Road Testing the Swing Maxi and Thoughts on Medela's Non-repair Policy

In early December, Mamaway Philippines invited me to share my experiences as a working and breastfeeding mom in their crash course for moms - "What to Expect at the Hospital and Beyond" which Mamaway co-organized with Medela Moms.  E was sick so I had to leave him home while I attended the event.

Since I wasn't going to bring E, I decided to take this opportunity to road test the new Swing Maxi.  Medela Moms were also collecting milk for UP-PGH's Foster Milk Program.  Note that the pump horns at Medela House are cleaned but not sterilized.  However, the milk is going to be pasterized at the UP-PGH Milk Bank so no issue with storing the milk.

Why I love Mamaway (an event and a giveaway)

Ninang with E in his Like shirt

I have been a customer of Mamaway since 2008, when they first came to the Philippines.   They have recently opened their retail store in New Manila, Quezon City and another store is in the pipeline.   One of the owners, Jonie, has become more than a business colleague and is actually the godmother of E.

nursing in my Mamaway dresses

What I like about Mamaway is that the owners truly want to help you successfully breastfeed and they do this by supporting various classes and breastfeeding events.  In fact, if you have breastfeeding concerns, Jonie will go out of her way to refer you to the right support person or group who can help you succeed.

Praises for the Freestyle

As a working mom, expressing milk is a regular part of my daily routine.  Unfortunately, I never learned to efficiently hand express milk-  hence, my reliance on electric pumps.  For my previous nursling, I used an Ameda Elite at the office and a Lansinoh pump at home.  For this nursling, I was able to purchase my Freestyle as a special deal from the exclusive Philippine distributors - MedelaMoms - and I have to say, this product is my top favorite pump! Honestly, I don't agree with the marketing ploys and strategies of Medela - particularly Medela USA.  However, I have to say that Swiss technology is indeed superior and the Freestyle pump rocks!

just pumped

tiny Freestyle at work

Since I bring the pump to and from the office, what I love most about it is its portability.  You can see here that the pump fits on the palm of my hand.  Although it is small, it packs a lot of power in terms of stimulation and suction.  I love Medela's 2-phase expression, too.  The two-phase expression mimics the suction style of babies - from fast short sucks to encourage milk flow to slower, gulping sucks once the milk has started flowing. 

packing my liquid gold for my hungry E

As with most Medela pumps, the Freestyle comes with its own bag - in utilitarian black plus a small bag with blue cooling element and 4 storage bottles.  Since I pump four times a day, the 4 bottles are enough to hold my expressed milk at the end of the day.  Also, I live close to work (15-20minutes away) so I don't really maximize the use of the cooling element.

getting ready to go home

What I don't like about the Freestyle? The noise!  It is definitely a machine and you can hear the "rrr, rrr, rrr" sound it makes especially when I'm at the highest speed or suction setting.  I usually put it inside the bag or cover it with my nursing cover (when not in use) to drown out the sound.

And of course, compared to other pumps, the price of the Freestyle is higher.  I would think that this price tag comes with the portability and the digital design of the Freestyle.  If you are a stay at home mom or a work at home mom, you don't really need to pump frequently, so you can choose different, less expensive pump.  There are also other pumps which are also suitable for working moms - which are not as expensive - but are also not as portable.

To be honest, I had long wanted to buy the Freestyle.  However, I had issues with Medela USA especially on marketing strategies.  They had just introduced the Calma at that time and I wasn't too happy with how it was marketed.  Don't get me wrong - I love the products - E uses a Calma nipple!  It's just the marketing ethics that I had issues with.  Medela Philippines is actually a different company from Medela USA and I am happy that the MedelaMoms are doing their own projects and activities to promote breastfeeding and not just their pumps.  I previously did a post on The Medela House which needs an update in view of the increased activities/projects they now have such as a milk bank and seminars, among others.

Ok, I digress - as a pumping and working mom, I use my Freestyle 5x a day from Monday to Friday and once a day on Saturdays and Sundays. Plus, with my experience with N, I expect to pump at work for at least 2 years (of course, with reduced frequency). Hence, I definitely need a sturdy and durable pump.  When I stated this concern to MedelaMoms Maricel, she assured me that the Freestyle was most definitely a workhorse and could keep up with my pumping demands.

So far, I have been using the Freestyle for 3 months and it is serving me well.  So would I recommend this pump? Most definitely yes to a full-time work out of home mom!  It is small, very portable, easy to use and efficient.  But if price is an issue, there are other pumps that a working mom can purchase so she can still continue giving breastmilk to her child even if separated for more than 8 hours a day.

