Don't buy it without knowing all the facts!
Written: Aug 05 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: light, small, easy to use
Cons: not powerful enough to keep up a milk supply, but still expensive
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| elderberries's Full Review: Medela Doubleease |
I've experienced quite a bit of frustration caused by the purchase of this pump recently, so my review turned out quite long. If you're in a hurry, you can skip down to "the bottom line" at the bottom, but if you're in the market for a pump, you just might learn something from my experience.
When my son was born, I knew I wanted to breastfeed and needed a good pump, so I sent my husband over to Babies 'R Us to get the Medela Pump In Style, their top of the line non-hospital grade pump (retails for $250). It turns out they didn't carry it, so he came home with the next highest model, the Double Ease.
At first I was really disappointed, but when I saw that it had cost $180 and had all the features I wanted (double pumping, electric, strength control), so I figured it had to be a good pump, and opened it. Big mistake... I should have returned it then and gotten the Pump In Style. If I had done some research on the subject of breast pumps before spending the money, I would have.
The reason I stress that you need to research BEFORE you buy is that pumps are non-returnable, since all pumping guidelines recommend strongly against using used pumps (bacteria can get caught up in the tubing and mechanical parts).
So on to my experiences... at first, the Double Ease seemed fine. My milk took a while to come in, but I was able to get an ounce or two with the pump (which, since I didn't know any better, seemed great). After having problems with my son not latching on correctly and never being able to pump much, I talked with a lactation consultant. When I told her what pump I was using, she said I had chosen a pump that was meant only for short-term separation and should not be used for repeated pumpings, such as that required to build up a milk supply, or to keep a child breastfed after returning to work full time.
I was astonished. $180 for a pump from a well-known and trusted manufacturer, and I'm told it doesn't have the power needed to keep my milk supply up, or provide my son with milk after I return to work? I asked about the possibility of getting a credit somehow towards a PIS (Pump In Style), and was told by Medela that there were no credits or refunds on used pumps. I spoke with another lactation consultant, who let me borrow a hospital-grade Medela Lactina pump (retails for about $760) for a few days to experience the difference. Since my milk supply was faltering due to an insufficient pump and a son who wouldn't nurse correctly, I wasn't able to get more than a couple ounces with that pump either, but the difference was in how it felt. It seemed like a more controlled suction, and didn't pull as harshly on my nipples. When I had to return it, I knew I needed to find a new pump, or my breasts wouldn't be able to handle months of pumping.
So there I was, being told by two different lactation consultants that I should either buy a PIS or rent a hospital-grade pump for $50/month, but I had already spent $180, non-refundable, on another pump! We're not made of money, and I wasn't collecting a paycheck during maternity leave, so I was completely depressed over this. I felt like, by purchasing the Double Ease without doing my homework, I had doomed my nursing/pumping relationship with my son to failure due to not being able to afford a better pump. My son's latch never improved, so he started nursing less and less, and I found myself exclusively pumping, which meant pumping 6-7 times a day, or as often as I could find the time. Pumping so often with the Double Ease was really starting to hurt! I finally bought a slightly used 1998 PIS from a friend for $60 (yes, I was so desperate to avoid plopping down another $250 that I ignored the used pumps guidelines). I'm still using it now, and have done a lot of reading and research since then in my attempts to rebuild my milk supply.
Hindsight's 20/20...
So now that I've laid out the whole story, here's my thoughts on the Double Ease vs. the Pump In Style (since the Double Ease is basically a lighter, sleeker, cheaper cousin of the Pump In Style).
Double Ease
-Much smaller. While the PIS travels in a sizable tote bag (and stays in that tote bag, even during use), the Double Ease is a small pump (about the size and weight of a telephone answering machine).
-Great carrying case. Has all the amenities of the PIS - cooler compartment, freezer packs, extra bottle room, etc. It's attractive and discreet.
-Compact. When you have it out and you're using it, you can set the bottles right into the bottle holders on the pump itself. It doesn't take much room at all.
-Cheaper. It's $179 as opposed to $250. But would you rather pay $10,000 for a car that tops out at 15 mph, or splurge and pay $15,000 for a car that does 60? It's cheaper, but $179 is still a lot of money for something that may or may not be what you need.
-Fully adjustable strength. You can turn the suction all the way up from the barest minimum to the max, and any level in-between. This is a big plus, especially for those who get sore from pumping, and need to work up to it gradually. The Double Ease actually outshines the PIS in this aspect.
Pump In Style
-Larger and heavier than the Double Ease, but still very portable. It travels in its own tote bag, and you simply unzip a front flap to access the pump controls and plug in the tubing. Like the Double Ease, it also has a cooler compartment, freezer packs, extra bottle room, room to store the horns and tubing, etc. Even though it's larger, I find it's actually even easier to transport it, since you don't even have to take it out of the bag to use it.
-Not as compact. Instead of having bottle holders on the pump itself like the Double Ease, the PIS has separate plastic bottle holders that you can take out of the bag and use, but the whole contraption still takes up quite a bit of room.
-More expensive. It retails for anywhere from $250 to $279, depending on where you buy/order it. This seemed like a lot of money to me at first, but then I started adding up the cost of formula. If, by using this pump, you can avoid having to buy formula, it'll pay itself off within a couple months easily. And something I have learned is that in order to be successful at pumping enough to keep your baby fed, you need a good pump. Don't skimp here... you'll just end up regretting it later, and then you'll have to fork out even more money, or you'll end up weaning earlier than you planned to.
-Quieter. While the Double Ease isn't what I'd call loud, it's definitely louder than the PIS. The PIS has a nice quiet hum, and the Double Ease sounds like a small generator.
-Adjustable strength/speed. This is the one area where I really think they should have carried over from the Double Ease to the PIS. Instead of being able to start at nothing and work your way up slowly, the PIS has min, med, and max. Unfortunately for me, the minimum setting hurts! It always causes me to grit my teeth for a moment until I get accustomed to it. However, it does have the ability to adjust the rate of the suction as well, which the Double Ease does not have. (side note - my PIS, being a 1998 model, doesn't have this feature, but the new ones do.) This works really well for some women who can let down better with a faster or slower suckling rate.
The Bottom Line
Even on the Medela website, you'll read that the Double Ease is meant for short-term and occasional separation from your baby. Unless you're buying a pump that you only plan to use every once in a while, don't buy the Double Ease. If you really want breastfeeding to work--especially if you have a full time job--you need the best pump you can get, so you might as well spend the extra $70 and get what will really work in the long run. Granted the Double Ease is cute, small, light, and easy to use, but the Pump In Style isn't that far behind, and it's a much better pump.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
elderberries
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Member: Amy Sage
Location: Austin, TX
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 8 members
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