When it comes to breastpumps, most every mama out there has heard of Medela. (Which I just found out, courtesy of their pro-nursing commercials, is actually pronounced “Meh-DEE-la,” not “Meh-DEH-la.”) That’s because it’s pretty much synonymous with “quality breastpump.” And they didn’t even pay me to say that.
Medela Freestyle breast pump
I’d read and heard over and over about how great the Medela Pump in Style was. But I was planning to nurse twins. This meant I was going to get some sort of consolation prize for my efforts in breastfeeding. Nothing less than the top-of-the-line would do. I needed not just a Medela pump, but the Cadillac of Medela pumps: The Medela Freestyle.
What’s so amazing about this pump, you ask? I will tell you what is so amazing about this pump. This pump is compact, cute and totally, 100%, no-lies hands free. Do you understand what this means? This means you can talk on the phone, make the bed, eat breakfast, read a book, comb your hair, feed the dog, weed the garden, book a flight to Tahiti, ALL WHILE PUMPING. Insert sound of angels singing here.
Let’s face it: Pumping is depressing. So if you’ve ever pumped in your life, you understand the value of being able to do it hands-free.
How does it work? The bottles have a snap-on bra attachment that easily hooks into most any brand of top-flap nursing bra (it comes with adapters to fit different bra styles). If you’re too lazy to use different adapters, you can MacGyver the attachments to work anyway.
Head of State divx The pump itself is about the size of your hand, minus the top knuckle, and about as thick as a Double Whopper (three stacked Portobello mushrooms if you’re a vegetarian). It has a timer, an adjustable vacuum, a memory button save your preferred pumping settings, and a let-down button to promote multiple let-downs.
Along with the pump, you get:
- a really nice cooler and ice pack
- strap attachments for large and smaller breast sizes
- breastshields with four bottles and caps
- a belt for mobile pumping
- AC adapter and a cigarette lighter charger for your car
- an honestly cute carrying bag that everyone so far has mistaken for my purse
I usually pump in the morning while the girls are napping. I strap myself together, pour my cereal and get online while eating and pumping at the same time. At work, I pump in the bathroom while reading “Newsweek” and texting with my husband. In the evenings, I pump while updating my blog and catching up on emails. I have pumped while folding laundry, putting away dishes and dusting. I’m totally spoiled; I can’t imagine having to hold the pump to my boobs (though you certainly can, and the pump can be used as a single or double pump).
So, the catch: The Medela Freestyle is pretty pricey. (If it weren’t a necessity for nursing moms, I would’ve have even reviewed it for this site, since we try to focus on budget-friendly stuff.) I’ve found anywhere from $300 – $380 online. I used a 15% off coupon from Babies R Us and opened a BRU credit card for an additional 10% off, which brought the price down to the same as the Pump in Style. So, it is doable if you’re considering the Pump in Style already.
Free Stuff Alert – Contest Closed. Congratulations Tammy!
Medela Bamboo nursing tank
I got in touch with Medela and they oh-so-kindly agreed to do a great giveaway of a Medela Bamboo Nursing Camisole, a $44.99 value. If you’re like me, you have no clue what’s so great about bamboo clothing. Bamboo grows super fast and doesn’t require pesticides, so it’s considered a very sustainable and eco-friendly material. It also has natural anti-bacterial properties so you don’t have to wash your clothes don’t have germies all over your stuff. Conveniently, the Freestyle hooks perfectly into the tank, though you can use it with any other pump or just for nursing too.
To enter this contest:
- Tell us what you love about nursing. And you gotta show some effort, people, or we’ll delete your ass!
- For an additional entry, Tweet about the contest and leave a comment with your Twitter username.
- For yet another entry, blog about this contest and link back to YourMamaReviews.com. Leave a comment and let us know.
A total of three entries are possible. Contest is open until March 19 at noon EST. We’ll select the winner using a random number generator. Offer is open to US residents only, please. Winner will be able to specify their size and preferred color. Make sure you enter a valid email address when you comment.
About the author: Idoia never intended to get married or have kids. So she got hitched and had twins. Wait….what? Read more from this author.
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Nothing compares to breastfeeding my twins. The closeness the 3 of us feel as they lie on the nursing pillow. The excited wide-eyed look as they lie down on the pillow before me, ready to feed. One gives an excited smile. The half-lidded drunken eyes staring up at me, the little grunts they pass back and forth between each other like some secret code as they caress my shirt and breast. Closer to sleep, they eat slowly, and break away for a smile every so often. I try to capture these moments in my brain as much as I can, as they’ll be off and running to Little League or fishing or school before I can blink my eyes.
