With the Medela MiniElectric Plus you can select single or double pumping and you choose whether to use the mains or battery operation. You would be forgiven for thinking that... more
can be selected. Mains or battery operation can be used. Equipped with double pump set and mains adapter. Double expression considerably reduces pumping time and...
A review by AnitaM on Medela Mini Electric Breast Pump May 4th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Easy to use
Very easy
Ease of cleaning
Easy to clean
Battery life
Poor
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
Expresses milk quickly; Reasonable price
Disadvantages:
Noisy; Shortish battery life
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Pregnant women are often told “breast is best” and breastfeeding is highly promoted by midwives and health visitors alike. When I was pregnant with Jacob I decided I would like to give breastfeeding a go and see how I got on although I was staying open minded. With a holiday, a hen night and a wedding beckoning in the few weeks after Jacob’s birth, I also realised that breastfeeding wasn’t going to be 100% practical all of the time and so I was drawn more to the idea of expressing as a good compromise.
With the expense of a first child, I bought a manual pump, that being the cheapest option – well except physically squeezing my own boobs which, I would imagine, would just take forever. Due to a melting accident (somehow I forgot to put water into the steriliser!) the pump didn’t last until child number two so when I was expecting Jon I made the decision to splash out on an electric pump. To be honest I never really got on with the manual pump. Within weeks of using it, it was becoming harder and harder to express enough milk to satisfy a growing baby and so I thought an electric one might stimulate milk production more effectively.
~ ~ ~ Buying The Pump ~ ~ ~
So the search for an electric pump began. And it really was a search. Mothercare World in Derby had no electric pumps of any description. They phoned through to the Nottingham store – no joy. I looked in Argos, Boots and Tesco but still nothing. Electric breast pumps must have been in high demand. A couple of weeks later we were back in Derby’s Mothercare World and there was one electric breast pump. It was made by Medela, a company I’d never heard of but as my due date was getting ever closer I really couldn’t afford to be too picky. I paid my £39.99 and it stayed neatly packed away awaiting Jon’s arrival.
~ ~ ~ Assembling The Pump ~ ~ ~
It didn’t take all that long before it was taken out of its box. Jon’s feeding habits are erratic to say the least and after one evening of feeding him more or less constantly for five hours, I was struggling to keep up with him. Expressing my milk was the way to regain control of the situation.
Time to discover what my forty pounds had purchased. Included was the motor (excluding batteries), the breastshield, a small bottle, a plug, a stand to place the bottle into and a valve which is only small but vital as if it is missing or not fitted correctly, the suction action doesn’t happen and therefore no milk is expressed.
The pump fits together very easily. The motor screws into the breastshield with one twist and the bottle screws onto the bottom of the shield. The valve is positioned at the top of the bottle neck.
The pump can be used immediately, even if you have no batteries to hand, as it can be plugged in and used from the mains. Of course, this is quite restricting as you must be sat near a plug socket and the wire is of standard length meaning you can’t go very far.
I prefer to use it with the batteries. It requires 2 AA batteries and these are placed in the motor section. Battery life is a little on the short side. In order for milk to be produced in sufficient quantities, expressing should be done several times a day, copying a real baby’s feeding pattern. I express in total for around an hour a day and the batteries last about 2 weeks. Having said this you can tell that they are running down after about a week as the suction gets slower and the noise lessens but it is possible to keep using them until the suction becomes uncomfortable.
~ ~ ~ Using The Pump ~ ~ ~
Once the pump is positioned on the breast, the on-off switch, located at the far end of the motor, is easily reached. Switching the pump on will start the suction action straight away. One thing to note is that the suction can be adjusted so I start off on the minimum setting and gradually increase the level as my nipples get used to the feeling. I’ve found the lowest setting is too gentle for any milk to actually be expressed but it’s a good starting point and doesn’t hurt at all. I’ve also found it necessary to turn off the pump when it is not sucking my nipple into the breastshield. This way the pump can be easily removed from the breast. It can be quite difficult and painful to take off the pump if your nipple is halfway up the tube! (Ouch!!)
After activating the pump the first thing I noticed was the noise level. It really is quite loud and makes watching the TV quite difficult. This is a shame as it makes the pump quite indiscreet to use. I couldn’t imagine, for example, that I could use it in the toilets at work if Jon is still on breastmilk in 4 months time.
The pump supposedly mimics the suck-release-relax action of a baby to stimulate the milk flow. The advantage over a baby is, however, that it doesn’t fall asleep while attached to the breast, making the whole process a lot quicker! Jon is currently having bottles of 4 fluid oz and it usually takes me between 10 and 20 minutes to express this from each breast, making up two feeds in one go. Compare this to the half an hour to an hour Jon would feed from the breast for one feed and you can soon see which is the more time-consuming.
One downside of using the pump is the bottle that is provided only holds 5 fluid oz. When you consider that Jon is already having 4oz and this will increase as he gets bigger, pouring the milk into another bottle is necessary. However I have discovered that my Mothercare bottles with narrower necks also fit onto the breastshield and these hold 9oz which is far more convenient.
~ ~ ~ Cleaning The Pump ~ ~ ~
Of course, when dealing with feeding equipment for young babies, cleaning and sterilising is of the utmost importance and this breast pump is very easy to clean. The breastshield, valve and bottle can all be washed in warm, soapy water and all the parts fit well in my steriliser. All the washable parts are dishwasher safe too.
