Medela Freestyle Breast Pump and Calma Feeding Device

Breastfeeding is natural but not necessarily easy. Women can become empowered by educating themselves about breastfeeding before baby
comes. Organizations such as La Leche League International offer support groups for breastfeeding moms and advocacy for breastfeeding and the law. Visit a group in your area before your baby arrives so that you will know where to turn when you need help. Excellent nutrition during pregnancy and when breastfeeding is key. Drinking plenty of healthy fluids during breastfeeding, regular skin to skin contact with your baby and babywearing will go along way to ensure breastfeeding success. Challenges during breastfeeding may present themselves at any stage, and having a strong support system in place ahead of time is key to working through and solving any issues. A Certified Lactation Consultation is your best friend, and a consultation soon after birth to ensure that your baby is latching on correctly and to provide guidance. A good latch is critical to breastfeeding success, in conjunction with emptying the breast completely and frequently. Seek help early when you are experiencing a problem; don't wait.

A high quality breast pump can be highly beneficial to all nursing moms, regardless if they are working outside of the home or not. Breastfeeding is a demand and supply operation, meaning that you need to empty the breast fully in order to signal to your body to produce more milk. A breast pump can be used to empty your breast when your baby is unable to do so if he is sleepy, ill, or has a preference for one side. Engorgement can occur not only during the initial few days after birth, but at any stage of breastfeeding and using a breast pump to relieve the pressure can make it easier for your baby to latch on correctly to feed and empty your breasts. Many first time moms are surprised that when their milk lets down, it lets down occurs from both breasts, so if your baby is nursing on your right side, when the milk let down occurs, it occurs on the non-nursing side as well. Moms can place a nursing pad on the non-nursing breast, however, instead of allowing the milk to go to waste, moms can use a breast pump to empty the breast instead. Having extra milk available in the refrigerator or freezer can allow mom a much needed break and allow dad extra time to bond with baby. So as you can see, a breast pump can be used in so many ways, and can be of great benefit to stay at home moms in addition to working moms.

Medela's Breastfeeding Division has been supporting nursing moms around the world through their commitment to quality products.

Founded in 1961 in Zug, Switzerland by Olle Larsson, Medela is committed to supporting breastfeeding and breast milk as the optimal nutrition for the growth, development and health of babies. The company believes it is their obligation to offer a complete solution, "from breast to belly," of high quality products that enable mothers to provide the optimum nutrition of breast milk to their babies. Today, Medela's primary focus remains to help moms successfully breast feed their babies as long as they wish. This goal lies at the heart of every product the company develops.


"Medela’s Breastfeeding Division exists to enhance mother and baby health through the life-giving benefits of breast milk."

Medela's Breastfeeding Division offers a wide range of breast pumps and accessories. The Medela Breastfeeding website is well designed and easy to navigate. It is a wonderful resource for pregnant and nursing moms. Consult the product selector guide for suggestions for selecting a breast pump.



Medela Freestyle Breast pump


One of the smallest double electric breastpumps in the world helps mothers save precious time and offers freedom of movement whilst pumping. Freestyle is ideal for daily and regular use.

• Efficient: simultaneous expression in combination with the 2-Phase Expression Technology increases the amount of milk.

• Innovative: small, lightweight and quiet, to make daily expression as comfortable and natural as possible.

• Comfortable: individually adjustable vacuum settings, as well as memory function offers the highest degree of comfort.

• Complete control: a display shows all the relevant information.

• Support of milk supply: double pumping can help to increase and sustain milk supply.

The Freestyle has 2-Phase Expression, the only research based breast pump technology to mimic a baby's natural nursing rhythm.

• Stimulation: Fast pumping rhythm to start your milk flowing.

• Expression: Slower pumping rhythm to express your milk gently and efficiently.

• Proven to feel most like your baby and to reduce your pumping time.

