Noisy, But It Works (Medela Mini Electric Pump)

Member Name: NotQuiteCockney

Product:	Medela Mini Electric Pump
Date:	31/10/02 (703 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Works, Adjustable Suction

Disadvantages: Far Too Noisy.

I bought a Medela mini-pump before my son was born, as I intended to breastfeed, and wanted the freedom a pump buys you. I wanted an electric pump, because a manual pump sounded like too much work.

I found it pretty easy to use. The suction is adjustable, so you can find a comfortable level for you. I found the suction wasn't that strong, so I would end up pumping for longer than I would have liked to, but it worked fine.

It disassembles into four or five pieces for sterilizing, and is easy to reassemble. The bottle isn't a standard size, so it isn't very useful on its own - at least, it didn't fit with my Avent kit.

But the big problem was, the noise. It makes a *lot*. Watching telly or talking to someone while it's going isn't very feasible.

In the long run, the noise was just too much. I knew some mums who were happy with the Avent hand pump, so I bought one of those. Once I got used to using it, I gave up on the Medela.

I haven't tried any other electric pumps, but I gather that only the (really expensive) hospital models are reasonably quiet. Certainly if I was considering another electric pump, I'd want to hear how noisy it was first before buying it.

Summary: