Medela Pumps - problems

[MelanieAnn]

There's a fascinating article here on Medela suggesting that there are real reasons not to buy them. They are not code compliant, they cannot be passed on to another user, and the pump motor can go mouldy!
https://justwestofcrunchy.com/2011/01/19/the-problems-with-medela/
Has anyone experienced these problems?

 

[indy and lara]

I had no problems with the Medela. I had a Tommy Tippee previously which was guff but the Medela was great. Interesting!

 

[summer rain]

I am still hoping to get a medela swing, haven't had the chance yet. I've tried amedas consumer grade double pump and it was disappointing, the suction/cycling wasn't adjustable enough. I don't know about the US but over here medela don't do much in terms of promotion or promoting feeding via bottle, until recently the only way to get most medela accessories including spAre bottles and any of their teats, was online or via mail order

 

[lynnikins]

i want the amdeda hospital grade pump lol i love it lol

 

[aob1013]

The Medela is hospital grade, it's fantastic.

 

[Ju_bubbs]

I have a mould problem with my medela! The hole that sits in the bottle where the milk pours out from under th lil rubber flappy bit (lol best way I can explain it) has gone mouldy inside and I cant get anything in there to clean it! Lots of money down the drain!

 

[Embo]

Never had a problem with mine, I love it best money I've ever spent I think

 

[summer rain]

i want the amdeda hospital grade pump lol i love it lol

Me too; the Ameda egnell is excellent. I was told their lactaline was extremely close; BS, its nothing like as good and I ended up needing to sell it, I could get out more with my avent manual which I hated.

 

[Mincholada]

I have a mould problem with my medela! The hole that sits in the bottle where the milk pours out from under th lil rubber flappy bit (lol best way I can explain it) has gone mouldy inside and I cant get anything in there to clean it! Lots of money down the drain!

are you talking about the valve & membrane and that it's mouldy in the valve? don't they come off with your pump? i'm using the medela swing and medela lactina hospital grade pump and with both of them you can disassemble the pumping parts (connectors, shields, valves, membranes) and clean them properly. wonder if that's possible with yours?

if not, you can always replace these parts for okay money for example through amazon.
here's the link for valves/membranes, but all other parts are available as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Medela-87089-Valves-Membranes/dp/B0006Q561Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295639587&sr=8-1

 

[bky]

I came across this information several weeks ago when researching a new pump (and decided not to post it).
These are better articles on the real problems with Medela. The mold in the motor is likely a common problem with all non-closed system motors (I can certainly see that my Avent-also non-compliant- gets milk in the motor ). I think the real issue should be that they promote pumping over BF (and as something to fall back on when BF doesn't work out, rather than actual help). When you need a pump, you need a pump, and some people only respond to certain brands or styles so it's unfortunate they have gone this route.
They shouldn't be doing it, but there are much bigger problems (Nestle) that should get more focus. A violation is a violation and they shouldn't get a pass because they are Medela. All corporations are like this to some degree or another so I think it's just about impossible to avoid shady marketing in any walk of life.

https://hoydenabouttown.com/20090310.4062/medela-bites-its-thumb-at-the-who-code/
https://dou-la-la.blogspot.com/2010/02/ready-set-suck-on-medelas-who.html
https://www.phdinparenting.com/2010/01/25/information-advertising-spam-medela-crosses-the-line/

I bought an Ameda PY. The closed system and the price tag were the main contributors, but the non-violation of the WHO code was a perk.

 

[Brockie]

I have a mould problem with my medela! The hole that sits in the bottle where the milk pours out from under th lil rubber flappy bit (lol best way I can explain it) has gone mouldy inside and I cant get anything in there to clean it! Lots of money down the drain!

yep you can defo buy that piece as a spare part, friend of mine lost this piece recently and ordered a new one.

never had a problem with mould in mine, tho it has just recently packed in, think the motor has gone. It has seen me thru 2 babies tho! x

 

[moomina]

ju_bubbs - I think I had the same problem with mine and cleaned it with a cotton bud - hope that helps because the replacement parts are pricey!

 

[summer rain]

The Ameda lactaline is the purely yours, same model, different countries. I just found the suction and cycling inferior, not very adjustable and when double pumping considerably weaker than when single pumping. I didn't pay so much for a glorified single pump. I'm sure most baby stuff manufacturers violate the codes somewhere, and encouraging women to pump as opposed to BF directly, which tbh I haven't seen happening in the UK is better than promoting formula feeding.

 

[anna matronic]

you can deffo take the valve and flappy bit off. Mine came wit a spare flappy bit aswell. So you should be able to give it a good clean.

I last used my swing 2 weeks ago and for some reason the suction was shite I gave up. I've only had it about 6 weeks

 

[lynnikins]

hence why i have a manual pump its seen me through 2 kids and not even had to replace the valve in it yet lol

 

[indy and lara]

you can deffo take the valve and flappy bit off. Mine came wit a spare flappy bit aswell. So you should be able to give it a good clean.

I last used my swing 2 weeks ago and for some reason the suction was shite I gave up. I've only had it about 6 weeks

I had the same thing happen with mine. Then I discovered a few days later that one of the tubes had slightly worked loose, reducing the suction. Pushed it back in and it was great again! Might not be that but worth a try?

 

[Lu28]

Got to say, I actually don't have a problem with Medela at all (and I don't have an emotional attachment to Medela, thought that was a slightly bizarre part of the article! ) I'm finding it quite difficult to get myself excited about this if I'm honest. I dont know much about the mould element but sounds as though that's an issue with open systems generally. I'm not at all bothered that they're advertising their nipples and bottles. If you're going to pump, you're going to need a bottle to feed it from. Why not let that money go to a company like Medela who are working within the bfing industry than say Tommee Tippee who are predominently in the ffing industry? I didn't buy the Medela bottles because I didn't know they made them at the time so just bought TT. I just really don't see what the big deal is

 

[summer rain]

^I totally agree with you. This seems to me like one of those cases of people making enemies of those on the same side while those who should really be criticised get away scot free. Also in the US, where it seems most of these blogs are from, women often have to return to work shortly after birth, is it wrong therefore for Medela to make and promote their products for such a market especially considering how it must enable so many ladies to continue giving breastmilk for many more months?

 

[Srrme]

Every time I used the Medela pump at the hospital, my milk would end up in the tubes.

 

[summer rain]

All hospital grade pumps are closed system, including medela, it does begrudgingly admit that on one of the blogs, there is no way they'd have open system pumps in a hospital environment. Milk can get into the tubing of any pump it happened with the ameda one when I was in hospital expressing for my son a few weeks ago, with the closed system pumps though the tubing is closed from the motor and the tubing is either a disposable part of the collection kit or easily replaceable for another user.