Straight from the mommy panel:

"I exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of my son's life. I was looking for a lightweight breast pump for when I was to return to work part-time. I volunteered to try the Medela Freestyle Breast pump and the Calma Feeding device. This was my first time ever using a breast pump and after reading the manual, I felt pretty confident about set-up and usage. Sure enough, it was easy to assemble and I was really surprised about how lightweight (weighing just under 13 ounces) and compact the unit was. I also had the support of my local LLL group to assist me as needed. They had informed me that I needed to make sure that the breast shields that were included in the kit were the right size for me - a crucial factor in ensuring success. Luckily for me they were, but if not, consult Medela's website about determining the right size for you. The pump itself is ergonomic, fitting into the palm of my hand. It is very portable allowing me to take it anywhere - I can discreetly clip it onto the waistband. I love being able to take it with me to my part-time job and having the freedom to pump while at work and then store the milk in the handy cooler bag, included with the kit. A double electric pump clearly saves you time when you need it most. Also included is a hands-free kit, but I preferred to use my own hands free bustier as it was faster to set up. Look into Medela's line of nursing wear for other options. There is also a stylish tote bag which is another bonus. No-one would suspect that I was carrying around a breast tpump, which I love. The Freestyle pump has allowed me to continue to breastfeed my baby, even though I am away from him for a few hours a week. For this I am very grateful for and I would recommend this pump to other moms in my situation. I feel wonderful knowing that my baby is continuing to receive the best food in the world while I am balancing being a part-time worker and full-time mom."



Pump and Save

• Pre-sterilised
• Small and convenient
• Direct pumping into bag prevents milk loss.
• BPA-free

The newly designed Pump and Save bags now allow moms to pump directly into the bag, saving you time and preventing milk loss. This innovative feature is a big draw for moms, thanks to the self stick tape. The perfect time saving solution for the busy mom. When full, the bag stands independently so it is easy to mark and date the bag for the future reference. The bags take up very little room in the refrigerator or freezer and a wonderful addition to your storage options.





Calma Breast milk bottle with teat (teat also sold separately).

Your baby will always prefer and benefit from breastfeeding However if you are separated from baby, Calma provides an excellent alternative that stands to minimize any interference with the breastfeeding relationship between you and your baby. Breastfeeding needs to be well established before introducing Calma. Calma is recommended for breastfed babies and not those who are currently bottle fed as they may find it difficult to feed

Medela has pioneered innovative products which help to enhance babies' health through the life-giving benefits of breast milk. With Calma you can trust in a product that has been developed on a well-established research foundation. This research has shown that you baby is able to maintain with Calma the same learned feeding behaviour that your baby exhibits in breastfeeding.

Calma consists of 3 parts which are easy to assemble and clean.

Calma's unique design makes baby work- Similar to breastfeeding, the milk only flows when baby creates a vacuum. This ensures that the feeding is controlled by baby and his own individual rhythm.

One size is sufficient - The eat comes in one size which is sufficient for the entire duration of breastfeeding, thereby saving you money.



To see the Calma in action, please click here to view the video.

The Calma Feeding Device it is aimed at babies who are breastfeeding and not at babies who have been bottle fed with regular bottles from birth. This is an important distinction to make. The Calma Feeding Device is truly revolutionary and unlike any other teat/bottle system on the market. Baby needs to have a well established latch and good oral motor skills to use the Calma effectively. If you baby has achieved success breastfeeding, he is a good candidate for the Calma Feeding Device.



Straight from the mommy panel:

"I used the Freestyle breast pump in conjunction with the Calma Feeding Device and I feel that this is a great pairing of 2 very innovative products. For the first 6 months of my son's life, he was exclusively breastfeed. When it was time to return to work part-time, I began looking into breast pumps and bottles and had a hard time deciding which ones to select. Luckily I was contacted by Success Through Play Magazine who asked me if I was interested in reviewing the Freestyle along with the Calm Feeding Device and I jumped at the opportunity. When I was briefed about the Calma Feeding Device I was amazed at the innovative and I was very anxious to try it, because my number one concern was that once I returned to work and had to introduce the bottle, my baby would refuse my breast. Thankfully, this didn't occur and I strongly believe that it was due to my electing to use only the Calma Feeding Device and no other bottles. My son was indeed the perfect tester, because he had been exclusively breastfeed for 6 months and was a pro at obtaining a good latch and had developed a very good pattern of feeding from the breast. I can see first hand how the Calma Feeding Device mimics my son feeding from the breast and it is truly remarkable in its design. I was so worried about the effects of introducing a bottle but the Calma Feeding Device has made the transition effortless. My son moves from breast to Calma Feeding Device smoothly and easily and I am so thankful for this."

RESOURCES

The Medela Website is well designed and easy to navigate. Check out the Resource section for education articles which will help to enrich your breastfeeding experience.

PURCHASING
To find out where to purchase Medela products in your country, please click here.


For additional information about the products in this article and to see the full product line from Medela, please visit www.Medela.com

All images copyrighted Medela.

Disclaimer: We did not receive any financial compensation for this review. Medela provided us with samples for the purpose of this review.