I melt whenever I feed them.
I love the time bonding with my baby.
My favorite part about nursing is the look. My son looks right up into my eyes when he is nursing, he locks in and stares at me. I can tell he is studying my face and thinking about how awesome I must be for making his food for him.
When someone else is holding the baby and suddenly says, “I think he’s hungry” (as s/he attempts to remove the baby’s death grip from the nipple area of her/his shirt), I love being able to whisk in like a heroine and comfort my little guy. I whip out the boob, he latches on, and “voila!” all is well in his world. I look down at his jaw moving, bits of milk dripping down his chin, he looks up and grins while his mouth is still locked on. Magic.
I love the power! Many times, I have come home to a frantic husband and screaming baby. Nothing has worked to calm him down (the baby, not concered about the hubby in those moments). I sit down in a rocker, start nursing, and instantly have a quiet, happy baby that gives me a huge toothless grin of thanks. Yeah, my hubby rocks, but he doesn’t have the ultimate power. Oh, and that power works great for putting a baby to bed too!
Not a nursing mama yet…but looking forward to the immediate bond I hear so much about and that feeling of ultimate woman-ness!
I love the noises that Theo makes ONLY when nursing. His little happy signs/coos, his squeaky sucking noises. All because of nursing. He doesn’t make those noises when being fed by a bottle. Makes the hard days/times worth it knowing he enjoys it so much too.
samanthajocampen at gmail dot com
I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/samanthajcampen/status/1318448826
samanthajocampen at gmail dot com
I love how covenant breast feeding is. I can just start feeding where ever I am. I love the bond I form with my baby.
the closeness
nursing is not only healthier building up the immune but also great bonding
I love that its free and its something only I can do.
The best thing about nursing is the way my son touches me while he nurses. Sometimes he plays with my hair, sometimes he grabs my lips, sometimes he massages my chest, sometimes he does a “tune in tokyo” twiddle on my nipple. LOL. I also love when he grins at me and a big drop of milk spills out.
I love nursing because i feel close to my baby, its good for the baby, and me i burn some calories
I love the bonding and the closeness that I feel when I am nursing. I also felt empowered by the thought that I was providing my son with the very best start anyone could ever have in life.
That is very important!
I love the special bond that breastfeeding creates with mother and baby. I also like the my baby is getting the very best from me as his mother. Thank you =)
I tweeted~
http://twitter.com/simplyandreah/status/1320097150
I absolutely love having the time alone with my daughter when we nurse…sometimes it is the only alone time I have with her all day. I love being able to offer comfort to her like no one else can. Now that she is 15 mo and I’m pregnant with #3 I SERIOUSLY think the fact that I’m still breastfeeding is making this pregnancy easier.
I also freaking love these tanks…I was so excited when I got pregnant with #3 because I could justify getting a whole new slew of them LOL
@CouponCoupJenn I tweeted the giveaway
http://twitter.com/CouponCoupJenn/status/1320148746
wow
I’m having a baby this summer.I hope I win…
Thanks…
Honestly, I love the convenience of nursing. Ready any time, always the right temp and formulation, nothing to clean up (I hope!) and sterilize, it beats bottles any day!
I never thought I would breast feed as my 1 aunt whom I remember bfing wa stalked about negatively in my home. However, after a tiny bit of research I though “I should really give bfing a 100% try.” Well breastfeeding my twin boys has been the best thing I ever did for them and me. I love the giggles when they know it is feeding time. When they were tiny I loved the cuddle time and all 3 of us falling asleep on the sofa. My boys are so big and healthy after arriving early, I just know breastfeeding has helped them. Recently one of my boys was ill with a bad cold and a tummy bug at the same time. I was so grateful that we had nursing to turn to, as it was the only “food” he ate for 7 days. Our other choice was water and pedialite. I am so thankful that breastfeeding is working for us and love that I have been able to help several friends have a positive bfing experience with their 2nd little one after a miserable experience with their 1st.
Nursing my 1 year old son means so much to me. We have met our “goal” of nursing 1 year & he shows no sign of stopping! I know it’s so healthy for him & such a bonding experience too.
