Need a breast pump that is effective, but also allows you get things done while you pump? The Medela Pump in Style Hands-Free uses collection cups that can make pumping easier and more discreet. Here’s everything you need to know!
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What is the Medela Pump in Style Hands-Free?
The Medela Pump in Style Hands-Free is a breast pump that allows you to pump using wearable cups.
The cups go in your nursing bra, so you can pump hands-free. Tubing connects the cups to the Pump in Style motor.
It’s not truly a portable pump because it doesn’t have a rechargeable battery – so for use it needs to be plugged in either to a wall outlet or a battery pack. But it does make pumping when you need to take care of other things at the same time much easier.
You can see more of this breast pump in the below stories:
What are the pros of the hands-free version of the Pump in Style?
Some of the benefits of this breast pump include:
- It’s pretty simple to use – it’s easy to put the breast pump parts together, and the pump itself is straightforward.
- There are only three pump parts to wash.
- If you don’t like the hands-free cups, you can fairly easily switch to the traditional breast pump parts for this pump.
- The bottom of the Medela cups are flat, which makes it easy to put them down when you’re done pumping without spilling.
What are the disadvantages of this pump?
There are also a few downsides to this pump:
- It needs to be plugged in when used (or it needs to be used with a battery pack).
- It’s not a wireless breast pump – it’s hands-free but you still have to deal with tubing.
- It’s not the quietest pump.
How do you use the Pump in Style breast pump?
The Pump in Style pump works the same whether you get the traditional or the hands-free version.
There are two ports – one on the top for the tubing, and one on the side to plug the pump in to either a wall outlet or a battery pack.
The pump motor also has four buttons:
- The power button turns the pump on and off
- The mode button (arrow with drops) allows you to switch between letdown and expression modes
- The + and – buttons allow the user to adjust the suction up and down, respectively
How do you assemble the Medela hands-free cups?
One of my favorite things about this pump is how easy it is to put these together.
Basically, all that you have to do is attach the yellow valve to your breast shield (shown on the left above).
Usually, the pump comes with size 21 and size 24 flanges – you’ll want to use the best size for you. More on breast shield sizing here.
Then you snap the collection cups on top of the breast shield.
What’s the difference between the Medela Pump in Style and the Medela Pump in Style Hands-Free?
There are two versions of the Medela Pump in Style with Max Flow available for sale – so what’s the difference between them?
The pump motor is the same with both pumps. The only difference is the pump parts, tubing, and what the breast milk is collected in.
The traditional pump uses pump parts that have a different breast shield, a valve, and a connector, and milk flows into the bottle attached to the connector. The breast shield are held to your breasts either with your hands or with a hands-free pumping bra.
The hands-free version uses the collection cups shown above.
What’s the difference between the Medela Freestyle Flex Hands-Free and the Medela Pump in Style Hands-Free?
Another breast pump that you may see is the Medela Freestyle Flex Hands-Free – so what’s the difference between that and the Medela Pump in Style Hands-Free?
This pump uses the same hands-free cups as the Medela Freestyle Hands-Free, but the pump itself is different.
The Freestyle pump (you can see it in my right hand, above) is smaller, and it has a rechargable battery, so you can move around without a battery pack. It’s also priced at a higher price point.
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What’s the bottom line?
I really like the Medela Hands-Free cups, and I think the Pump in Style is a good option for the price. If you’re looking for a truly flexible, mobile option, I’m not sure I would pick this pump as it needs a battery pack or to be plugged into the wall.
But if you just need a way to be hands-free and a little more discreet when you pump, then the Medela Pump in Style Hands-Free is a good choice.
Have you tried the Medela Pump in Style Hands-Free breast pump? Tell us what you think about it in the comments!
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