Medela Freestyle Breastpump

For the price this pump is not worth your money. The bra did not fit and the horns would not stay secure to my breast. I would recommend using a pumping bra and another model pump.
Posted on 1/5/10

Good Pump, Decent Price. Never had any problems with it. I would definitely recommend this to another mom to be.
Posted on 12/10/09

At first I loved this product, but it's now my nemisis.

Why I loved it: Small and light, dual-phase pumping, the thought of hands-free was alluring.

Why I hate it:
1. Suction is horrible. I've switched shields, replaced parts, replaced tubing. The next step I guess is the motor, but it never comes anywhere close to emptying my breast. Today, after pumping for 20 minues (and not pumping anything for the last 5 minutes), I was able to hand express another ounce myself when it was done and could have done more had I had the time. I've been pumping less and less and was wondering what was going on - I'm doing everything they recommend to keep my supply up and nothing was working. I happened to forget my pump at home last week and luckily a friend at work had extra parts/tubing for her Pump in Style Advanced. Yes, I know you shouldn't share pumps, but I was desperate since I work an hour from home. With her pump, I pumped twice as much as I usually do in half the time. Actually stopping at the hospital tonight to rent the Symphony just so I can get my supply back up quickly.

2. Hands-free is a pain. First it takes way too much time to get the handsfree set up - frequently re-adjusting the elastic straps that hook to the side to make sure the shield is on straight, not to high, too low, not leaking out of the bottom, etc. Second, if you don't like the SoftShield provided (sticks so your skin and causes pain over time), you have to use a the Personalfit. Unfortunately, the Personalfit have longer tubes at the back of the shield and since the elastic handsfree strap only stretches so far, it essentially flattens your breast against your chest which is very uncomfortable when you're full and ready to pump. Third, similar to the PersonalFit Shield issue, if you're anything over a C-cup, your breast ends up a flat to get hands-free strap to properly fit.

3. Loud, Loud, Loud. My mother-in-law laughs that she can hear my cow mooing everytime I call her to check on my baby while I'm pumping.
Posted on 12/8/09

This is a great pump for occational or part time use. The softfit breast sheilds are SUPER comfy to use and the pump itself is very tiny and portable and has excellent pumping action with 2-phase technology which is supposed to mimic how baby eats. I have used it as my second pump as I am currently renting a Symphony (hospital grade). This pump won't help establish a supply or maintain one, but its great to have at home (the Symphony stays at work) for some extra pumping if I need it. The valves/tubes are not compatible with the Symphony but the bottles, sheilds and bottle caps are compatible. All the new Medela nipples also fit right on the pumping bottles. The cary bag is also very roomy and zippers shut. I will keep using it long after I quit pumping. And the extra cooler bag is also awesome to have. I store any milk I pump at night in the bag and don't have to run down to the fridge at 3 AM. I also use it when I go out for extended times and need to keep my milk cold.
Posted on 11/6/09

As someone who commutes on the subway every day with a laptop, I needed a small, lightweight breastpump, and this really fits that bill. I also love the hands-free straps so I can keep working on my computer while I pump.

A few minor warnings - issues not hard to resolve:
- The SoftFit breastshields that came with the system sometimes caused chafing. I got Medela's hard breastshields and had no problem.
- Careful about doing too much with the hands free system - you have to keep your chest upright. If you bend over the milk will leak out.
- Sometimes when I turn the unit on there is no suction. This means the pieces of the pumping mechanisms weren't snapped together properly. If you take it apart and reassemble it should work fine.
Posted on 9/7/09

I have had the motor replaced after 3 months of using it 3X per day.
The pump just stopped working (output gradually got lower until it was barely pumping anything).
The new motor worked well for about another month (so it wasn't my supply but the pump) but I am again loosing suction.
I have been using new replaced spare parts and motor for about 2 months and I am again having suction problems.
So I have replaced the motor, the spare parts kit twice, and the hose.
When I received the new motor, my output immediately went back up, but its now going down again.
I am running out of stuff to replace on this pump.
Even though I love the size and convenience of hands free, bottom line is that since the suction starts to get weak after a few months, then its not worth it.
I will be contacting company AGAIN (ugh) to try and get the pump in style advanced.
My recommendation, hold off on getting this.
Hands free looks nice, but the overall quality of the pump is lacking.
And not to mention, cleaning all the spare parts everynight on this kit is so very exhausting. Yet another issue I have with this pump.
Bottom line: Pump did not hold up for full time use. (I've been using it for 7 months now - 3 months at 3X per day).
Posted on 9/7/09