To purchase the Freestyle, email Medela Moms or contact them at 09175614366.  From Medela Moms mailer: Our products are suited to the Philippine setting of 220v, 60Hz.  Don't unduly tax your motor or suffer through sub-optimal pump performance with power sources that are 110v, 50Hz.

What's up this March?

The Medela House is busy on March 3, 2012 with Breastfeeding 303 in the morning Yaya 101 in the afternoon.  See below for the Medela Moms' detailed posts on the 2 activities:

Join a breastfeeding class that tackles the ins and outs of breastfeeding a toddler, weaning, attachment parenting, first foods, special cases (cupfeeding and relactation) and playgroups, among many other interesting topics for couples planning on long-term breastfeeding. Speaker is PGH-certified lactation counselor Abbie Yabot. Register now! Venue will be the Medela House, 9am, on March 3, 2012. Email medelamoms@gmail.com to register or text your name to 0917-5614366. Kindly indicate if you will be accompanied for the snacks : )

More March activities

*Update - LATCH March 12 Class is moved to March 26, 2011!

Best Friends in Breastfeeding will also be holding its monthly support group meeting this Saturday, 12 March 2011 at 1030am at the Baby Company, 2/f Podium Mall, Ortigas Center. Topic will be on breastfeeding difficulties to be led by Jane Cacacho, Xavier School, High School Principal. Click here to read a recap of my experience at a similar meeting.

Anyway, what makes this meeting different from the LATCH seminar is just that - this one is a meeting and the other is a seminar. The LATCH activity is specifically targeted towards pregnant moms and is purely a class with opportunity to ask questions. It is essentially a breastfeeding lecture and is pretty structured. Meanwhile, the support group meeting is for moms who are already breastfeeding - new moms or moms with older babies or toddlers. Some pregnant moms benefit from attending because they learn or hear about the experiences of the other moms. But if you are looking for a class with a lecture on breastfeeding basics, pumping at work, milk storage, etc. this is not the meeting for you. During the support group meeting, a topic is put out - then moms share their experiences or ask questions about that topic. If there's time, you can ask your questions which are not about the set topic. LATCH seminar lasts 3 hours while the BFB (LLLI) meeting is about 1.5 hours.

Aside from breastfeeding seminars/meetings, there is another activity over at The Medela House. Read Maricel's email below:

This March 12, we will be having another MedelaSupports event at the Medela House. A free talk by The Learning Library on How to Choose Books for Your Children to get them to love reading as well as how to read to your children will be held from 9am-12noon. It will be a back-to-back English-Filipino talk. If your child is 3 years old and older, they will also conduct a free reading assessment so you know at what level your child’s at. In addition, you get a recommended reading list which is a helpful guide when you visit bookstores. Finally, the Scholastic bookfair will also grace the event and provide immediate selections for purchase depending on your child’s reading ability! So you can go home and practice all that you’ve learned that same day :)

This event, due to popular request, will also be opened to non-MedelaMoms’ customers for an entrance fee of P100 per person. Everything is free for MedelaMoms’ Pump customers :) Please register thru Medela Moms or via 0917-5614366 with your name, your child’s name and age, and whoever else might be accompanying you to this event.

Finally, check out this parenting/breastfeeding class for a series of 3 weekends, beginning 19 March 2011. Brought to you by MotherCo and Bosom Buddy. See the flier below for more details (click poster to read).

Classes/Events for February 2011

This post is late - considering that it's already mid-February! If you're looking for weekend breastfeeding classes/meetings, here are upcoming ones:

1. La Leche League Makati is moving to its new home!! Meetings will now be held at Mothercare Greenbelt 5 branch from 11am to 1230pm. February meeting will be on 26 February 2011. Please pre-registered by emailing Abbie Yabot or texting your name, edd or baby's age, email add and contact number to 09228292268.

2. The Breastfeeding Club will be holding a breastfeeding class at the Medela House on Saturday, 19 February 2011 from 9am to 11am. Topic will be sustaining breastfeeding with a review of Breastfeeding 101. Fee is P500 (which entitles you to 2 other classes in the series). Interested participants may register at 0917-5614366 or email Medela House.

3. Yaya trainings are also conducted at the Medela House. For February 19, 2011 (1-4pm) topic will be all about newborn care and the support that a yaya should give to a breastfeeding mom. Other topics are included in the yaya seminar modules. For details and fees, email Medela House.

