Anyone bought/hired a Medela symphony double pump expresser??

[MrsMar]

I've got one on hire and it's brilliant, but I was wondering if anyone has put the bottles and funnel thingys in a microwave steam steriliser? On the instructions there's a picture of a microwave with a line through it, so I assumed it meant don't steam sterilise in the microwave, but I'm wondering why. It's such a faff to have to boil them every day. The bottles are medela ones, but they aren't the rigid ones like the avent ones, the plastic is a bit thinner, so I was wondering if that's the reason why. Will the microwave melt them? Has anyone tried to microwave them?

You know you don't have to sterilise them don't you? Just hot soapy water is fine. BM is different to formula.

Oh really? Blimey, tell me I've not been doing this for weeks with no reason? I normally express twice a day, putting the bottles in the fridge complete with funnels in between expressing sessions. So when I decant the ebm in to feeding bottles you're saying I don't have to sterilise the pumping bottles before I use them again?

bang them in the dishwasher

We don't usually need to run the dishwasher every day, and i've only got two bottles for that pumpso I need to clean them every day. I'm confused cos I've read in lots of places that you should only express in to sterilised containers. Would very hot water and washing up liquid do?

Hi,
Great aren't they. Could get blood out of a stone comfortably!

I use an Avent microwavable steriliser and the pumps/bottles go in 3-4 times a day and have done for a month. No warping/melting yet!

I looked into the sterilisation/ just washing/ dishwasher options and went for the sterilisation route. I decant the EBM into sterilised feeding bottles then wash and sterilise the pump bits between pumping unless going to use them again immediately.

As it is recommended to sterilise feeding bottles up to a year as bacteria love milk I felt that I would go down that route. Pain in the neck but my LO is on reflux meds and could be more prone to tummy upsets.

Think water has to be 80 degrees in the dishwasher to get near a "sterilisation" clean. Apparently much hotter than hands can stand to wash at but never got thermometer out!

Thanks Davidsmom, it is brilliant, has totally sorted my slightly rubbish milk supply, I'm getting nearly 5oz out in 30 mins now!! I'm going to experiment and put just one bottle in the microwave just to check first, but it sounds to me like they'll be fine. Maybe it's not entirely necessary to sterilise them all the time but I'd feel more comfortable if they're done once a day.

lol lol at the name
'Medela symphony' Hilarious!!

it is a symphony of squirty milkyness!

No idea, but would be interested to know as my ameda lactaline can't go in the microwave either and I haven't risked it as yet.

I've just microwaved the bottles funnels and the little valve thingy and they survived, so hopefully that means they'll survive multiple microwavings! Boiling them was a pain plus they had a lovely coating of powdery limescale cos the water here is so hard.

i have a medela electric pump and have mircowave it all daily for 2 months. its fine.

I always felt the need to sterilise as I know I don't handwash very well and my dishwasher can sometimes leave a residue on things. It is a pain though. My cousin bought a Symphony when her ds was very small and she expressed for 4 months. She donated it to the hospital when she was finished with it.