Breast Pump Comparisons

Medela Breast Pumps

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The Medela breast pumps have dominated the market for 50 years with a greater breadth of products than any other brand. Currently, we believe there exists eight Medela pumps that a mother can buy to bring home. Some of the hospital grade pumps are perhaps being retired from rental programs as their motors' life spans diminish (i.e. the Classic, and maybe soon, the Lactina). Those pumps most suitable for the serious pumping working mother are the Medela Pump in Style Advanced, the Freestyle, and the Symphony. Those breast pumps that are considered more suitable for casual use (not multiple times daily) are the the Swing, the Single Deluxe, and the Harmony.

• The Medela Freestyle is the newest pump and retails in the range of $340-380 (USD). Its innovation is to enhance hands-free pumping with bra clasps to hold up the bottles and a belt to carry around the smaller sized motor.
• The Medela Pump In Style Advanced replaces the "Original" Pump in Style and has the 2-phase expression feature and includes versatility in controlling pump strength and speed, as well as including a convenient tote or backpack to carry all pumping components and an insulated storage bag for breast milk with cold packs, and a special flap to lower for access to the pump without removing the entire pump from the bag. It retails in the range of $250-340 (USD).
• The Medela Swing has the flexibility of being lightweight and easily carried about while expressing milk from a single breast at a time. It retails in the range of $115-130 (USD).
• The Medela Single Deluxe is an economy-priced electric pump that does not have any means to adjust its speed, but it is lightweight, uses only 2 AA batteries or an AC adapter, and is satisfactory for occasional use. It retails for $50-80 (USD).
• The Medela Symphony is the newest innovation in the hospital grade pump and has 2-phase expression as well as all the flexibility of the Pump in Style Advanced. It is available for rental or for purchase. Two other Medela Pumps, the Lactina and the Classic, are older rental models that can still be found for rental.
• Pump models that appear to be discontinued are the Double Select (as known as the Double Ease), the SpringExpress, the Little Hearts, and the PedalPump. Replacement parts for the Medela "Original" Pump in Style still seem to be available for purchase.

Medela was the first company to create a pump with what they call 2-Phase Expression. This is a characteristic of the pump which is meant replicate the drawing styles of babies when they first start to nurse at the breast -- quick and superficial sucking initially, then slower and deep drawing after the ejection of milk has transpired. In two minutes if the user does nothing, the pump will change to the deeper phase on it own or a mother may very well depress a control button to make the transition sooner if she desires. Two-Phase Expression is a feature of the Medela Symphony, the Pump in Style Advanced, the Harmony, and the Swing. The Harmony is a manual breast pump and the user's hands must provide the speed of pumping, but the differing depths of the draws are achieved by transferring the hand from compressing one piece of the handle for short strokes to a different area for a lengthier draw.

Medela is a privately held company of between 200 and 500 employees with a distribution network that extends through 90 countries. Originally founded in Switzerland in 1961 by Olle Larsson, the Medela company has been headquartered in the US in Mchenry, Illinois for at least 25 years. Medela claims to be the favored brand of breastpumps and breastfeeding products with 80 percent of US hospitals using the Medela brand. In addition to pumps, Medela also provides an extensive line of accessories like cleaning tools, breast care products, nursing clothing, and supplemental feeding systems that all support the mom who chooses to breastfeed. The Medela company regularly improves the breast pump with new features. Medela is also involved in improving medical practice with other products for the health industry in the line of suction and phototherapy. Medela is also the founder of the Corporate Lactation Program that helps companies to address the needs of working nursing mothers by encouraging private accommodations for pumping.

The Medela customer service telephone line is 1-800-435-8316 and can be contacted during most business hours of the Central US time zone Monday through Friday or from 8am to noon on Saturdays. Customer service can be contacted through their online form at http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/contact-us which they will reply to by email.

*Definitions in our Breast Pump Glossary.

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