Medela Freestyle Double Electric Breastpump: Hands-free pumping!
A few weeks ago, I met with some Medela PR folks about their new Freestyle® breastpump — the industry’s first hands-free, double-electric, rechargeable breastpump. I was extremely excited about the prospect of the mobility allowed by a hands-free pump and couldn’t wait to test it out. Only problem is, I’m no longer nursing nor will I be anytime soon. I had little trouble finding some willing testers, my neighbors Betty and Marie. Both have previously used Medela’s Pump in Style breastpumps so they had something to compare it with. Betty is nursing her third child and Marie has been exclusively pumping for her daughter for the past ten months.
Click Continue Reading for both of their reviews.
by CBB guest reviewer Betty
Five weeks after the birth of my daughter and I was still staring atthe ancient 10-year-old Medela Pump in Style sitting on the shelf in mycloset. While no novice to pumping (I pumped daily with my twoprevious children), it seemed like a chore I didn’t feel like doing.
Then the chance to review the new Medela double hands-free pump called the Freestyle. It’s sleek, it’s compact (weighing lessthan 1 pound), but best of all it was new. With a handbag like toteand a rechargeable battery I was set to pump.
Assembly
Assembly of the bottles is not difficult. If you place the membranesin the wrong way, the breastshield body does not snap together. TheSoftFit breastshields are soft and are more comfortable than the rigid olderones.
Usage
Since the straps for the hands-free mode was a little intimidating tome, I decided to try out the pump alone. I used the single mode whilenursing on the other side. What a joy to use such a compact system.It was also quieter than the older model. (I did use my old pump oncethis time in the beginning when I wasfeeling engorged. Compared to the newer model, the motor does seem abit more sluggish.)
Once I was over the intimidation factor it was time to gohands-free. There is a belt that wraps around your waist to hold thepump and straps that attach to your bra that hold the bottles. Theconcept is great but doesn’t always work. After the initial set up andadjustment of the straps, it is quick and easy to get started-providingyou have the right bra on. Though two different adapters are given, itdid not fit two of my pricier nursing bras. That said- as long as youare aware of which bras work and which don’t you shouldn’t have anyproblems. Attaching it to the straps is not hard when it works but itdoesn’tseem as secure as it should. I wonder if the Medela bras have a moresecure fastening.
I have two Bravado sport-type bras which work and two Bravado tankstyle with bra that do not work. The Bravados are $50+. I also boughta couple of less expensive ones from Motherhood Maternity which do work with thestraps.
The battery
Having a rechargeable battery was a godsend. Always looking for thatquiet area with an outlet was in the past. Now I could pump in peacewherever I wanted. According to the booklet, the battery lasts forthree hours. There is no decrease in power while using the battery.It works as well as any plug-in model.
Two phase expression
The Freestyle features Two Phaseexpression. The stimulation phase-to produce the “let down” and theexpression phase. The two phases mimic the infants sucking. While thephases are timed, you can easily switch from either phase to the otherand back again if you choose. Also available is a memory feature,which allows you to set your own timed phases. Regardless of which oneyou use, the memory or the preset times, with the touch of a finger youcan switch to the next mode. As on the older models, adjusting thevacuum is an easy up or down push of a soft key for whatever comfortlevel you wish to achieve. Older models of the PiS (and the Original) donot offer Two-Phase Expression.
Collection and storage of milk
Since the recent concernover BPA in plastic bottles, I called the customer service number toconfirm that the collection bottles are BPA free-which in fact theyare.
My biggest disappointment was not being able to use the Pump and Save storage bags made by Medela. I bought the storage bagsbecause I thought it would be great to just pump and store. 6 am (mytypical pumping time) one morning I was struggling with the bags andcould not for the life of me figure out what I was doing wrong. So,that morning I called and that’s when the company told me the bags arenot made for the Freestyle pump because they thought you couldn’t pumphands free with the bags- they would probably leak. There is absolutelyno way to even adapt these bags to the breast shield. I do pump intothe bottles and then put it in the storage bags. But using the bagswould have saved me from having to clean the bottles.
Overall
While it is a bit pricey at $379.99, its value is priceless for thosewho want compact efficiency. Overall, I find the “Freestyle” to live upto its name and gives moms some freedom without feeling like pumping isa chore.
by CBB guest reviewer Marie
As someone who has been pumping exclusively for ten months (my poor little preemie baby never could latch), I have a lot of experience with pumping. I own 2 Medela Pump in Style (PiS) pumps and have been very happy with them. The Medela Freestyle, billed as “hands-free” improves upon the PiS in several areas, including portability, battery charging, weight, size, and most important for me, pumping power.
Size/weight
The pump itself is very light and small, about the size of two or three Blackberry’s on top of one another. And much like a Blackberry, you can clip the pump to a waistband and carry it around with you. There are also bra clips that connect to the breast shields so that you don’t have to hold the collection containers as you pump; I honestly haven’t used these very much as the Soft Fit breast shields that come with the pump seem to suction onto my boobs so well that I don’t really need a clip.
Setup
The most difficult thing about the Freestyle is figuring out how to best set up the clips for your chest. Medela even includes a warning in its instructions not to be daunted by all the pieces and parts, as it is actually very simple to put together. This proved to be true for me, as many of the parts are optional.
Usage
By the second time I used the Freestyle, I had already put away my other pumps, because I was so impressed with the ease and portability. But the one area I was most impressed with was its pumping power — I was getting so much more milk out with each session!
In addition to all these features, there is a digital timer on the Freestyle so that you know exactly how long you’ve been pumping, and there is a button you can press so that it will g
o right to your favorite settings so that you don’t have to adjust the pressure each time.
The battery
The battery is rechargeable and can go about 4 or 5 (or maybe evensix) pumping sessions, depending on how long you pump, which means thatyou could use it for a full day on battery power without having to plugit in. This is where it became priceless for me—we’ve gone on daytrips and I can easily pump in the car or a restroom without having toworry about a plug. The battery also very quickly recharges so thatyou don’t ever have to worry about it running out.
Caveats
I love this pump and I’m not going to use another one, but it is not without a few caveats. For one, I have not seen the SoftFit breastshields in stock at places like Babies R Us or Target, so it could be difficult to replace them if you lose or damage them. And the Freestyle only works with those breastshields; the breastshields from my PiS will not work with it (although the collection containers work just fine). [Note: A Medela representative told me that the Freestyle works with all of Medela's PersonalFit breastshields, including those that come with the Pump In Style Advanced and rental kits. So moms are not limited to using the SoftFit shields that come with Freestyle.] The same goes for the tubing; if you need to replace the tubing you will have to get tubing specifically for the Freestyle.
Finally, it is very important to note that though the Freestyle will enable you to move from your TV to your computer if you so choose, you can only move about gently… I would not wash dishes, pick up the baby, or even bend over to pick up her pacifier off the floor (that resulted in a lot of spilled milk on the rug!).
Overall
I love this pump and I’m so happy to have it—I had intended on stopping the pumping last week but since it is so easy now, I think I may even make it to a year.