This would be a fantastic win. I plan on breastfeeding my baby due in July! Thanks for the chance to win.
mogrill@comcast.net
I absolutely love when my daughter is nursing and sleeping. Watching her little mouth move is so incredibly cute that it melts my heart…no matter how awful she may have been that day. I hope to nurse for many more months because before long she will be growing up.
I am not the one nursing our son — my partner is — but here’s what I love about their nursing relationship: he gets food that is perfectly made for him. We always have his food with us. ;-)
I twittered: my username is @prizealert
What I love about nursing is the bonding experience that it will provide my daughter and I with. I am so excited about spending the 10-30 minutes with her and gazing at just how beautiful she is and the amazement that my husband and I brought her into this world.
I made a special posting on the right side of my blog and wrote a tweet about this review at elle_42.
Thanks!!
I love the bonding part.. Cause im the only one that can do that with my baby
being so close to my son and knowing that I not only gave him life but I’m sustaining it.
The best thing about nursing is the fact that my 2 month old is 1 pound away from doubling his birth weight and it’s ALL because of MY milk!!!!! I love that all three of my boys grew healthy and strong because of what my body can provide for them. Breastfeeding is one of the best things I have ever shared with my boys.
I love nursing for so many reasons. It’s the best food you can feed your baby, for one thing. I love knowing that every molecule of my baby’s body came from me! There is also nothing better for bonding. I love when my baby looks up at me with that milky grin…
probably the thing i love most about breastfeeding is knowing that everything in my baby is made of me! i also love that it’s free and always available and it’s the most perfect food for my baby.
tweet!
http://twitter.com/aplotaxisamomum/status/1330042363
I love nursing – I nursed my son for 2 years and loved every minute of it (no matter how many “he’s HOW old?” questions I got) – I’m not sure if I would have even quit then except that I had surgery. I can’t wait to nurse my 2nd baby!!
autumn398 (at) yahoo.com
what I loved most when I nursed my son was the fact that I knew I was giving him THE BEST I could give him, right off the bat. The fact that it was liquid gold, in a sense, and I did it because I loved him!
I tweeted (kgail11)
When my DD was exclusively breastfed, I loved knowing that really *needed* me, and that I gave her something that no one else gave her. Even now that she eats solids (though doesn’t care for them nearly as much as boob juice), there are times when only mama will do because only mama can give her the good stuff :) I know it’s selfish, but it’s a great feeling nonetheless.
Also, I tweeted! Username: mohop
My favorite thing about nursing? Being forced to stop the world for just a minute and focus on nothing else but my sweet baby girl. That, my friends, is the biggest gift a mom can have.
i love the closeness between me and baby
i tweeted here http://twitter.com/liza767
Subscriber.
I loved having an absolute way to soothe and calm my baby regardless of the situation. Breastfeeding was truly very convenient with my first who was high needs but instantly calm as soon as he was allowed to nurse.
I’ve only been breastfeeding for 11 days, but so far I love that I can be so close to my baby. He snuggles with me and sometimes nurses just to get to sleep. It’s great to experience that closeness with him.
There are so many things I love about nursing! I am nursing my third child but this is my first time nursing exclusively. I worked with the first two and supplemented with formula. I intend on nursing my son until he is two. We have been going strong for 11 months almost halfway there. I love the bond and the closeness we share. He is truly a boobie baby and nowhere near ready to stop. I absolutely love every minute of it.
Besides all the good stuff for my daughter (the brain development, less ear problems, good eyesight etc. etc.) I love the closeness, the cute smile on her face when I ask if she wants some milky (she’s picked up on the word!!), I love that it is available at any time and when she is hurting (teething), nothing soothes her better.
I love the thought of (hopefully) increasing my baby’s immune system and decreasing his chance for allergies, as well as creating a bond that can’t compare to anything else in the world.
I love breast feeding because it makes me feel so, primal and essential. Forget about designer crib bedding and matching onesies to socks… it’s mama and baby workign together as they have since the beginning of time. While it’s wonderful to know I am giving my daughter the best food for her (and the cheapest for me), I love the bonding of it. I had to return to work and pump at work, thinking about when I can come home and feed her directly. I think she also looks forward to that first feed once I am home as well. :)
I have nursed all four of my children! My current nursling was born 2 months early and with much diligence, I was still able to nurse him! He has probably been the baby to benefit the most as he had an under developed immune system and gets sick often. But I believe nursing has kept his illnesses mild and prevented further hospitalizations!
