacuum strength are part of what makes this pump great. When your milk first comes in, your breasts can be sore. Being able to adjust the strength is very helpful in this situation and can keep you comfortable. Being comfortable during breastfeeding and pumping is essential for letdown.

I also love the fact that you can adjust the pumping speed. I have found that this is a wonderful feature as I can adjust the pump during the course of the pumping session. In order to simulate actual breastfeeding, I start the pump on high. This stimulates the letdown, just like a baby would by vigorously feeding. As the pumping session continues, I slow down the pump, just as a baby would slow down to take longer draws of milk. I find that I get much more milk this way.

Medela has done research to form the Pump in Style Advanced to actually accomplish this type of pumping for you. The Pump in Style Advanced has a 2 phase expression feature. The first stage is the stimulation phase with fast and short draws to stimulate the letdown of the milk. The second phase is the expression phase which is slow allowing you to pump more milk quickly. It is timed based on research on how to obtain the most milk from a pumping session.

The Medela Pump in Style allows you to pump milk quickly with its electric motor. On average, I pump about 5 ounces of milk per breast in under 8 minutes. By pumping both breasts at the same time, I am able to get milk very quickly. This is essential if you are a working woman.
The parts of this breast pump are also very easy to clean. If you use the Medela Microwave Steamer Bags, you can get sterilized pump parts in 3 minutes. This is helpful for all of us mothers that are short on time. Medela prides itself on the fact that all of its parts are BPA free (a chemical that has been proven to cause medical problems in some people) and they always have been keeping your infant safe.

Replacement parts can be purchased for the Pump in Style. One thing that I did not enjoy in the Pump in Style is the fact that the shields are a little small for me, causing some discomfort from time to time. Medela has recently remedied this by creating Personal Fit shields which are adjusted for your size. Medela also offers a soft, flexible shield that massages the areola while pumping to help stimulate letdown.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful gift that you can give to your child. The Medela Pump in Style can help you stick with breastfeeding longer by providing you the opportunity to be away from your baby with an easy, reliable breast pump.

The Medela Pump in Style retails at $249.99 and the Pump in Style Advanced retails at $319.00. I feel that it is worth every penny.