You don’t want to worry about having enough breast milk on hand to feed your child. While some mothers may prefer having their babies drink right from the source, having spare breast milk ready to go for those times when breastfeeding is not immediately possible is not a bad idea.
This means that you need a good breast pump, which is fast, very easy to operate on your own, and maybe most important of all, comfortable. Today, we are here to take a closer look at an excellent electric breast pump that meets all of those requirements and more.
Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump
The Freestyle Flex Electric Breast Pump is made by Medela, a highly trusted brand for family and child-oriented products.
The Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump is a relatively high-end product, something that you may not be able to tell just from looking at it. Although this electric breast pump is not cheap, with this kind of product, you get what you pay for, and what you get here is comfort, ease of use, and excellent overall quality.
Just to be clear, the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump is a battery-operated breast pump that allows you to pump and save breast milk for future use no matter where you are. It comes with extras and accessories – everything you will need while your child is still breastfeeding, not to mention that it’s fast and straightforward to use.
Who is This Product for?
The Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump is designed for any mother breastfeeding their child, but there is more to it than that. If you are breastfeeding but you are experiencing discomfort around those sensitive areas, maybe due to frequent feeding or because your child is teething, you may want to look into getting a breast pump.
Having pain does not mean you have to stop feeding your child what is widely agreed to be the best nutrition source for babies – their mother’s milk. Your child can still drink breast milk out of the bottles provided with the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump instead of from your sensitive breasts.
The Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump is for mothers who do not want to breastfeed in public or outside the home. Having a bottle of freshly pumped breast milk on hand is pretty convenient.
What’s Included?
As we mentioned, the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump is not cheap, but that said, this product is high-quality and comes with everything you need to comfortably and quickly pump breast milk and store it for near-future use. Take a look below for a complete list of everything included.
- Freestyle Flex™ double electric breast pump
- 2 x Medela PersonalFit Flex™ 21 mm breast shield
- 2 x Medela PersonalFit Flex™ 24 breast shield
- 2 x Medela PersonalFit Flex™ connector
- 1 x tubing
- 4 x 150 ml breast milk bottles
- 4 x lids
- 2 x bottle stands
- 1 x power adaptor with USB cable
- 1 x carry bag
- 1 x cooler with a cooler element
Overview of Features
One big thing that stands out about this electric breast pump is that it is battery-powered, which means you never have to worry about finding a power outlet.
Moreover, this unit comes with a simple USB charging port and cable. In terms of battery life, it’s more than enough to fill up all four of the included bottles at once; technically, the battery should last for eight double pumping sessions.
The control unit included with the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast is easy to use. It has only a few buttons for user-friendly operation, plus it comes with a clip so you can clip it onto your pants or shirt as you take care of other things around the home.
There is a free MyMedela app you can use. This app records your breastmilk pumping in real-time, and it stores the data for you to see whenever you choose. This allows you to track your progress, how much time you spend pumping milk, when you pump, how much you pump, and more. It’s a convenient way to keep track of things.
In terms of convenience and functionality, the four bottles and lids should be more than enough for any needs, even if you have a baby that eats/drinks a lot. What is also convenient is that you get an insulated carrying case with a freezer element.
When you use the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast to pump milk on the go, you don’t have to worry about it spoiling, thanks to the cooler and the cooling pack. Even if you pump at home, the cooler allows you to take that milk with you for a quick and easy feed.
The Medela Freestyle Flex Breast also comes with a carrying case, a zippered bag with a carrying strap, not to mention that it and all of its accessories are pretty compact and lightweight; portability is not an issue here.
Next, the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast comes with two different breast shields; one is 21 mm, and the other is 24 mm. These serve a variety of purposes. First off, these breast shields help achieve a proper connection and good suction with the breast.
Moreover, achieving a good level of suction helps increase milk flow. The other purpose that these shields serve is to keep you comfortable and pain-free all throughout the pumping process. All in all, although the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast may not be cheap, as you can see, the features and functionality make it a worthwhile investment.
Tutorial
Using an electric breast pump may seem like an intimidating challenge, but the reality is that it is relatively easy. Check out the video we have included for clear and step-by-step instructions on using the Medela Freestyle Flex Electric Breast Pump.
Pros
- Comes with everything you need
- Very user-friendly
- Awesome battery life
- Compact, lightweight, and portable
- Comfortable and pain-free
- App for progress monitoring and pumping statistics
- Comes with a carrying case
- Cooler and cooling element included
- Is said to pump 11% faster than leading competitors
Cons
- Quite expensive
- Connection points may leak slightly
- Motor may burn out with overuse
Alternatives
There is no denying the fact that the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast is expensive, quite so. If you want a good electric breast pump that comes with everything you need, but you don’t want to pay a small fortune for it, the Lansinoh Signature Pro Double Electric Breast Pump may be a better option.
The Lansinoh is not the No. 1 breast pump in terms of quality, but it does get the job done, and it is reasonably priced.
On a side note, if you are looking for a good baby bottle sanitizer to keep the bottles clean, the Grownsy Baby Bottle Warmer and Sanitizer could be something to look into.
Conclusion
Although the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump is not the cheapest option on the market, we have to say that it is likely one of the very best.
This particular breast pump may cost a pretty penny, but as can be gleaned from our review, it has a lot of convenient features, it’s durable, easy to operate, and it won’t leave you chaffed and sore.
If you need a good electric breast pump to help make that aspect of mothering just a little bit easier, the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump is something we recommend looking into.
