I've had my Medela Pump in Style Advanced Breast Pump for 6 months now and wanted to address some of the complaints I saw when I was reading reviews to select a pump because I've experienced NONE of these issues.
1) if it needs maintenance, you have to send the whole tote in: The pump itself is now velcroed into the tote so it can be removed for service if needed. pumping 2 to 5 times per day, 30 to 60 min sessions, and mine has required none.
2) the parts are hard to clean/membranes easy to tear: I run clean hot water through my parts, shake the excess water off and put them in a ziplock with a paper towel to catch any more excess while I'm at work and place that bag in a cooler by itself since my milk cooler isn't large enough. Then wash them thoroughly with soap at the end of the day and store the entire pkg, cooler, ice pack, and parts in the freezer overnight. I have NEVER had any mold or mildew issues and there are nipple brushes that can get into the crevices to clean where I saw someone mention none will fit. The membranes have never torn - I simply leave them on unless I'm running them through the dishwasher which happens weekly. They are tiny parts but imperative for operation and they must be replaced from time to time anyway to maintain good suction - keep a spare set handy. I lost one down the drain by mistake just this morning.
3) mold or mildew in the tubes from condesation: This is easy to prevent. When you are done pumping, disconnect them from the flanges and leave the machine on for a minute while you're removing the flanges from yourself and wiping yourself off. Then turn the machine off and finish your cleanup.
4) noisy: This machine is much quieter than the lansinoh I had that broke at work and necessitated me buying this machine. I used the Medela at the hospital while my son was in NICU and it was great. This machine is a little louder than the hospital model but the suction is not lacking at all.
5) bags falling apart/subpar craftsmanship: I have been carrying this tote everywhere for 6 months and my seams are still tight, zippers are not falling off or broken, etc. I stuff mine full to the gills and haven't seen any unexpected wear from my harsh treatment. This thing gets put under my desk and shoved with my foot multiple times daily. It is holding up MUCH better than expected after reading the reviews prior to buying it.
Now, I never saw mention of this but the battery life on the battery pack was much better than expected. I thought for sure 8 AA's would never last through my lunch hr 45 min pumping session but they've held up through 2. Suction did start to wane but I only had access to cheap junk batteries so that's not the pump's issue.
Thank you Medela for making a good product that I can RELY on to let me work and provide the best food possible for my son. I have and will continue to recommend this to any of my friends who want to nurse and have to work.
