Medela Symphony Hospital Grade Breast Pump with Rechargeable Battery #0240208

I used a Medela Freestyle before - it's such a big purchasing mistake! The suction was too weak and I was getting lumps in my breast from not being properly emptied. My friend had bought a symphony and said it was well worth the investment and since I have twins, it's value for money. I can empty my breasts in 5-8 minutes versus the freestyle which took me 15 minutes (and not even properly emptied!)The only downside is that this product is of course not very portable as it is very very heavy!!

I spent big money on this pump. It stopped working after a month and the customer service was horrible...They basically treated me as if I was stupid...Asking me how I was turning it on and how I was using it?! I told them I needed it replaced and they stopped responding to me! I've heard nothing since and have had to spend even more money to replace it!

My wife ordered this item because of having issues pumping with lesser expensive pumps. With our second child we decided to spend the extra money and get this pump to hopefully make her life easier. Of course it came broken. Of course I cannot figure out how to return this, and it seems as though this item is not returnable. I literally just got it from UPS and opened it on the kitchen table. What a crock.Update:The seller corrected the issue and sent me a new piece asap. The were very easy to work with. I would DEFINITELY recommend them because of their quick response and instant results.The pump:Goal #1 no mastitisGoal #2 quicker pumping so mom has hands available fasterSo far both objectives are met.How can dairy cattle have better milking machine options than humans?The problem is condensation. You have to leave the pump running forever to correct the condensation in the lines. The plastic parts seem cheap, like every other brand. Maybe they should source out a soda company for the tops. Never had a mountain dew cap come off.... I'd settle for one more twist on the cap.Yes, its much faster pumping compared to the other junk out there, but I still cannot believe this is the best option and it's not worth 2000$.I cannot believe a moron like myself can pinpoint all the problems after a week of operation, but a company that specializes in this one thing cannot make a better machine. Yuck. Have some pride in what you do and make it better. Mothers do not have time in the day to settle for junk and fathers have enough to listen to, much less pay 2000$ for an annoying conversation.?

Amazing; works wonderfully and much less painful and more quiet than any other pump my wife has used. The only issue is the enormous price tag that goes with it...

We bought this pump as our insurance covers it 100%. Since we have twins, this pump was invaluable and I would highly recommend this pump. Sadly, my wife gave up on breast feeding as production fell after 3 months.

I've only used two pumps to date - the Medela Symphony and Medela Pump In Style. After initial difficulties with breastfeeding, I was encouraged to try the Symphony to build/maintain milk supply until breastfeeding issues were sorted out. I went ahead and rented the Symphony from a breastfeeding support center (about $50 a month) and I've been pretty pleased with the product and plan to rent it again for another month so that I can continue to build a breastmilk reserve for my little one.Compared to the Pump In Style, the Symphony leads to better output and requires less time. Now that I am breastfeeding successfully, I complete four to five pumping sessions each day with each session averaging 12 minutes. I typically get 350-400 ml over the course of a day with the Symphony. It takes me twice as long to get the same output with the Pump In Style. I'm fairly confident if I added additional pumping sessions, I could bolster output.I should note that I take blessed thistle, fengureek, homemade lactation cookies, and brewer's yeast on a daily basis. I also drink Mother's Milk tea and about 200 ounces of water a day minimum. Before using these products, I probably pumped 200-225 ml a day, even with the Symphony.A big plus to the Symphony is that it is made by Medela. After a point, a mom can feel like Medela is taking over the world. This can be advantageous when a user needs replacement or extra parts (I highly encourage moms to buy extra flanges!).The Symphony is bulky and must be plugged in to function so it doesn't get high marks for ease of portability. If I had $1,200 - $1,500 lying around, would I buy one personally? If I were mega rich or in desperate need of a pump for other reasons (premature infant, multiples), I would consider it. However, I am pretty happy with renting the unit right now.

I used this pump while I was boarding at my local hospital (my son was in the NICU). It worked very well. I was quickly able to pump 8 ounces per breast, per pump. When I had to go home and use my $300 pump it didn't do nearly as good. This has very specific settings and gets your let down reflex to work straight away! With my cheaper pump it takes awhile for my breasts to realize they need to release milk. If you are buying this for personal use- it will be worth the money if you are planning on having more kids or if you want to exclusively pump. You may also want to look into renting from your local hospital...if I hadn't already bought my pump, I would have rented the hospitals for the $30 a month they charged.

Used this pump in the hospital to feed my preemie baby (5 weeks early), and have now been renting in the last two months to exclusively pump milk. It has established, maintained, and even increased my milk supply. It has two phases for expressing milk (the light, fast pump and then the slower, deeper pump to imitate a baby suckling) which works great. The one downside is the cost of buying or renting. For me, at $18 per week, I have now decided to invest in a less expensive Medela model (Medela Pump in Style) now that my milk is established.