Medela Swing Pump- Single Electric Pump (Review)

Medela is a well-known manufacturer of breast pumps, such as the popular Medela Pump N Style Breast Pump that I used during my early breastfeeding months. Medela is a strong supporter of breastfeeding and breastfeeding education, and will be celebrating 50 years in 2011. I recently had the opportunity to review the Medela Swing Pump, a single electric pump designed for pumping on-the-go.

The Medela Swing Pump (featured below) comes with all of the following: A battery-optional pump (4 AA batteries), power cord, SoftFit breastshield, two 5 oz bottles with lids and one travel cap, a bottle stand to keep bottle upright, one valve and three membranes, shoulder strap, a manual, and a drawstring bag to carry it all in:

The Medela Swing Breast Pump comes with a smaller, lighter pump than standard double pumps, and has an optional AC adaptor or battery pack depending on your power options. It can fit into many handbags or a briefcase, so women returning to work who would like to continue to pump during the day may really find the Swing Pump useful if they have no where to store a larger double pump at work.
Like other Medela Pumps, the Swing Pump offers 2-Phase Expressions technology. This is an option that allows you to move start with faster pumping before changing to longer, slower pumps, to mimic how a baby suckles and improve letdowns. It starts with quick pulses, like a baby just starting a nursing session, and then changes to longer pulses.

Some Features of the Medela Swing Pump:

* One touch let down button designed for faster milk flow
* Adjustable speed and vacuum
* Comes with SoftFit™ Breastshield (flexible flange)
* Mobile, can be used on a tabletop, belt clip or shoulder/neck strap
* Parts that come into contact with breast milk are BPA-free

The Medela Swing Pump may be a sufficient option for a woman who needs to pump on-the-go and finds a double pump to be cumbersome to carry along, but if you are able to store a pump at work, I still prefer the Medela Pump In Style Advanced, which allows for greater expression (you really can't beat the results achieved with pumping both breasts at once) and which I found to have a much stronger pump as well. I didn't really find the flexibility of the SoftFit flange to have a more secure fit than the standard rigid flange either, so I ended up switching it over to use with the Swing Pump. If your main source of feeding your child is expressed milk and have access to it, in my opinion a double pump is preferable. It's more expensive, but will save you time by pumping both sides at once. If you need to express some milk during the day, relieve engorgement, and want a less expensive option that is more discreet and easy to travel with, the Medela Swing Pump may be a better option for you.

Medela has great customer service and were very helpful when I shared my honest opinions that the single pump is not as strong as the double pump. They suggested solutions and even offered to replace the pump, but I think in the end a single pump is not designed to be as effective at expressing volume milk as pumping from both sides naturally is, so in addition to price and convenience, the volume needed to be pumped and the reason you are choosing to pump would be major factors in deciding which pump is right for you.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2