4. If you're in Davao City, check out MommySense's seminar on Breastfeeding 101 for Yaya. I can't over-emphasize how important caregiver's support is in a successful breastfeeding relationship especially for working moms! Class will be on 22 February 2011 at The Pod. See poster for more details.

*LATCH has no classes for February. Next class will be on 12 March 2011 at The Medical City. See you there!

Yaya Training and Price Drop from Medela Moms

First, let me start off by saying that you don't really need a breastpump to successfully breastfeed. In a previous post, I shared the experiences of several breastfeeding moms who were able to express milk for their babies without using a breastpump. That said, I am a breastpump user and I do know how expensive breastpumps can be. This is why I would like to share this email I received from the MedelaMoms of The Medela House about the price drop of the Freestyle Pump from P28,000 to P20,000 until 15 31 October 2010!

During the most recent visit of the Asia Pacific Sales Director of Medela Switzerland last Sept. 6, he also approved another pricing experiment that we need your support on. From Sept.15 to Oct.15, the Freestyle will be on sale at P20,000 (vs. P28,000). Please spread the word. If we also reach a certain volume sold during this time period, we will appeal for another permanent price rollback on this latest innovation from Medela!

Meanwhile, their PISA Pump is now permanently priced at P19,000.00 from P28,700, three years ago.

We would also like to share with you that, due to the successful PISA Warehouse Sale last August, our principal (Medela Switzerland) has approved a permanent price rollback!!! :) We did it, mommies!!! Thank you for your support!!! The regular price of our Pump In Style Advanced is now down to P19,000 from P28,700 3 years ago!!! That's a HUGE jump that we, MedelaMoms Inc, have perseveringly lobbied and worked for so that more Filipino moms can benefit from the wonders of Medela products :) Without the support of our loyal customers, we wouldn't be able to make this happen. We will continuously work on our services and loyalty program for our pump customers as our "thank you" for the belief and trust given to us. We are honored (as breastfeeding mommies ourselves) to represent the Filipino mom's needs to the #1 breastfeeding company in the world - Medela.

If you mention to Maricel or Beng that you got the information about the price drop from this blog, you will get a loot bag filled with Cycles and Cradle samplers, QuickClean Microsteam Bag and 30 bra pads.

Aside from being staunch breastfeeding advocates, MedelaMoms Maricel and Beng are also work at home moms. This is why it is best to call for an appointment before dropping by The Medela House.

The Medela House is a breastfeeding center, showroom, and office. It is not a retail store. Therefore, bear with us if we are strict on not entertaining "walk-ins". We are hands-on with our children and in a way, breastfeeding and Medela are like "children" to us. MedelaMoms would like to entertain each one of you personally.

Breastfeeding classes organized by The Breastfeeding Club are also regularly held at The Medela House. Upcoming schedule during the 'ber months include Breastfeeding 2020 on 23 October 2010 at 9am and Breastfeeding 303 on 27 November 2001, also at 9am. To register, text 09175614366. The fee is P500 for 3 classes.

Aside from breastfeeding classes, yaya training seminars were also previously held at The Medela House. Due to the success of their first 2 seminars and the requests of the southern moms, MedelaMoms decided to bring their seminar to BF Homes Paranaque! Program outline of the seminar is below. For further inquiries, conduct The Medela House directly at 0917-5614366 or 725-3723 or 738-6272 or 964-7331.

Breastfeeding Mechanics

Check out this video from Bumpology showing how a baby takes out milk from the breast as revealed through an ultrasound.

The video was prepared by Donna Geddes of Western Australia who was also a speaker during the 5th International Breastfeeding and Lactation Symposium organized by Medela.  Dr. Geddes states that what happens during sucking is not a milking action but rather, "what we see is that when the tongue is lowered and the vacuum applied, that's when the milk is coming out of the breast, and that doesn't involve any compression of the nipple."  She goes on to explain that "infants who struggled to breastfeed generated much weaker vacuums" and for women with these babies, "keeping the milk flowing using a breast pump and using this to top up breastfeeding until the baby is strong enough to suck effectively may be a better option than giving up on breastfeeding altogether."  For women who find breastfeeding painful, Dr. Geddes' team explained that they found that the infants involved had "a particularly vigorous action" and as strong suckers, some were distorting or crushing the nipple.  
Some lactivists and breastfeeding purists may react and say that putting baby to the breast is still the best pump and is the best way to encourage baby to strengthen their weak suck.  However, for exclusive pumpers and even for working, pumping moms like me, understanding how babies really get out milk and knowing how a pump company is taking time, effort and funds to do this type of research is exciting.  Yes, babies are the best pump but for every pumping mom, being able to express as much milk within a shorter time is a goal to be achieved - especially since you are often pressed for time (at work!) and certainly don't enjoy the company of a cold machine (as opposed to your baby's warm body).  
As a pumping mom, I welcome this research and hope that this will pave the way for Medela (or some other pump company) to develop an effective pump with the goal of MORE MILK @ LESS TIME for moms.