~ ~ ~ Overall ~ ~ ~
If you can put up with the noise this pump is a good buy. I was expecting to pay a lot more than £40 for an electric pump and so far it has been good value. It is easy to use and easy to clean and due to the adjustable suction there has been no sign of my milk supply giving up on me just yet.
Compared to the manual pump I had, I am pleased at the speed at which it expresses the milk requiring very little effort. With a toddler also running around this is important to me. I’ve found through two attempts at breastfeeding that expressing gives me more control and freedom, yet my children have still had what is considered the “best” for them. More importantly having my milk in a bottle means that Paul cannot escape the night feeds! For that reason alone I am thankful I found the Medela breast pump.
More Reviews
No more hand cramp Review ofMedela Mini Electric Breast Pumpby
dracoiratus
Advantages: Small, lightweight and easy to use Disadvantages: Motor is quite noisy, lousy instructions
...for me to borrow a Medela pump from the hospital, which I used for about 5 mins each side after every feed, to trick my breasts into thinking they needed to produce more milk. This worked, and after a few days I returned the loaned pump to the hospital.
I was relatively lucky in that in the first couple of months my son only woke once a night for a feed, however he would take anything from 2 - 4 hours to get that feed, leaving me utterly exhausted. ... ...pump, and having used the Medela pump from the hospital I went for one again.
So, to the pump itself:
I got mine from Boots and paid £55, however I got the newer model that they'd just released.
The pump comes in several parts: There's the cup and drain section, which is the bit that fits over your breast. There's a small filter and a collection bottle. There's a stand, which is essential once the motor is fitted, as the whole thing becomes back ...
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Advantages: Efficient Disadvantages: The noise is like a JCB
I bought this pump before our son was born, intending to breastfeed but also express every now and again to allow my hubbie to do some of the night feeds. Then 2 things happened: firstly, my son and I proved to be an appalling pair at breastfeeding. He couldn't seem to latch on properly, couldn't feed properly and no matter how much help I got from the midwife and health visitor it was very inefficient agony! And secondly he started sleeping through ... ...- don't hate me!), negating anyone needing to get up in the night to feed him.
I was determined to get some breastmilk into our son, so started to combine formula with expressed breastmilk (supplemented with breastfeeding when he'd do it). I used this pump initially, but was recommended by the health visitor to get hold of a hired one from the NCT, which she said would be more effective than a usual pump and allow me to provide breastmilk for longer.
...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Quick and effective milk expression Disadvantages: Can't microwave sterilise it
...carry on I purchased a Medela Mini Electric Pump, perhaps because spending this much money on breastfeeding equipment would encourage me not to give up as I don't have money to throw away. My pump cost around 43 pounds and it was by far one of the most useful purchases I made.
The midwife showed me how to use my pump as I was still in hospital but I think the instructions aren't the clearest. It is very easy to use but to me, the intructions which ... ...boiled dry and melted. Perhaps Medela should bare in mind that new mums do not have very reliable minds and this is a bit of a hazard!
I loved my pump but think a peice of equipment like this that you use a lot should be able to go in a sterilizer! However I phoned Medela who were very understanding (I expect they deal with a lot of these phone calls!) and they did send me replacement parts for around 10 pounds.
This is a must buy for anyone considering ...
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Easy to use
Ease of cleaning
Battery life
Value for Money
very helpful
28.10.2004
Pump It Up, Daisy Review ofMedela Mini Electric Breast Pumpby
Valliann
Advantages: Easy to assemble and use and very efficient Disadvantages: A little bit noisy
...I eventually settled on the Medela Mini 'Electric breast pump, which I bought for £50 from Boots.
When I got the pump home, I unpacked it (nicely packaged) and popped the non-motorised bits and pieces into the steriliser. Then I sat down to read the instructions. Now, I have to be honest, I was expecting the operating instructions to be in a mixture of English and Gobblygook, so I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to understand. ... ...are really easy to follow. In fact, I had to re-read them several times to make sure that I hadn't missed anything!
As soon as all the bits and bobs were sterilised, I collected them together and assembled them. That was as easy as it looked on the instruction leaflet - phew. Then I attached the contraption to my boob and switched it on. Hey Presto! It worked! I always find the 'milking process' a bit disconcerting. I mean, it's what cows do, isn't ...
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Advantages: Battery or mains powered so your hand doesn't get tired Disadvantages: IT'S A BIT NOISY!
...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 ... ...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 ...
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Long Name: Mini Electric Breast Pump, MiniElectric Plus Breast Pump, MiniElectric Breast Pump, Mini Electric Plus, Mini Electric
Type: Breast Pump
Manufacturer: Medela
Brand Manufacturer: Medela UK Ltd.
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 25/11/2002
Manufacturer's product description
With the Medela MiniElectric Plus you can select single or double pumping and you choose whether to use the mains or battery operation. You would be forgiven for thinking that double expressing will leave you feeling a bit like a dairy cow, but it considerably reduces the time you\'ll spend expressing milk and it also promotes your milk production. It's perfect for use at home or while travelling and because you control the vacuum, you select the setting that provides maximum milk flow and maximum comfort. Like Medela\'s electric breast pumps, the MiniElectric Plus mimics the natural suck-release-relax cycling of your nursing baby - ensuring gentle and effective expression. However, it is really best suited to occasional/once daily use. If you need to express more often you might like to consider hiring a hospital grade pump from us.
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