I have found that the Medela app is the best one for me on my EP journey. It doesn't have an alarm (that I have ever found) but it certainly "yells" at you for missing pumps or not getting enough in during the day. I like that I can keep track of my daughter's diapers and feeding on it too. I use the PISA and love it! When you said you had used it for a little over a month and you ordered replacement parts online I was just thinking "$400 and had to buy replacement parts already?!" I got my pump through my insurance but bought a spare set of parts and have only lost a yellow valve piece (have no idea how!) but nothing has gone bad in 2 months of daily hardcore use!
+Melissa Frick The app is great and I totally agree about the PISA! I've had it for almost 2.5 months now and I haven't had to replace them. I just bought them ahead of time thinking this would be the pump I used for a very long time 🙈😕
Thank you so much for being so honest! I love how you aren't biased of your opinion - not trying to press it onto others, but at the same time you make your opinion known. I really thought for some reason this pump was going to be a holy grail for every mama. But after endless research I've decided with the S1! Thank you for this review & your S2 videos. So helpful! ☺️
Thanks for the review! I was mind blown hearing about the 45 minutes per day for a year... but I also read it's basically as strong as a hospital graded pump. I have both the symphony and sonata and the sonata is very close to the symphony for me at least.
Happy to help! It does have a very strong suction but unfortunately for me that made it super uncomfortable. I love the Symphony though! It has a strong suction but it very gentle
Can you do a comparison of the Sonata and the Freestyle Flex when you feel you have a good established opinion of the Freestyle Flex? I understand you just did an unboxing recently, so it may be a few weeks. ❤️
I an loving all tor reviews!!! It is super helpful. I have a question - do you purchase most of your pumps out of pocket? (I’m guessing you got one per child through insurance) ? I think it would be so cool to try many different ones, but wondering if it’s something I’d have to budget for. Thank you!
Thank you!! And yes and no. I had 4 of them sent to me to give an honest review from the company. Then 2 of them like you said from each of my pregnancies from my insurance coverage. And all the rest I have bought myself. It definitely gets expensive but that's why I space them out and try to do as many videos on them as possible. So everyone can get as much out of them as possible. If you want to, do it! There definitely isn't enough pump videos out there!(:
I enjoy watching your videos! Would you buy the Sonata over the Pump in style advanced? I just want a good efficient pump if it can be somewhat portable that's a bonus. I currently have the Medela Freestyle Flex and it has very poor suction so I'm going to have to return it
I have the pump in style advanced and it does the job, I wish it had less stuff to wash but what pump doesn’t, I have the elvie pump which is portable too which is expensive and I use the Medela one more because it’s stronger and I’m not wasting hours for it to pump my milk out lol and I would get the bra so your hands don’t get tired of holding the Medela one!
Thank you so much for the video. I never knew about the lifespan of this pump and have been using it every 2-3 hours for 30mins. No wonder its starting to play up a bit. Super dissappointing
I need 19 mm flanges. Do you know of a hack to make that work for the lansinoh? My s2 is no longer working for me so I was thinking of getting the PISA, but I am open to the lansinoh if I could find flanges that small
Does the original tubing work with the new pumping set of the sonata? I was wondering because I want to make it a closed system without the back flow connector on the outside. Thank you for all of your reviews! You are so honest & helpful!
Happy to help! Do you mean the tubing from other Medela pumps? No, none of the other tubing will work. It has a special port on both the pump and the pump parts so you’d never be able to use something different with it😕
Momma Alia yes more specifically the pump in style advance tubing:/ I was hoping to be able to use the pump in style pump tubing but oh well thank you!
I loved the sonata and exclusively pumped for 2 years with it. It was so much better at expressing milk and increasing supply then any other pump. The spectras were horrible for me. I love how portable the sonata is and was able to do anything around the house that i wanted to do. I also would drive to/from work while pumping.
love ur channel, im interested in this medela pump but was abit worry when u said that its not very comfy, i have used spectra s1 and for me its really painfull, ive tried medela swing, swing maxi its better than spectra not so painfull, i use medela symphony now and its the most comfy, hope u will do an spectra vs medela comparison, thanks
Have you had your flange sized? The spectra is one of the more gentler pumps so I would make sure you have the correct size flange. Also try lubing the tunnel of your pump parts with coconut oil. That can make pumping a little more comfy for you. But I'll do that review (:
I've a FTM and have decided I want to get a Medela pump based on good word of mouth, customer service, and ability to use various bottle types with them. I'm undecided on which one. I've kind of narrowed it down to the Sonata or Freestyle but still open and researching. What's your recommendation? Also, when you've used the Sonata did you use the bustier? It says it's only hands free that way or do you just sit and relax while pumping? All of this is so new to me! Thanks!!
