For once, I've used a Medela Pump in Style Original for about 4 months before it became ineffective or in other words not functional and therefore I could no longer pump as easily as before I once have. I was most certainly pleased with all of the Avent products that I had - pacifiers, a microwave steam sterilizer, bottle, and a bottle warmer - the Philips Avent Breast Pumps seemed to receive some quite and good reviews and I like the thought of having to pump straight into the feed bottles, then I tested it out. It "costs" a lot of money, as so as any other double electric breast pump out on the market. If I could turn back time and set things right (yeah, right :)), I would have bought Philips Avent breast pump and didn't waste a lot of money on the Medela.
I have been using the Avent Breast Pump for about 3 weeks now and I just hope that it's lifespan is much longer than the Medela pump because I am SO loving this pump!
In comparison to the Medela PiS the Avent Isis Duo is:
The Medela is noisy same like as a piston engine. How i knew? Well, when it was losing power it became less noisy than it used to be. The Avent Breast Pump is a whole
Comfy, Cozy, Comfortable – Whatever you want!
Once more, the Medela is more like a piston engine. I feel like I've been a cow hooked-up into a automatic milking thingy matching (machine :p) and it most certainly did not feel like my baby breastfeeding. The suction power was focused on my nipples, not the areola and although it wasn't painful it wasn't comfortable as well. It was supposed to have a 2-phase function that stimulates the early, light sucking stage for me to letdown, then must be followed by a deep, slow sucking, however I haven't noticed any change in the suction or the rate as well. Well yeah, you can adjust the control speed and intensity of the suction, but only up to 5 presets.
The Philips Avent Breast Pump, however, has some cushions that massages the areola which in turn, I think, helps me to letdown easily and go with the flow. Well here's something about latch-on, the baby is suppose to get the areola in his mouth, not just the nipple, in this case the Avent is much closer to that aspect than any other. In addition, the intensity and duration of the suction are purely customizable and can be certainly reset at any time you may wish to. In order for you to really feel the quick, soft let-down sucking before moving on to the slow, deeper sucking. I've gone through all the pumping sessions with ease and comfortability, just like when I’m nursing - it doesn't generally feel like you nipple is being torn-off, like the Medela does.
Effective
Medela only has the 5 preset speed and suction options which in case no matter what you choose, the suck part of the pump is still the same as the time when you started it. But because I have the Avent pump, I could easily and completely control the rate and can do a very long pull (the instructions in the manual states that I must hold the handle that generates the vacuum and hold it there for about 3 seconds). The very first moment that I’ve used the Avent breast pump, I was pretty much amazed! The milk flowed steadily for about 3 seconds! Wow! It was certainly a joy to hear and see all the drop of milk that falls straight into the bottle over and over again. I can finish-up each pumping session much quickly that the time when I was using Medela. And also, because you can reset the rate at any time you want and resimulate let-down or change to a much longer pause in between pulls as you get to the end of your pumping session. Using the Medela, I've used to be able to extract milk manually even after the pump stopped producing any, but with the Philips Avent I seem to get every last drop of milk!
Other things to keep in mind:
- The Avent funnels have more parts to disassemble, clean, and reassemble than the Medela funnels. Factoring in cleaning and assembly, while the actual pumping takes less time, my pumping sessions are overall the same amount of time from start to finish as they were with the Medela PiS.
- The Avent funnels are easier to clean by hand. When I’m at work, I use sterilizing wipes between sessions and I can actually reach all the places milk touches with my fingers. I couldn’t do this with the Medela funnels.
- The Avent Breast Pump isn’t integrated into the bag and its cord is longer. This makes it a little more portable.
- The Avent Breast Pump tubes are stiffer than the Medela tubes. Be sure to use the bottle stands or those tubes will pull them right over.
- Avent includes funnel covers and screw bases that seal up the funnels between uses to keep them sterile. BIG plus over Medela in my book.
- The trigger and button for adjusting suction and speed are right at your fingertips instead of on the pump housing. With Medela, when you were double pumping you had to start the pump with one hand and then try to position that funnel over the breast while it was sucking, and you also had to try to break suction while the pump was still going and both hands were full – not easy!
- The included Avent manual pump is FAR superior to the manual pump included with Medela PiS.
All in all, if you’re considering Medela, do yourself a favor and get this Avent Breast Pump instead! Your breasts will thank you for it!.
