Medela Freestyle Breast Pump

by Medela

• Double Breast Pump
• Includes 2 Breastshields
• Perfect for Moms On-the-Go
• Small and Lightweight, Memory Button, LCD Display
• 2-Phase Expression Technology

Product Description

Color: White

Medela Freestyle Hands Free Breast Pump - Medela 67060.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

396 of 417 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the risk September 1, 2011

By Ombret

Color Name:White

You may, like me, be a dad perusing breastpump reviews in order to decide whether the Medela Freestyle would be a nice gift for your wife. No...? Am I the only one...? Well, whoever you are, please read carefully, because as my old boss used to say: "Hear me now, believe me later."

My wife had had good success with the Pump in Style for kid #1, but was interested in trying some newer technology (smaller, less conspicuous) when she went back to work after kid #2. And I naively thought I had done my research. My error was discounting all the naysayers who had given the Freestyle a bad rap on the Internet. Those people were not cranks, they were just correct. Here are some of the problems we've identified with the Medela Freestyle in about four months of daily use:

- Less suction, as compared to Pump in Style, at least--and its congener the PiS Advanced. The Freestyle is cordless, i.e., powered by rechargeable batteries. If you've ever used a cordless drill, you know that they are chronically underpowered. The same goes for just about all cordless devices. With the batteries there is just a design tradeoff that the engineers working with line power do not have to face, and the result is less power.

- Don't let the company fool you into thinking that the two-phase milk letdown system will compensate for the lower suction. YOU WILL GET LESS MILK. So unless you are oversupplied, and I mean oversupplied by 50% or more, you will endanger your ability to feed your child if you use this pump.

- Gone from the Freestyle, and from Pump in Style Advanced for that matter, is the ability (present in Pump in Style) to separately control speed and vacuum. This is a major issue. When you are squatting on the bathroom floor trying to pump in the five available minutes, you really need all the degrees of freedom you can get.

- The hands-free system is absurd. It was obviously designed by a man. Flimsy straps clipped here and there, a complex system of clip adapters that you will almost immediately lose, and... a belt clip?!? For the times you go jogging while using this thing? Every time we have tried to use this in our house, it has been either too loose or too tight, or both. The hands-free rigging reminds me of the flying contraptions my friends and I tried to build in high school. Correct concept, but just hopelessly impractical.

- A lot of parts to clean. In the office this has been a major pain in the neck for my wife. The shields and valves have many parts (four on each side) and each has many, many grooves, nooks and crannies. Difficult to clean and slow to dry.

- Astronomically expensive. I mean, I understand this is cheaper than formula, and is a medical device made with medical-grade silicone and other space-age ingredients. But in an era when I can buy a laptop computer for $350, a vacuum pump and some bits of plastic should not also cost $350.

So this is where I get to the idea that the Freestyle is not worth the risk. It isn't worth taking the risk that it will not be the best pump for your family, when you really do not want to have to buy more than one. Medela compounds the risk by making it totally impossible to try before you buy or to return the pump if it doesn't work for your family.

We are actually going back to the Pump in Style, because with the Freestyle, as of pretty much now, the milk deficit is becoming untenable. I wanted to like the Freestyle--all the more after I dropped mucho bucks on it. But I just can't give it more than one star. Please take my advice. I sure didn't. I thought the people grousing on the Internet were just cranks. I don't know what pump you should buy, although the Pump in Style we bought on eBay for kid #1 was in retrospect pretty awesome--speaking as an impartial dad who frankly would rather be done with the whole milk phase of life. What I do know is that Medela does not deserve to be the leader in the breastpump market, or whatever they claim to be, if this is their flagship product. It's actually an insult to the hardworking moms of the world, struggling to keep their babies full and happy, that this is the best this company can do.

212 of 222 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best for working moms March 24, 2008

By Amy R.

Color Name:White

After a few weeks of feeling like a pack mule dragging my Medela Pump in Style from my first child back & forth to the office and using the Avent hand pump when I traveled, I finally splurged and bought the Freestyle. It is so light and easy to use it was worth every penny. I have now used it at home, in the office, in the car, on airplanes, at airports...

Why I love it:
1) It's superlight...the entire Freestyle pump feels like it's about the same weight as the power brick from my Pump in Style.
2) The fact that you can take the unit and put it in any bag you want is terrific.
3) The valves and tubes are easier to deal with than the Pump in Style (esp. the valves).
4) The digital display with timer is surprisingly useful.
5) The rechargeable batteries make it easy to pump in places where there may not be outlets.

The only negative: I think the hands-free mechanism is kind of convoluted, but I just use the Easy Expressions Bustier (which looks ridiculous but is nonetheless effective).

91 of 95 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Head-to-head comparison with Medela Pump In Style Advanced December 2, 2011

By C. Tran

Color Name:White

I am a pediatrician and a working mom who has pumped for both my children--the first with a Pump In Style Advanced and the second with a Freestyle. I work in a nursery and have also used several different hospital-grade pumps as well. If you are trying to decide between a Pump In Style and a Freestyle, this review is for you.

My first child was born in 2008 right before Freestyle was released, so I bought a Medela Pump In Style Advanced instead. In my experience, although the suction was not quite the same as a hospital-grade pump (and I have access to many of them at my workplace), it was more than adequate and I pumped successfully for 12 months with the Pump In Style Advanced. However, I found it limiting to be attached to an outlet all the time, and the Pump In Style Advanced was not ideal for traveling.

When my second child was born in 2010, I did not hesitate to spring for a Freestyle, even though my Pump In Style Advanced was still in excellent condition. I've since used the Freestyle for 13 months (pumping 5-6 times a day), and here are my thoughts:

Pros:
1) Extremely portable. I've taken the Freestyle on three extended business trips and I've pumped in the car, bathroom stalls, airplane bathrooms, random closets...you name it, I've probably pumped there. If the lactation rooms are busy at work, I can just find someplace private, put on a Hooter Hider if necessary, and pump when I need to.

2) Cordless. Although I don't use the ridiculously complicated hands-free set-up, I do enjoy being able to sit down anywhere in my house or at work and pump without being attached to the wall. I have friends who have done housework while pumping with the Freestyle; I'm just not that ambitious.

3) Small. I can just pack my pump and pump parts in my regular work bag or a small shopping bag. I leave the large black vinyl bag at home.

Cons:
1) Suction is not as strong as the Pump In Style. I own both, I've compared them, and I find this to be true. I use both on the maximum pump settings, I use hard plastic flanges with both (I didn't like the softcup flanges that came with the Freestyle), and the suction is weaker on the Freestyle. I've always had a great milk supply, so this was not a deal-breaker for me, but I have had more problems with plugged ducts since using the Freestyle, and I think this is from inadequate emptying of the breasts. I also have to pump longer with the Freestyle (about 15 minutes compared to <10 minutes with the Pump In Style).

2) Battery problems. When my battery is down to one bar, the Freestyle loses suction even further, so I charge it every 3 or 4 days. Last night, my Freestyle started flashing a battery error message and I'm afraid that I may be forced to buy a new battery after 13 months of use. After spending so much money on this pump, I'm disappointed that this is an issue and it makes me even more nostalgic for my Pump In Style.

If I had to do it over again, would I still buy the Freestyle? I'm not sure...I love it for its convenience, but overall I feel that the Pump In Style Advanced is a more reliable pump. If you end up getting a Freestyle, don't give away (or sell) your Pump In Style just yet!