May seem quite cheap but there's a reason.. (Medela Mini Electric Pump)

Member Name: leopard79

Product:	Medela Mini Electric Pump
Date:	09/01/03 (2271 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Mains or battery powered, No more aching hands

Disadvantages: IT'S A BIT NOISY!, I SAID.. IT'S A BIT NOISY!

Tired of using a manual breast pump I decided to bite the bullet and pay the extra cost for an electric breast pump. Surely it had to be better, after all, it would be quicker to express as your hand wouldn't get so tired.

I went along to my local baby stores, both Boots and Mothercare had the Medela Mini Electric Breast Pump for £39.99 with no alternatives so I purchased one anticipating the joy I'd feel when I got home to use it.

The pump consists of a yellow battery pack and pump/motor (requiring two AA batteries to run if you don't use the mains power adaptor) which attaches to a kit of soft clear moulded plastic attachments, including the bottle. It comes with a rigid plastic base to offset the weight of the motor and batteries. It is reasonably small and compact and therefore very portable.

The quality of the materials didn't seem equal to other breast pumps such as Avent or Ameda yet I set it up as per the instructions which are reasonably clear. It comes with a special attachment which can make it easier to express if you have small breasts.
I found it quite comfortable, although a little unnatural until I got used to it though it would benefit from an insert similar to that of the Avent Isis Breast Pump made of a soft rubber like material.

The pump has an adjustable vacuum cycle so you can set it according to your comfort level and can complete 35 cycles of pressure and release per minute which is designed to mimic the rhythmic sucking of your baby. This action is very effective and I find it helps to start on a low vacuum and gradually increase it to the highest setting over five minutes. It takes around seven to fifteen minutes per breast depending on your milk flow.

The functional side of the breast pump is pretty good I have to admit. There's just one MAJOR problem, and that is the noise the pump makes.

How can I describe it, well it's not unlike having a neighbour drill
ing into their wall or the friendly sound of the dentist drill. It's loud, and unpleasant, and unless you have an incredible baby, it's likely to wake them up. If you have more than one adult in the house, you can't use this at night, it's just not practical. You can't even watch TV without the subtitles while you're using it which for me is devastating as expressing tends to be one of the times I have to myself. How very disappointing.

Overall this breast pump is quite an effective and affordable machine, it's just the noise and in confession I used it three times before returning to the shop and asking for my money back. It was impractical for me as I was living with my parents at the time and it's not particularly discreet when out and about. You could hardly get away with nipping into the toilets at the Supermarket hoping no-one will notice you. Therefore it's worth considering where and when you will need to use the pump before you choose this one, if you need quiet and discreet I'd go for either a manual breast pump or one of the quieter electric pumps.

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