The birth of a child is an unspeakable joy for parents. But certain difficulties also go hand in hand with joy. The first problem that inexperienced women usually face is lactation. The Swiss company Medela specializes in products that help young mothers in this difficult task. One of its most popular products is the Medela Swing electric breast pump. It is to him that our review is devoted.
Breast pump: need or fad?
Women are thinking about acquiring a breast pump before giving birth. Of course, after the baby is born, I want to be fully armed, but how will the future mother sort the really necessary things from useless trinkets? To create a complete picture of this category of products, we will consider all cases when a breast pump will be useful.
When can a breast pump be needed?
A breast pump will be extremely necessary if the baby has health problems. I do not want to think about the bad, but very often a woman has to give birth ahead of schedule. A child who was born prematurely, as a rule, does not have the necessary amount of strength to suckle a breast. It is imperative that such babies eat breast milk, because it is able to give strength to the baby faster than artificial mixtures.
It happens, and vice versa, when the baby is born full of strength and energy, and the mother is forced to recover after childbirth with the help of drugs. Today, there are many medications that are compatible with breastfeeding, but there are times when the use of such is impossible. Here, a breast pump will come to the aid of mom. He will help her maintain lactation during the treatment period, and after a full recovery, she will finally be able to fully experience all the delights of motherhood. Do not forget about such concepts as “lactostasis” and “mastitis”. In the process of combating these problems, a breast pump will also not be superfluous.
Well, in the end, mothers are also people. Sometimes they still have to part with the baby in order to solve some of their problems or just relax from everyday life. An electric breast pump Medela Swing will help a woman collect the right amount of milk and temporarily shift the responsibilities of feeding her baby to her dad.
Manufacturer
If you still decide to buy a breast pump, you should carefully study the market and compare the advantages and disadvantages of all known models. One of the points in comparison should be a manufacturing company.
Medela Swing electric milk pump is produced by the famous Swiss company Medela. It was founded in 1961 and soon gained unprecedented popularity. In addition to breastfeeding devices, Medela also manufactures medical vacuum equipment. The products of this company are available in almost all corners of the world. The secret to the success of this company is simple. All Medela products are manufactured on the basis of medical research, technical innovation and the preferences of modern parents.
Benefits
On the official Medela website, the manufacturer describes the uniqueness of this device in comparison with other models. There are clearly and clearly spelled out all its advantages, which may affect the choice of a potential buyer.
Advantages of the Medela Swing breast pump:
- efficiency and usability;
- compactness and lightness;
- application of 2-Phase Expression technology.
2-Phase Expression technology was developed by Medela. Its essence lies in the fact that the breast pump is able to imitate the natural manner of sucking the baby. This development as close as possible the artificial expression of breast milk to the natural process of feeding the baby. Two-phase Medela Swing Maxi electric breast pump is also produced using this technology.
Medela Swing Electric Breast Pump: Features
To begin with, there are two types of breast pumps in the Swing lineup: single-phase and two-phase. The difference is that the Medela Swing two-phase electric breast pump allows both breasts to be pumped out, thereby speeding up the pumping process. Otherwise, the characteristics of these two devices are similar.
Characteristics of the Swing line of breast pumps:
- Power Type: 12 V network / AAA Micro 1.5 V batteries.
- Bottle volume: 150 ml.
- Funnel size: 24 mm.
- Phases: stimulation and decantation.
- Expression force adjustment: yes.
The breast pump is controlled by four buttons, so there should be no problems with the operation of the device.
Nevertheless, the Medela Swing Maxi breast pump seems the most attractive to buy. In addition to saving time significantly, it allows you to increase milk production by 18%. At least that's what the manufacturer claims.
Equipment
Before buying, especially if the packaging with the device is opened, you must definitely check the completeness of the device. The standard Medela Swing breast pump kit includes:
- stand;
- a bottle;
- network cable;
- Power Supply;
- nozzles;
- Remote Control;
- breast pump tube;
- case;
- instruction;
- warranty card.
