My Medela Swing

I bought a new breastpump – Medela Swing!

I considered the idea of a double pump, but…seeing as I’m hardly the master of multitasking ( weirdly though, my husband is) I figured I wouldn’t be able to handle 2 pumps, the on off/ letdown buttons all at the same time. I could barely manage a single pump without getting my clothes a little wet.

So, feedback on my new Swing;

Let’s start with the negative comments dulula. I have to stretch a little because I’m really fond of this pump. Hmm..

Ok, I did have some milk backing into the tubing and into the main motor. I’m not sure what caused it but I suspect it had something to do with not pressing the letdown button once letdown has occurred. As long as I remember to press the letdown button it should be fine. I also discovered that trouble-shooting the pump once milk got into it was easy, it didn’t break the pump.

The pump isn’t really quiet. I mean, I read that it was supposed to be quiet in comparison to other pumps which may be true, I guess, but I don’t know because I’ve never seen other pumps in action. If you use a low suction it could be silent but as you increase the suction the noise gets louder. I wouldn’t use the pump at a workstation, especially mine because my office is so senyap you could hear a pin drop. But I’m ok with this because luckily I have a little store room that I could use for pumping and praying.

Tu je cons I could think of. Ok, bear with me now as I sing praises after praises about this pump.

The 2-phase Expression is not just marketing bullsh*t. It actually works. The first phase is short and rapid, the second is long and deep – can read about it at Medela’s website. To me it feels just like my own baby nursing. After I tried the pump, I paid close attention to my baby suckling and memang sama - first phase rapid and short, and then second phase long and deep.

Because it’s similar to my own baby, it’s very easy to get let-downs. Within few seconds I can get a let-down. Most of the time I can even get a second let-down once I place the pump on the other breast (which never happened with my Avent. In fact I rarely get another letdown if I had an accidental letdown before my pumping session).

The pump doesn’t have petal massager like the Avent but it’s just as comfortable to use.

Immediately after I started using the pump, I found that I’m pumping more milk than I used to. I know milk supply depends on the demand and not what type of pump you use but somehow the Swing empties my breast better, I guess. Nowadays I can get 4 – 5 oz easy each pumping session. Sometimes I even get 6oz. I don’t even need to massage the breast or keep repositioning to get most milk. No more stress about pumping enough for Adam.

There are very few parts to wash/sterilise. I know this may not seem like such an advantage to some…but to me, this is great! My Avent had soo many parts ; hard to keep track and makes me resent my washing/sterilizing sessions, and takes longer to dry so many parts.

I like the fact that I can adjust the suction as I like (without straining my hand as I used to with my Avent).

I used to dread my pumping sessions because I’m worried each time whether I’ll be able to pump as much milk as I need. Plus I knew my hand akan jadi lenguh and even my neck will be strained from bending in every position to try and get optimum yield. See, I made pumping feel like exercise. Nowadays I’m actually looking forward to my pumping sessions. I’m confident that I’ll get a let down, I know I’ll get to relax, close my eyes and have a little break. I can think of my baby or a favourite vacation, and just de-stress. It’s my way to connect with the baby when I’m away from him.

The size of the pump is really convenient. Kecik je and can even fit easily in your handbag. The motor itself besar hamburger. Mmgcompact. So, great things do come in little packages, huh?

Conclusion, I love my Medela Swing!