For Exclusive Pumpers

When I was a new breastfeeding mom with latching problems and contemplating exclusive pumping, I was told by one of the lactation consultants I met with that choosing to exclusively pump would lead to a short-lived breastfeeding career. As I grew older (in terms of breastfeeding years!) and wiser, I realized that it IS possible to exclusively pump long-term and I have developed a high regard for exclusively pumping moms.

My own sister-in-law exclusive pumped for 6 months for her son. I have known other mothers who have exclusively pumped for 1 year or more for their babies. There is even a group for exclusive pumpers (or EP-ers). When acquaintances and clients ask me if it is still possible to breastfeed exclusively even without latching, I tell them YES but it takes hard work. Exclusively pumping would mean pumping at least 8x a day, waking up at night even when your baby is asleep, purchasing and using a good quality pump and keeping to the schedule no matter what. I also advise them to read relevant websites and inspiring blogs.

Recently, an article about increasing number of exclusive pumpers came out in TIME. Tanya of the Motherwear blog pointed out some items that needed clarifying - such as same health benefits and bottle feeding issues. For moms who rarely pump and are able to be stay at home moms and directly nurse their babies, fiddling with the pump and taking time to pump and clean the paraphernalia is tedious and time-wasting. However, as a work-out-of-home mom who started with pumping 4x a day at work, I realized that once the routine is established, setting up and cleaning pump parts becomes automatic, leading to less time needed as mom becomes more practiced.

I do think agree with the article that a major reason for the surge in exclusively pumping moms would also be the wide availability of pumps and the marketing efforts by the pump manufacturers. And as emphasized by Tanya, good information and help is essential as well as support for moms who are contemplating exclusive pumping.

Upcoming Classes at The Medela House

The Breastfeeding Club will be holding a 3-part series of breastfeeding classes at The Medela House on September 26, October 24 & November 28. Classes will be conducted by Abbie Yabot (Philippine certified lactation consultant) and are described as follows:

Breastfeeeding 101 which covers the basics of breastfeeding, advantages, positioning, latch & myths – best taken while pregnant until the first 2 months of the baby.

Breastfeeding 202 tackles going back to work, pumping & storage, nutrition & teething…. Practically everything from baby’s 2^nd month until his 1^st year.

Breastfeeding 303 is for expert moms & dads who want to learn more about toddler breastfeeding, weaning, multiples, tandem nursing & attachment parenting among others.

For more information, contact Maricel or Beng: The Medela House, #29 1st St., New Manila, Quezon City (725-3723, 738-6272, 0917-5614366). Coming from Greenhills, it's before you reach Aurora Blvd. From E. Rodriguez, go past Auora Blvd. It's beside 8 Gilmore Place.

An Invitation to Breastfeeding 101: Beginning Breastfeeding

*Sharing this seminar to new and soon-to-be moms. This will also be a chance for you to check out Medela items. To register, contact The Medela Moms (see information below).

We would like to invite everyone to Breastfeeding 101: Beginning Breastfeeding. Arm yourselves with the power of knowledge so you can't be swayed by well-meaning family or friends to switch to formula! The class will be on July 25 at 10am. Speaker will be Ms. Abbie Yabot, leading La Leche League certified lactation counsellor. Organized by The Breastfeeding Club, fee will be P500 for non-members. Upon payment, you will be entitled to 2 other classes: Sustaining Breastfeeding (Sept 26) and Breastfeeding and Beyond (Oct. 24) and will have access to privileges and discounts from the sponsors (Medela, Prolacta, BabySmiths, Planet Noah, and HandyDandy Diapers). The class will be held at the Medela House - 29 1st St., New Manila, QC. See you there!

Register thru this email or through 0917-5614366 or thru 725-3723/738-6272.

MedelaMoms Inc
Exclusive Authorized Distributor
Medela Philippines

The Medela House

Last Saturday, I was finally able to visit Maricel and Beng’s newly-opened Medela House for the first time. I originally intended to attend Abbie's Breastfeeding 303 class but I didn't count on waiting for Naima. Maricel and Beng are the Medela Moms who distribute Medela breast pumps in the Philippines. Their showroom/stockroom used to be in Beng’s house. However, they’ve seen it fit to rent a space aptly called “The Medela House”.

