The Medela Solo is a god-send for new mums who want to pump breast milk – but beware the one catch when you’re sleep-deprived and full of hormones
Breastfeeding is hard. So hard. And nobody really tells you quite what a struggle it is until you’re in the mix. Caring for a fragile new-born who is desperate to feed but too sleepy to stay on the boob; chuck in some raging hormones, broken sleep and that general feeling that you’ve just been mown down by a fleet of double-deckers, and it’s no wonder so many mums don’t get on with breastfeeding.
Pain when latching on, concerns about whether your baby is gaining any weight and worrying about your milk supply are some of the most common obstacles breastfeeding mums come up against in those first few days and weeks after birth. But once you’ve established your breastfeeding journey, you may welcome the chance for someone else to take over a feed or two every so often so you can have a much-needed good night’s sleep.
That’s where breast-pumping can come in handy. If you’ve not used one before, the sensation can take some getting used to. And while a pump can never replicate the efficiency of a baby removing milk from the breast, it can help with those who are over-producing, or who want to top up their baby’s milk intake and get them used to a bottle.
The Medela Solo
The Medela Solo Hands-Free Breast Pump features a nifty little wearable cup with a detachable tube. It’s designed to sit inside your nursing bra while you pump, leaving your hands free to get on with the important stuff – like drinking a cup of tea while it’s still hot.
The pocket-sized oval pump has four buttons, including an on/off switch (which you can also use to pause pumping if you need to check positioning), suction increase and decrease, and a button to switch expression mode. Weighing in at 250g, it feels substantial – though not too heavy to carry around.
The anatomically designed collection cup is made of three parts, which is ideal for taking apart and cleaning. It’s dishwasher-friendly (top rack only) and can be disassembled in seconds without any faffing around. Putting it back together is simple – though you do have to check everything fits perfectly before turning on the power again, because you will lose suction if anything is out of alignment.
The cup comes in three tunnel sizes – 21mm, 24mm and 27mm – and there is a measuring guide on Medela’s website to check you’re buying the right size for you (it comes with the 24mm as standard, and the other two sizes can be purchased separately). It weighs just 76g so is a god-send for mums who need to get on with things while pumping.
Pros of the Medela Solo
The Solo is seriously discreet – I was able to pump at the pub without anyone noticing during a much-needed evening out. The pump itself is quiet, so much so that it didn’t disturb my sleeping new-born while she was contact napping.
It holds a charge well – although it can be frustrating when the pump suddenly runs out of juice halfway through a session, but it only takes 10 minutes to charge up enough to finish pumping. Medela says the Solo can work on a single battery charge of up to 1.5 hours, or an average of six pumping sessions, which holds pretty true.
For mums who have over-supply, you can pump on one side while breastfeeding on the other – though it does take a bit of practise working out how to hold your wriggling baby without getting kicked in the nip.
It’s also compact and lightweight, meaning you’re not tethered in place to pump, as long as you have a handy pocket to stash the pump while wearing the collection cup.
Cons of the Medela Solo
The only downfall of the Solo is the gap at the top of the collection cup, which – when sleep-deprived and forgetful – is prone to spilling milk if you accidentally lean over. And there’s nothing worse than watching all that precious liquid gold puddling on the floor after you’ve spent so long making it.
Positioning is also paramount, so the handy transparent design lets you check your nipple is correctly positioned in the tunnel. Beware of having the suction turned up too high when you first start your pumping session, because if that bad boy isn’t quite in the right place, you’re going to have a nasty hickey right where you don’t want one.
Rating
The Medela Solo is a super-handy, compact and sleek pump that is lightweight enough to carry around and perfect for letting you get on with life. A solid 8/10.
Shop The Medela Solo HERE.
For a cheaper alternative, Amazon is offering the Nuliie YM-8806 Wearable Breast Pump for £41.66. Which has 4.1 stars and is said to be ‘great for when you want to use both your hands’.
