Product Review: Medela Pump In Style

When you're a mom you get to try out all sorts of gadgets and products.  When you're a nursing mom you get to try out even more! 
I really love trying new products, who doesn't love new things, right?  But one that I wasn't so excited about testing was my breast pump.
You see, I had this idea that I was going to nurse my baby and we wouldn't need a pump, bottles, formula, etc.  I had visions of nursing her in all sorts of places, and until she was well over a year. 
However, between my PCOS possibly causing low milk supply, my daughter being tongue tied & having a heart condition that physically made breast feeding difficult for her, we've been forced to rely on the pump. 

At the suggestion of the Therapy Shoppe employee, I purchased the Medela Pump In Style, back pack version.

The Pros:

• The back pack is awfully handy, especially when we're traveling somewhere and my hands are already full of baby gear.
• The bag is black, so no one knows I'm lugging around a breast pump.
• The pump isn't terribly loud (see below). But my mom can tell when I'm pumping while we're talking on the phone.
• The suction has been great so far.
• The pump is built for daily use.  I was using it up to 10 times a day for about 2 months straight.  More recently I've used it 2-3 times a day.  There has been no change in the quality of the pump over 4 months time.
•  Easy to clean.
• Comes with 4 bottles, ice pack, & cooler.
• Amazon sells a car adapter so you can pump in your vehicle if necessary.  I bought one, but haven't used it yet.  It's winter here in Iowa, folks.  I'll gladly awkwardly pump in other peoples homes than sit out in the cold van. haha. 

The Cons:

• The pump isn't terribly quiet.  Since I mostly pump at home, this isn't a problem for me.  Don't get me wrong though, this really isn't a huge deal.
• It only comes with medium flanges.  You can't specifically swap out for another size without purchasing a pair separately.  For most people, this may not be a problem.  But for me it was, and having the wrong size flanges caused for less milk to be pumped, and the whole process to be less comfortable.  Again, you can get those on Amazon too.

I've used it for about 4 months and I can honestly say, I would recommend this product to a friend!