The house was actually a bungalow which they are slowly converting into a showroom. I was pretty impressed with their plans. Maricel gave me a short tour and briefly explained their plans for the house. Since the house had several rooms, they reserved a couple of rooms for their children to stay-in (ala daycare at work).

The living room was converted into a lecture/session area. It was unfurnished, with soft rubber mats on the floor. It also serves as a "holding place" for the babies and toddlers while their mommies are listening to the lectures or participating in the seminar. During the Breastfeeding 303 class, Judy of Babysmiths brought some of their Wonderworld wooden toys which the babies and toddlers had fun playing with. Naima has a rocking caterpillar I got from Judy and she enjoys playing with it.

One room near the main door currently serves as their office, with the computers and boring stuff. The room beside it has been designed to be their showroom. This is where they display their pumps and other accessories. This also serves as their consultation room, where they help moms fit the shields and horns or assist moms in latching their babies.

What interested me most was the back room, which Maricel said will serve as their library and rental/pumping station. Maricel said that Medela will generously supply the books for their library. This is very good news since there are not a lot of good books in bookstores on breastfeeding. However, the books cannot be taken out of the premises.

The Medela Moms are also looking towards operating the first *real* pump-rental station in the Philippines. Currently, rental pumps are just not available in the Philippines. Four major Metro Manila hospitals allow you to rent their pumps but only the Medical City has hospital-grade pumps! The rest of the hospitals rent out either an Avent electric or Medela double electric which I'm sure are NOT hospital grade/multi-user pumps. Filipino moms are not aware of the differneces of hospital-grade multi-user pumps and regular pumps.

During last week's lactation program presentation, we suggested the purchase of hospital grade multi-user pumps for the employees. The institution can then provide each pumping mom with 1 set of horns (to be taken from their medical allowance) and moms will just purchase extra sets of horns if they wish. However, one of the representatives objected and said that it was unsanitary to share pumps! I explained that it was going to be a hospital-grade multi-user pump but she still thought it was cleaner for each mom to bring her own pump. I thought it would be more practical (and cheaper for the moms) if the institution provides a hospital-grade pump in the lactation rooms since new moms need not purchase new pumps but would just need to get horns. However, I guess more *information* about hospital-grade pumps need to be shared in our institution.

Maricel shared though, that their hospital-grade pumps (Symphony) can only be used within the Medela House and cannot be rented out. I told her that it would be quite impractical with traffic and all. However, she said that it would be impossible for them to rent out the expensive Symphony pumps without a huge deposit. Requiring a huge deposit would be contrary to their objective of providing the hospital grade pumps, which is to give moms who can't afford the Pump-in-Styles access to a good pump.

I shared that when I used to rent my Ameda Elite abroad, the rental station required me to swipe my credit card and informed me that if I fail to return the pump, they will automatically charge the succeeding months' rental until I return the rental. The Medela Moms currently do not accept credit card purchases but this is something that they may want to look into once they start their rental station.

The Medela House, #29 1st St., New Manila, Quezon City (725-3723, 738-6272, 0917-5614366). Coming from Greenhills, it's before you reach Aurora Blvd. From E. Rodriguez, go past Auora Blvd. It's beside 8 Gilmore Place.

MedelaMoms' PISA Promo

At last Sunday's baby fair, I met up with MedelaMoms' Maricel Cua and Beng Feliciano. Maricel excitedly shared their promo for the Pump In Style Advanced pump and emailed me the details yesterday:

We're excited to share with you our latest promo for our Pump In Style Advanced - the PISA bundle. If you purchase a Pump In Style Advanced from us, you also get the following: a softcup feeder, 30 disposable bra pads, purelan100 7g, milk collection shells, hydrogel pads, a Nursing Mom nursing bib, Planet Noah items, Prolacta, free membership (equivalent to 3 breastfeeding classes held monthly, conducted by La Leche League certified lactation counsellor Abbie Yabot) to The Breastfeeding Club, a manual pump, a cooler carrier with ice pack, and 8 bottles (4 with storage lids and 4 with storage lids, teats, and caps!). What a value for pregnant/breastfeeding mommies!

The PISA bundle costs P28K and is good until supplies last. The value of the freebies are at P7K-P8K, bringing down the actual pump cost to just about P20K. This is a great deal! However, supplies are limited and understandably, they don't accept reservations. Contact the Medela Moms for more details.

MedelaMoms, Inc.

29 1st St., New Manila, Quezon City

725-3729, 738,6272, 0917-5614366

Maricel Cua or Beng Feliciano