Medela Symphony Breast Pump Review

The Medela Symphony Breast Pump is a hospital grade breast pump.  The pump was designed by Peter Hartmann, Ph.D.  Dr. Hartmann is a world renowned researcher, he studied the way a baby sucks on the breast.  He used the research and developed the 2-phase technology that is used in the Medela Breast Pumps.  Two phase technology helps pump more breast milk in less time.

Disclosure:  The opinions reflected in this post are my own.  I didn’t receive compensation for writing this post.
The Symphony isn’t as portable compared to some of the other breast pump models available on the market.  The pump weighs roughly thirteen pounds.  It doesn’t come with a convenient bag or tote to carry the pump in; in fact, the carrying case must be purchased separately unless noted.  The standard model does NOT come with a battery pack, but you can purchase a pump that includes the battery pack.  (See more information below)

How Does the 2-Phase Technology Work?

The pump produces the same sucking motion that a baby makes when they first latch onto the breast.  The Symphony produces a pumping rhythm that is roughly 120 cycles per minute, known as the stimulation phase.  This first phase helps produce your first “let-down” and helps produce a steady milk flow.  The second pumping cycle slows down and simulates the slower, deeper sucking motion that a baby produces while on the breast.  The second phase pumping rhythm is around  45 to 78 cycles per minute dependent upon the amount of suction that is set on the breast pump, this phase is referred to as the expression phase.

Overflow Protection System Allows For Multiple Users

The Medela Symphony breast pump keeps your milk safe and clean.  The pump has an overflow protection systems that doesn’t allow milk to overflow into the motor or pump components.  It is considered to be a closed system breast pump; therefore, it can be shared among mothers.  Only hospital grade breast pumps are made to be used by more than one person, and the pump can safely be shared.  This is one of the advantages to purchasing the Symphony breast pump.  Note:  If this pump is used by more than one person, you need to ensure that each person has their own breast pump accessories and tubing.

Symphony Standard 2.0 Card

The pump comes with the Standard 2.0 Card, it is inserted into the breast pump.  When the pump is powered on it will display Symphony 2.0 on the LCD display screen, this will indicate if the card is inserted correctly.  The card has been programmed to mimic the natural breast feeding patterns.  The pump starts out using the stimulation phase.  The vacuum level is initially set using the minimum setting, the LCD display will show three drops.  Then after two minutes the pump will switch to the expression phase automatically or it can be started using the “let-down” button.  During this phase, the Symphony will automatically increase the amount of vacuum setting, it will do this slowly to avoid potential discomfort.  The LCD display add an additional  three bars. The card will also remember the vacuum settings when switching between the Expression and Stimulation phases.  In fact, the “let-down” button allows for easy switching between the two phases.

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