Standard equipment can be supplemented with other accessories that a woman can purchase if necessary. For example, it can be a funnel of a different size, if the standard one does not fit, a cooler bag or a smart sucker for a bottle.
Instructions for use
In fact, the Medela Electric Swing Maxi breast pump, just like the Swing, is extremely easy to operate. The standard instructions for use contain a lot of not so much unnecessary as trivial steps that could simply be omitted. It is clear that if the device is planned to be used not from the mains, then batteries must be inserted into it. Therefore, we decided to shorten the standard instructions and leave only really important and informative points in it. Moreover, the Medela two-phase breast pump has the same operating rules as the standard Medela Swing electric breast pump.
Instructions for use:
- Wash and sterilize the details of the breast pump thoroughly.
- Connect the device to a power source.
- Turn on the device (top button of the control panel).
- Attach a funnel to your chest (the nipple should be located exactly in the center of the tunnel).
- Hold the breast pump at your chest.
- The stimulation phase switches to the decantation phase automatically after 2-3 minutes. If milk production has begun before the end of the first phase, the pumping mode can be activated manually (lower button on the control panel).
- The degree of vacuum can also be adjusted manually using the right / left control buttons.
- After decanting, turn off the breast pump, disconnect the bottle and close it with the lid.
On average, the process of decantation lasts about 30-40 minutes. After the procedure, all parts of the breast pump, except the motor and the mains adapter, need to be washed and sterilized.
Avent Manual Breast Pump vs Medela Electric
Before buying a breast pump, a woman most often thinks about which device to give her preference to: manual or electric. Compare two, do not hesitate to call them favorites in our segment and find out which breast pump is better.
Based on the reviews, it can be concluded that the most popular manual models of breast pumps are produced by Avent, and the electric ones are manufactured by Medela. Therefore, having studied the opinion of women who have experienced both of these devices, we can draw certain conclusions about their advantages and disadvantages.
Let's start with the hero of our article, which is the Medela Swing electric breast pump. Reviews about this model are mostly positive. We have already considered its advantages earlier, so we will focus more on consumer comments. The first and most important disadvantage is the speed of decantation, which sometimes can reach one hour. Not always a young mother, who is forever overflowing with household chores, can have so much free time. The second remark, which is most often mentioned on the Web, is the lack of power of the device. Here, of course, one could argue that the reason for the weak pumping force can be both an improperly selected funnel and the individual characteristics of a woman.
Manual Avent, by contrast, breaks all records for the rate of collection of breast milk. The average duration of decantation does not exceed 20 minutes. But manual models very often cause pain in women, sometimes they can even cause cracks in the nipples.
According to women, the Medela Swing electric breast pump is more suitable for daily and regular use, and the manual Avent model is more suitable for rare and short-term ones, for example, to express the remnants of breast milk or to examine lactostasis.
Reviews
Customer reviews can sometimes be more informative than the help of specialized sales consultants. Just because the latter are interested parties, and ordinary consumers can sometimes express their opinion no worse than independent experts.
So, most women note the softness and quiet operation of the breast pump. The Medela Swing has been designed to mimic the sucking of a baby. Users fully confirm this fact. Positive also include:
- the possibility of individual selection of a funnel;
- compactness of the device, versatility (many models of bottles of third-party manufacturers are suitable for this breast pump);
- A wide selection of parts and accessories.
This model of the breast pump managed to win many hearts of young mothers, but not all. Of course there are a lot of laudatory reviews, but before buying it is worth considering the product from all its sides, even if they are not very pleasant.
Negative comments
There are few women dissatisfied with their purchase, but still they are. For example, some argue that when using a breast pump, milk flowed more than once into the tube leading to the motor of the device. Because of which, he constantly had to stop his work, rinse and wait until it dries. Others complain about the fragility and unreliability of parts. Although specifically about the breakdowns themselves, there are no reviews. But the most important drawback of women consider the high cost of this device. It is worth noting that many of them agree that quality and convenience always have to be paid.