Medela Harmony

After one month of occasional use Medela manual pump started loosing air which resulted in a poor suction. I can hear the air hissing, probably there is a tear in a valve. Also, the tube is not transparent… so you can't see the milk coming out of the breast. In my other, Avent pump I can see the flow. I switched to Medela because it had a bigger bottle attached. But now I have to go back to Avent since this one is no use. I thought Medela made quality pumps. Very dissapointed.

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I work part time so I don't need one of those super deluxe pumps, and having used 5 different manual pumps with #1 & #2 (using for #3) and I can say honestly that this pump rules! I found other models… clumsy, hard to clean, and "hard" feeling. This pump feels natural and I can pump a full 8 oz. bottle in 4 minutes every single time. With previous pumps I would pump for 20-30 minutes and would be lucky to get 4 oz.'s. It's super simple design makes it easy to clean and I just love it and couldn't be happier! Highly recommended!

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I purchased this pump when my son was 5 weeks old and I was having trouble nursing him on one side. I had rented a hospital grade pump and returned it after 3 days because it seemed uneffective and was… causing lots of pain, which was exactly what I was trying to fix. It is now 5 weeks later and I have been using this pump 4-5 times each day because my son cannot nurse on one side due to an intense milk flow that he cannot seem to overcome. He gets almost 100% of his milk from one side and I use the pump to empty the other side for storage. So far, the Harmony has been awesome! I have used it on airplanes, in hospitals, cars and while doing all sorts of household duties. Depending on the time of day, I get about 2 ounces in 5-6 minutes which is really good compared to other pumps. I do not find that fact that it is a manual pump a problem AT ALL and that actualflly makes it much more convenient for taking along in the diaper bag during the day. At night, I get up once to pump and the sound never bothers my baby or my husband and I am back in bed within 5 minutes. After I finish pumping, I leave the pump assembled and flush it out with lots of really hot water. Then one time each day I dissassemble the pump, scrub the parts with hot soapy water and lay it out to dry. Even though I have to pump 4-5 times each and every day, I probably only spend a total of 30 minutes collecting the milk, cleaning the pump and storing the milk every day. The Harmony has been a godsend and the fact that it was one of the most affordable pumps was great. I would certainly buy it again if need be and would recommend it to anyone! Side not, I have used the harmony at least 120 times and it is working just as well as when I first bought it. They advertise that this pump is for ocassional use but if you need a pump that is good for everyday, I would first try this one. You will be happy with all the money you save!

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Harmony Personal Use Manual Breastpump I am on my second child, and have tried almost every pump there is. This one is by far the easiest to use, quickest to clean, and most effective at removing milk… quickly. 1. The very best part is the two-phase system: you use your thumb to pump quickly on the top button just like baby sucks really fast when she first attaches. Then once milk starts flowing, usually within thirty seconds for me with this pump, you switch to the longer, harder pulls with the handle. It's brilliant. Truly. 2. The breast shield is rigid yet slightly soft, so it really does mimic the suction of Baby's mouth further up on the breast. No other pump I've tried has this added feature. Sometimes when I'm not looking I actually can't tell which side she's on, it's that good. 3. The handle swivels, which is marvelous as I usually pump one side while nursing Baby on the other (I've found this the best way to get the most milk and easy let-down). With other pumps, it's been difficult to get the right angle without spilling milk. The swivel handle allows me to keep the pump at a good angle but move the handle so that my hand can pump. 4. The removable handle makes it easy to clean, and I've had no assembly problems as there are few parts to mess with. 5. I keep the removable base attached most of the time, so I can set it down without it tipping over. 6.I have been using it twice daily for a month, and it is still as good as new. How it rates against others: Second place: Ameda hand pump: I had this one with my son, and loved it. It was given to me free at the hospital by my lactation consultant, but I would be willing to pay full price for it happily. However, the handle requires one to squeeze, and my hand got tired much more quickly. I thought this couldn't be improved, but the the Harmony blows this otherwise excellent pump out of the water. Third place: Avent Isis: this pump is not worth the hype. It's handle is too painful to use, it is bulky and difficult, the breast sheilds don't ever lock on to the breast very well, and it was difficult to use. Once it got going, it would get a decent amount of milk, but I never liked it as well as the Ameda and certainly nowhere near the Medela. The hand pump tired out my hand terribly. Fourth place: Lansinoh double electric: I broke down and forked out the cash on an electric with baby #2 because everyone swore by them. I chose this one because it used the same design as the Ameda that I had liked with baby #1. I thought an electric was a good idea. All I can say before you spend all that money... DON'T! The ONLY thing better about an electric is that your hand doesn't get tired, but the Harmony has the least hand fatigue of any manual I've tried, and it's worth the time saved. Electrics just don't pump as strongly or as quickly as baby sucks, so it takes FOREVER, and I mean forever, to get any milk. I wanted to pull my hair out waiting. Even with baby on the other side, I would only get 2, maybe 2.5 ounces in the same amount of time that I can get 4.5-5 with the Harmony, 4 with the Ameda, 3.5 with the Isis, or about 3 with the Evenflo. Electrics sound like a good idea, but they're really not. The biggest pain is that they are extremely bulky and have to be set up before each use. When baby is hungry, this is not a good idea! Then trying to undo the bottles for storage while holding baby... just impossible. This pump made her so angry. I used it for about a week and a half before I got the Harmony, which is so much lighter, quicker to assemble, easy to use, lightweight, etc. Last place: Evenflo: Don't ever purchase this thing. It's a waste of money, even at the low price point. The pumping action is terrible, it doesn't keep suction, and unless you have giant man-sized hands it is too big for holding and falls over if you set it down. It is cheap, and everything about it is cheap. I rarely regret losing $[...]20 to try something, but I do with this thing! I just had to pump both sides at the same time, and thought I could use my Harmony and my Evenflo... I got 1 ounce on the Evenflo side, and 4.5 on the Harmony side. Same time, same let down, that much of a difference!

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