Flanges Too Big!
January 18, 2019
I had to have emergency surgery after my sons birth, and due to my small nipples and groggy state, I had to use nipple shields to encourage breastfeeding in the first few weeks of my sons life. I soon developed De Quervain's tenosynovitis in both of my wrists, which made maneuvering my son into latch position extremely painful. Pumping became the only way that I could continue feeding my son breast milk, which is extremely important to me. My husband bought me the Medela Free Style, thinking it was the best of the best. It was a non refundable purchas for obvious reasons, so we put a lot of stock into your reputation. When I realized that the standard flanges didn't fit, I purchased the 21mm adapters at additional cost. They are still too big!
Unfortunately I continue to struggle, as this extremely expensive pump does not come with flanges that are small enough for a proper fit. As a consequence, I have suffered from plugged ducts on numerous occasions and pumping takes me a very long time. No other companies make flanges in a smaller size that are compatible with this model of pump, and I am not in a position to spend another $600 on a pump that has a flange size that will fit. Oddly enough, the nipple shields that I used in the beginning while breastfeeding, which are made by Medela, come in 20mm size, which fit perfectly.
Many women I talk to who have small nipples struggle with breastfeeding and rely on pumping to feed their infants. It is extremely disappointing that the company that makes the best pumps (and I admit the actual pump is AMAZING), does not make flanges that will work for a demographic that so heavily relies on their products - those of us with small nipples! Please, please, please, make smaller flanges for your pumps.
Do not recommend to women with small nipples.
This product review was collected by the manufacturer.