Lori Montgomery: A Quantum-Leap Improvement

When I opened the box, the Freestyle was rather daunting. Many straps and clips. Plus, the redesigned breast shield apparatus is more complicated than the old Medela models, has more parts and all of it has to be sterilized before first use. And the pump battery has to be charged for 12 hours. I have a full-time job, a first-grader and 8-month-old twins -- just going to the bathroom requires advance planning. But once I finally made time to boil some water, plug in the battery, sit down and put everything together, it wasn't quite as overwhelming as it first appeared.

The concept is so promising! In theory, you're supposed to be able to clip this cute, little, battery-operated pump to a belt around your waist -- like a BlackBerry! -- strap the cones onto your breasts and wander through the house, accomplishing important tasks. The first time I tried the pump, I made dinner.

But there were problems right off the bat, starting with the breast cones. They were too small and chafed. I was able to swap out my larger cones, but that made the whole apparatus protrude a good six to eight inches from my chest. As I puttered around the kitchen, cones sucking, pump droning, my husband started referring to me as "the borg."

The big problem, though, was the suction. Compared with the Pump in Style, of which I have two (an old one and a very old one), I could hardly feel the Freestyle. Between the light suction and the distractions of making dinner, I produced probably 2/3 the normal amount. I pump two to three times a day; I need a pump that's efficient. Judging from this first performance, the Freestyle wasn't it.

A few nights later -- seduced by the tiny, palm-sized pump and the smartly redesigned system for pumping one side -- I decided to give the Freestyle another shot. It was 3 a.m. Neither of the babies had been up to feed. One of my breasts was swollen and leaking. I snuck downstairs, turned it on and ... nothing. No suction at all. The pump was working. The hoses were properly connected. But the nipple wasn't moving. Fortunately, one of the babies started crying and I emptied my breast the old-fashioned way.

Now I was really through with this pump. It had failed me twice. But there was just something about it. I really wanted it to work so I could stop lugging my giant Pump in Style shoulder bag on the Metro. So, a few days later, I tried it again. I forswore the whole hands-free strap-and-clip setup -- it simply doesn't work and doesn't hold the cones onto your breasts tightly enough. Plus, you have to wear a nursing bra, which I almost never do. The whole clip-the-pump-to-your-belt thing is also strangely annoying because you have to fumble around to see the controls.

No, this time, I just sat down at the darn table, put the pump on it and tucked the breast cones into my (non-nursing) bra, as I've been doing for months. (You can actually drive this way.) And, for some reason -- whether because the battery was finally fully charged or because the shield apparatus was finally correctly snapped together -- the pump worked great.

The suction is actually both gentler and more efficient than the old models, and I can finish in 12 to 15 minutes what used to take 20 to 25 minutes. Now there's a time-saving improvement! And I love the fact that I can fit the pump, plug and tubing into a little case that is exactly the same size as the refrigerator case for the bottles. Or I can throw everything into my backpack. It's very light and portable, and the battery means all I need to pump at work is some privacy.

To sum up: The hands-free stuff doesn't work -- and even if it did, would you really want to wear a nursing bra every day? But otherwise, the Freestyle is a quantum-leap improvement in portability for women who commute to work, travel a lot or often work in different locations. If you're going to nurse for the entire first year or beyond, it would be well worth the extra $100.

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By Stacey Garfinkle |  May 13, 2008; 12:01 AM ET
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