My son will be 3 months old tomorrow, and I have loved breast feeding him, even though it hasn’t been very long yet. One of the best things about it is the ease of night feedings–no getting up to prepare a bottle, just have to lift up the shirt =]
I loves bonding with my daughter during nursing. It was quiet time during hectic days and in the quiet of the night I could take a deep breathe and smell her and take a mental picture because they grow TOO FAST!!
I tweeted it http://twitter.com/SaraMama
I can only love nursing in theory, right now. I’m expecting my first–twins–very soon and really want to BF because of the health benefits to the babies and me. Besides, there is something about the bonding and nurturing of BF that really appeals to me. I’m sure there will be pains, frustrations and annoyances, but I am committed to giving it my all. Thanks for the giveaway! I didn’t know about the Freestyle and purchased the Pump in Style. I’m sure it is a great pump, too.
There’s a lot I don’t like about nursing in the first couple months, but what I do like is getting over that hump where it becomes easier (and baby isn’t feeding every 2 hours). I love that I don’t have to carry around formula and bottles and I love that I don’t need to warm up bottles either.
Well I had a lot of trouble the last time around and only did it for a week….I am looking forward to trying again with the baby I am currently expecting, thanks!
Nursing brings my daughter and I closer together. Its like we have a connection. Sometimes it can be hectic and I have to pump ahead of time. Right now I am using a hand held one.
I love the way they look up into your face and the little sounds they make or when they punch you with their little fists if they’are not getting enough fast enough
I’m not sure yet since my first little one will be born in a few weeks but I hope it helps us with bonding and gives her the nutrients she needs.
I am hoping to be expecting my first one soon
I sooooo love nursing my darling 17 month old ds. And…..don’t laugh, but I call him my LUSCIOUSLY VORACIOUS MILKY MONSTER because he loves to nurse with wild abandon! Nursing is the most amazing communication I’ve ever experienced with another being before.
Thanks so much for this fabulous give~away! : )))
leahita[at]gmail[dot]com
And, I TWITTERED about this give~away…….username: mamaleahita.
http://twitter.com/mamaleahita/status/1352593513
leahita[at]gmail[dot]com
I love bonding with my daughter while nursing. We have had some problems but all of the issues seem to wash away when she looks into my eyes when she is eating.
I loved that it helped me connect with all of my children, but especially my twins who spent time in the NICU. It was difficult taking home these tiny fragile babies that we really hadn’t been allowed to parent (or even hold) for weeks, but once we got nursing down, it really helped me bond with them. Even while they were in the NICU, pumping for them was the only thing that really made me feel like a mother. The doctors and nurses were taking care of the babies, but that was something only I, their mom, could provide.
Tweet: http://twitter.com/ReizaM/status/1352621775
I’m ReizaM on twitter.
What I love about nursing is the obvious elation you get when you get to snuggle your baby close and know you’re the one providing their nourishment. I also loved that I could grab my daughter out of her bed, position her on the breast in my bed and crash while she nursed. Once she was done, I would switch sides if she was still hungry and put her back to bed. No lights on, getting up to make a bottle, etc.
twitter @kaiasmommy
tweet
http://twitter.com/kaiasmommy/status/1353032038
I am a Grandma to be and I am trying to win this for my daughter. I know very little about breast feeding since my daughter was a bottle baby out of necessity. I have read about the merits of breast feeding and wish I could have done it. Perhaps my daughter would have been healthier with fewer allergies. Thank you so much for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway!
I love that I am able to do something good for my baby by giving her this boost in life. I love that it is healthier for her, that it makes for less stinky diapers, that we don’t have to pay megabucks for formula. I love that so long as I am with her, we have food for her.
I think breastfeeding develops a bond between child and mother that can only be understood by another breastfeeding mother. The ability to nourish your child by your body alone is almost a magical thing.
I haven’t breastfed yet; my first little one is due May 2. But breastfeeding is something I am looking forward to so much! I’ve waited a long time for this baby – through infertility, a miscarriage, and corrective surgery – and breastfeeding seems like such an incredibly sacred bond that a mother can share with her baby. I’ve actually had more dreams about breastfeeding than anything else concerning the baby….I hope I’m not too weird! :) Thanks so much for the giveaway!
myshadow28(at)aol(dot)com
I love breastfeeding my 6 month old. It is a wonderful thing that makes me rest and relax and take time from my day just for her. I would love that tank. It would make breastfeeding so much easier in public!
The bonding with my baby is just one if a kind. There are no words to describe the special moments we have. Thanks for a wonderful site!