My 2 years+ Breastfeeding Companion: The Medela Swing Maxi

December 02, 2016
 By Jacqueline Sable

Baby Franco and Mommy Jacqueline
My baby's pediatrician advised me to breastfeed exclusively as breast milk is the best for babies. I asked for a breast pump that is easy-to-use and portable and she advised me to check Medela breast pumps.

Of all the available Medela breast pumps, the Medela Swing Maxi Breast Pump caught my eyes. It looks simple because it has only four buttons. Also, it is a double electric breast pump, it can help express more milk compared to single pumps, thus making it good for working moms like me as it is time-saving.




PROS:
One of the features of the Medela Swing Maxi is the 2-phase expression pumping technology - Stimulation Phase and Expression Phase. It mimics our baby’s natural breast-sucking behavior, at first it is a short and quick sucking time until our milk starts to flow (Stimulation Phase) and then it changes to a slow rhythm in expressing milk (Expression Phase). The up/down buttons give us options to control and change the suction level as we prefer.

It is intended for both double pumping – when your baby is not with you and you want to express milk and for single pumping – you can also pump on one breast when the baby is latching on the other breast.

This breast pump is attractive and simply designed. You can easily assemble and disassemble all of its parts.

It is also easy to clean. All parts are washable and can be sterilized.

It is lightweight, small, and comfortable to use. It is good for mothers like me who need to move around, for aside from the power source you can use it with 6 AAA batteries, so I can express milk even when traveling.


CONS: 
I actually can’t think of anything for this category, but yes for budget-conscious moms, you can say that this breast pump is pricey. It costs PhP 13,500. But then again, if you think about the cost of the formula milk, you’ll realize that the price of Medela Swing Maxi Breast Pump is a lot cheaper compared to buying boxes and cans of milk.

Medela offers milk containers for PhP 60 per bottle. I’m not sure if there’s a promo when I bought the milk containers as I got them for PhP 50 per bottle (or maybe that’s their price for wholesale).

Each milk container has expiration date (you can use it for storing milk for 2 years), but it’s still worth buying as you can use it as a milk bottle, you can connect the nipple and give it to your baby if you want to bottle-feed your expressed milk. It is also space friendly when you use it for storing your stash in the freezer and it fits in the insulated bag when traveling.


PARTS:
1. Swing Maxi Motor


It is a powerful motor made for double pumping – the Medela Swing Maxi pumps simultaneously from both breasts which leads to more milk expressed in less time. The interface has an on/off switch, two buttons to increase and decrease the speed and suction and one-touch letdown button used to convert between stimulation and expression phase.

2. Medela 24mm (M-Sized) breastshield

All Medela Breast Pumps come with standard 24mm breast shields. This is the part that we put to our breasts when we pump. It is important that we check if the fit is right for as a wrong fit can result in nipple blisters, milk clots and less milk output, it will also lead to an uncomfortable sensation every time we pump. Also, a good fit can allow the breastfeeding mother to produce better milk supply.

3. Backshield

The backshield design has a unique milk protection system which prevents the milk from flowing backwards or flowing back into the tube.

4. Y-shaped Tube

The Medela Swing Maxi’s tubing is a y-shaped tube, where the triangular head should be connected to the motor and the two circular heads corners should be hooked up to the breastshield connectors. When you need to convert from double pump to single pump, just insert one end onto the center of the tubing.


I use the Medela Swing Maxi at work. I wear a nursing cover from Baby Company and I bring with me an insulated bag with ice packs to keep the expressed milk from spoiling as I travel back home.


This breast pump is perfect for me; this is my partner in my continuous breastfeeding journey. For moms out there who are looking for a tried and tested and really helpful breast pump, I recommend Medela Swing Maxi.

It is very efficient and I can say that it is one of the good quality breast pumps. With the help of the Medela Swing Maxi, I was able to exclusively breastfeed Franco and I still use it until now that Franco is 2 and a half.
 
Let’s not think twice to give the best to our babies. Our breastmilk is one of our babies’ essential needs. And the Medela Swing Maxi is the best partner in expressing the liquid gold.

About the Author: 
Mommy Jacqueline Sable is a proud breastfeeding mom to son Franco Samuel. She is a hands-on mom to Franco when not at work and a loving wife of Francis Hezel. She and her husband are members of Couples for Christ - Catholic Family and Life. She is a travel enthusiast and usually spends her me-time at the gym. 

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