As a first time mom I would steer you towards the Spectra S2 or Lansinoh SmartPump. I was the same way when I picked my first one out. They have GREAT customer service and I do like some of their pumps but I think others feel better (like the ones I mentioned above). I have their hands free bra and I'm not a fan of it :/ It doesn't compare to others on the market unfortunately. I love the Pump Strap, Bravado Pump & Go and Simple Wishes pumping bras(:
Hey! Your videos are SO wonderful and informative! I have watched dozens. I am a single momma of 3. My daughter is EBF. I am struggling keeping up with her supply wise and I have a PISA that I got through WIC. I pump 3 times a day and work 10 hours a day 5 days a week. I really feel like my flange sizes are off as well as she is almost 5 months and I have never replaced any parts. Do you know of any resources OTHER than WIC for helping moms get new pump parts? I really dont have room in my budget AT ALL and WIC said they dont have any right now and rarely do. They did give me more membranes but I havent noticed a difference. I really want to be able to supply her with all milk and wonder if new parts and different size flanges would help. Should I try maybe the hospital she was born?
+my3andme vlogs Ah I’m sorry you’re dealing with this momma. I wish that WIC was able to help you more. You can try the hospital (more specifically call the maternity ward and ask for their LC who may be able to get you some) but I would also join Breast, Bottle & Beyond on Facebook. They have a donation group and sometimes women donate their pumping supplies (:
But the WIC lady did tell me to come in Thursday and they would hook me up to the Symphony (I think thats the hospital grade medela) and if it helps me she will let me rent it? Since I struggle with letdowns im guessing I may not be be able to let down with an audience inspecting me but I am hoping she will let me have it!
The pump is $600 in Canada 😱 I’m thinking of getting this pump but can’t justify spending that much on it, wish I got it when it was $150 off in December, kicking myself for not doing it 😫
I wanted to love my Sonata but cannot seem to express as much milk from the Sonata... maybe 50% less than what I get with my other pump. Anyone else having the same issue? Any suggestion if I’m doing something wrong?
I was the same exact way momma. I tried every trick I know to try and empty but nothing worked. I think it came down to it just being super uncomfortable for me. That’s why I had to pass it on to another momma. Wasn’t a good fit for me!
If you watch my “what breast pump do I recommend” video I cover this + more!! Here’s the link for it 🙂 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fgsupNquCRo.html
i used a freestyle with baby 1 and 2.. but felt that it wasnt emptying enough and needed more suction. the only other option locally is the symphony which is so expensive but am tempted to purchase for baby 3 (and last one 😊) just to get more milk. would you recommend this pump over the freestyle? in terms of suction? thanks
@@MommaAlia Hi! Can you give your thoughts yet? I’m debating between freestyle flex and sonata leaning more towards the sonata as portability is not a factor. I just want a pump that is most effective. Thank you!
It varies from pump to pump. A couple I got through my insurance coverage with each of my girl's pregnancies. Some were sent to me and others, like the Sonata, I buy with my own money.
I know this is an older video but thought I’d ask anyways. I just got a medela sonata I also have a freestyle. I had previously ordered a bunch of the small snappies to start pumping with (pcos low supply issues) and realized the snappies will not fit the Sonata set up. So I tried plugging in the Sonata tubing into my freestyle setup. Plugged it in to the Sonata and it seemed to work (no air leaks). Do you think this would be ok or would I be reducing the effectiveness of the Sonata?
I’m not really sure momma. I suppose you could try it and if it seems like you’re having a hard time emptying or letting down maybe take them off? Experiment for a week or two to see if you notice any difference
@@kotisoki I don’t really have a preference. I like the freestyle because I can do other things while pumping. The Sonata while it does have a battery and I can move while pumping it’s more combersome. I don’t really notice a difference in yield. I do use my sonata most often though as it’s new and I want to get my money’s worth!
My first baby is due in March & I’m ordering my breast pump through insurance in a few days and I’m stuck between the sonata by Medela & the Medela pulp in style. If anyone can give me some personal expirence advice I’d appreciate it a lot!
I would definitely pick the pump in style over the Sonata! I’m coming out with a comparison video between the two soon but I really disliked the Sonata. Definitely wasn’t worth it!
+ANGELICA RIVERA Ashley's right. A couple videos back I explain which pumps I recommend for certain situations. But I love my Lansinoh SmartPump and would pick that any day!
Would you be able to compare the Medela Sonata Breast Pump vs. the Lansinoh SMARTPump Double Electric Breast Pump ... I am trying to figure out which to choose through my insurance. I watched both all your reviews on both, so if you only have time to leave a comment on which you personally would choose I would greatly appreciate it. :) Thank you.
I did not want to believe this review. I was so dismissive. I bought the pump and everything you said was true. I wanted it to work for me so bad that I was devastated! It was expensive and terrible! Condensation in the tubes, milk splashing up not down, painful and way less milk expressed than the PISA. What a let down!
Momma Alia the Spectra S1 has been a life saver! I didnt think I would like it but it has been wonderful! I dont like their bottles but everything else has been awesome! Thanks for making videos!
