[Struggling with Overproduction] A Comparison of Two Medela Electric Breast Pumps I Used Extensively (Swing Maxi vs. Hands-free)

*This article contains affiliate links, and some of the products introduced are for PR purposes.

Hello, I'm Chisato.

I've already written reports on giving birth to my first child at 4,290g and my second at over 3,500g, but this time I want to talk passionately about my real-life favorite items for breastfeeding and pumping.

▼ Click here for my first birth report

▼ Click here for my second birth report

Actually, I have what midwives call "overproduction" (a constitution where too much breast milk is produced, making the breasts prone to engorgement).

As someone like that, I've used two types of Medela electric breast pumps throughout raising my first and second children, so I'm going to share a brutally honest review!

Since these are expensive purchases, I hope this helps moms who are wondering which one to buy.

🍼 My Pumping History and My Two Partners

• With my first child: Combination of breastfeeding (pumping) + formula (for 9 full months) I used the classic "Swing Maxi Electric Breast Pump (Double Pump)."

• With my second child (currently 4 months old): Exclusive breastfeeding Since I left the Swing Maxi at my parents' house, I am currently using the newly released "Hands-free Electric Breast Pump (In-bra), single side only."

To be honest, now that I'm exclusively breastfeeding, I rarely pump on a daily basis, but for someone with overproduction like me, this hands-free pump is still my "absolute charm" that I keep safe for outings and for the future weaning period.

Here are the pros and cons I discovered after actually using both devices extensively.

🏠 1. If you want to pump while carefully adjusting at home: Swing Maxi (Double Pump)

This was my partner for 9 months during the combination feeding era with my first child. It's a double pump (for both breasts), but I ended up using it one side at a time anyway (lol).

• Key point: You can pinpoint the exact spot that is engorged! Depending on the person or the day, the spot that feels engorged and painful is different, right? With the Swing Maxi, you can manually fine-tune the angle and position of the cup to match that specific engorged area. For someone like me who is prone to clogged ducts due to overproduction, the "peace of mind of being able to clear exactly where I aimed" was immense.

• Be prepared for this: There are many parts, so washing and sterilizing is a huge hassle Since there are many tubes and small parts, honestly, washing and sterilizing every time is a huge pain (lol). It's best to consider it for home use only.

(I couldn't find the exact same one on Rakuten...)

👜 2. If you prioritize outings and convenience: Hands-free (In-bra)

Now with my second child, what I carry around as a safety net is the latest hands-free type that fits perfectly inside my bra.
It's not for every time, but I keep it tucked in my bag as a rescue tool for when my breasts get engorged and painful while I'm out for long periods.

• Key Point: Overwhelming portability and "ease" Since you just put the unit inside your bra, you don't even need to hold it with your hands. When you need to relieve engorgement while out and about, this is truly more than enough to make things comfortable.

• The Downside: Hard to make fine adjustments to the cupsBecause it's fixed in your bra, it's a bit difficult to make the kind of precise, perfect-fit adjustments you can do with the Swing Maxi, like "aligning the angle to this specific engorged area..."

🤣 [Bonus] Actually, I've also gone through two manual pumps (lol)

I've compared the two electric ones so far, but actually, I also used manual breast pumps from both Pigeon and Medela.
That's a total of 4 pumps.
I'm quite the heavy user of breast pumps myself (lol).

I'll leave my real memories about the manual ones here as a memo.

• Medela Manual: Late at night, when I was exhausted and barely conscious after giving birth,I accidentally melted it in the pot while boiling it to sterilize it. (lol) I still can't forget the despair and the smell of burning plastic from that moment. Everyone, please be very careful when boiling things late at night...

• Pigeon Manual: Now that I'm exclusively breastfeeding my second child, I don't need it anymore and left it at my parents' house, but with my first child, after I had already bought the electric one, Iput it inside my "emergency disaster bag." If you ever have trouble with engorgement in a shelter where electricity isn't available, having just one manual pump that doesn't require power would definitely save you. I wonder if putting a manual pump you no longer use into a disaster preparedness backpack could also help some other mom who might be struggling, though I'm not sure if that's a thing.

💡 Conclusion: Which one should you choose?

Here is some advice for lost moms from someone who has actually used them to the limit.

• For those who "mainly use it at home" and "have uneven engorgement and want to thoroughly prevent trouble," I recommend the 【Swing Maxi】 even if you have to deal with the hassle of washing the parts!

• For those who "just want to easily relieve engorgement while out" and "want to carry it around as a safety net as easily as possible," 【just one side of the hands-free】 will be more than worth the investment!

Medela's electric pumps are incomparably gentler than manual ones, yet they express milk effectively, so they really do save overproducing moms from the risk of mastitis.

Thank you so much for your hard work with daily breastfeeding and pumping.

Let's get through this by using the power of convenient tools and taking care of ourselves as much as we can!

See you in the next update!