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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Medela rental pumps

16 replies

LucaFritz · 11/02/2020 23:43

Does anyone have any experience with renting from medela ? Im wanting to express some milk to increase my supply but don't really have the upfront cost for an electric pump and i don't want to buy one that doesn't work for me. Is the Medela Symphony Plus a good model ? It says its the one used by hospital's but I've looked at the manual Harmony one which has good reviews too, im currently using a Haakaa 150ml pump but struggling to get it on tight enough to actually suction anything out

OP posts:

JiltedJohnsJulie · 12/02/2020 20:54

I haven’t but I didn’t want you to go unanswered. Having said that, has anyone talked you through other methods to increase your supply?

RedPandaFluff · 12/02/2020 21:00

I'm currently renting the Medela Symphony, @LucaFritz - it's really good, a hundred times better than the Medela Swing I'd bought. Well worth it, I reckon, even though I'm only using it to pump six ounces for DH to give DD in a bottle each night, plus I'm squirrelling five ounces away in the freezer every day.

I did buy nicer breast shields for it though (the Medela ones with the nice silicon edges) as the rigid ones that came with the rental weren't that comfortable. They weren't expensive though, about £15 from Amazon and, again, worth it.

Happy to answer any questions you have about it!

Original poster

LucaFritz · 13/02/2020 00:08

My anxiety i had about my supply the other day is gone now as i managed to pump out nearly 3oz with my haakaa eventually so i don't think i have supply issues I'd still like to express to build up a supply for feeding him out and about or if he needs a babysitter etc @RedPandaFluff did you find the suction on it to be good ? Ive seen a few reviews online about poor suction from them being rented out for so long also how does their payment plan work i know its £47 a month but it said something about £47 after the first 14 days on the website which confused me

OP posts:

NYnachos · 13/02/2020 00:10

I hired a Medela pump as I had a baby in nicu and needed to be able to pump at home. It was £45 a month.

midwestspring · 13/02/2020 00:20

Is this a new cost saving thing? I had a baby in nicu ten years ago and was just lent a hospital double pump for as long as I needed, ( I think I bought my own tubing?)

NYnachos · 13/02/2020 00:31

We were only allowed to borrow one from hospital for a few weeks. We were in 6+ months.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 13/02/2020 07:31

I’m sorry to hear that ^NYnachos*.

Luca how much you can express is absolutely no indication of your supply. My first was a right little chubster but I could hardly ever express a drop.

How would you feel about buying secondhand? I bout an Ameda Lactaline from eBay and it was brilliant. The only thing I would say is that if you are thinking of renting or buying secondhand, look for a pump with a closed system.

Hercwasonaroll · 13/02/2020 07:35

If you've got £47 you're not far off the price of a Medela swing which is £87 on amazon. If you can get 3oz with a hakaa you'll be fine with a swing.

rockingrobin1 · 13/02/2020 07:44

Is this the double one that is hospital grade? If so I hired it twice & found it really good. I had a bit of an oversupply & also couldn't stand the 3/4am breast feeds so I would pump to give a bottle then & have a supply for cluster feeds.

RedPandaFluff · 13/02/2020 08:23

@LucaFritz yes, the Symphony's suction is really strong on the higher settings, it's totally adjustable so you experiment a bit to find what strength works best for you. I use it on the half-strength setting - I found that this gets the best/fastest results for me (stronger suction doesn't necessarily mean more or faster milk flow - I thought the stronger the better, but actually this isn't the case, my breasts seem to rebel and shut down on the more powerful settings!)

The Medela Swing that I bought from John Lewis is fine and I'll be taking it with me when I travel, but the Symphony is a lot better for pumping at home because it's so efficient.

Whatever you decide to do, I'd recommend getting a double pump - my Swing is a single (although you can get a double version) whereas the Symphony is double as standard.

Most rental firms seems to charge a bit extra initially - I think my Symphony was about £65 first payment, which was £47 rental for the initial two weeks plus the attachments pack, then £47 per month (4-week period) thereafter. I think they charge for two weeks initially as some mums might get one for a couple of weeks to boost supply and then return it.

I would highly recommend expressing extra to build up a stash - we all need to escape every now and again . . .

RedPandaFluff · 13/02/2020 08:26

Yes, @rockingrobin1, the Symphony is a hospital grade pump, much better than the cheap ones available to buy (although as mentioned I'll take my Swing with me when I travel in couple of weeks as it's much more portable).

rockingrobin1 · 13/02/2020 08:46

Thanks @RedPandaFluff & like you I never used the higher settings as didn't like too much pull. I initially had a swing but much preferred doing 2 at once & the swing seemed to choke on my milk if that makes sense.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 13/02/2020 16:39

Sorry, I made it sound like I couldn't get anything out with the Ameda Lactaline. I had a really awful manual pump with DC1 and it's with that one that I couldn't get anything out.

I bought the Ameda one when I was due with DC2 and it was so much better. The Lactaline is hospital grade too

Original poster

LucaFritz · 13/02/2020 23:15

Read mixed reviews on the swing so don't want to buy something that doesn't work at least if i rent i can send it back if its not the right pump for me

OP posts:

RedPandaFluff · 14/02/2020 05:17

@LucaFritz the Swing does work, it just takes a lot longer than the hospital grade ones like the Symphony. So it depends how much time and patience you have!

A benefit the Swing does have is that it's small and you can use batteries instead of mains, so you can clip the unit to your clothing and move around (if you want to - I wouldn't as it's still a bit awkward). You're anchored in place with the Symphony!

SinkGirl · 14/02/2020 05:30

I’d buy the Ardo Calypso double. It’s a great pump, and a closed system so you can sell it afterwards. The hospital grade ones are more effective but the Calypso was definitely strong enough for me (was pumping for twins). It developed a fault after six months of heavy use and they had a replacement to me the next day.

As you’re not exclusively pumping I’m sure this would be more than enough for what you need.

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