Returning to Work With the Medela Swing Maxi Double Electric Breast Pump

As my return to work crept closer I began to worry about our breastfeeding journey. We’d been going strong for 9 months at the time, Taylor hadn’t had anything but breast milk for 8 months and was still in the early stages of weaning. Was it time to stop?

I didn’t want to stop but from what I’d read it would seem that many mums choose this as the right time to end their breastfeeding journey. I didn’t want to end it just yet, not if I didn’t have to anyway! I didn’t overcome sore boobs, mastitis, biting, and sporting odd sized boobs to let this stop me.

Having planned to take 10 ‘Keep In Touch’ days spread out over two months, I needed to express. From previous experience of pumping non-stop with my Medela Swing when leaving Taylor for a day I knew I was going to be clocking up some serious pumping time.

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In four months you can easily rack up approximately 240 hours of pumping time by putting in between 1 – 2 hours a day. At this point you really need the right tools for the job. The single pump was perfect for my needs of occasional pumping but It wasn’t going to be enough for full time pumping. That’s when I was introduced to the Medela Swing Maxi. As a Medela Mum I’ve been very fortunate to be accompanied by their amazing products throughout our journey and my goodness have they helped!

The Medela Swing Maxi works very much the same as the Medela Swing, a 2-Phase Electric Breast pump, which mimics the two phases babies are known to nurse in. The stimulation phase, where they suckle fast and light to stimulate milk flow, and the feeding phase where they suck slower and deeper to get the maximum amount of milk most effectively.

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The Swing Maxi is fitted with a more powerful motor as it is made for double pumping. You’re benefiting from double the power, double efficiency and double the juggling… (I’d recommend an easy expression bustier for double pumping) Trust me, you can’t sip a cup of tea and hold two bottles at once 😉

Some would believe you also get double the amount of milk, frankly some days any drops of liquid gold you express are shy of a miracle. This all depends on your supply, your let down and your body in general. Compared to single pumping, double pumping can cut expression time in half and remove 18% more milk so you’re still winning. Especially compared to when I was using my single pump and getting 3 ounces in 70 minutes. I have had the odd occasion where I’ve expressed up to 9 ounces in one sitting of 40 minutes with the Maxi, AMAZING!

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The Medela Swing Maxi got me through my ‘Keep In Touch Days’ by reducing pumping time and giving me more milk, there are no cons to this outcome I was winning all round. Taylor was at home having my milk whilst I was getting back into the world of work.

Now I’m back in work full time and Taylor is eating more solids I have been expressing less. I’m still using the swing every other day not only to replenish our frozen milk stock but to keep my supply going. We’ve now been breastfeeding for 391 days. I’m still nursing Taylor each morning and evening and am so pleased that my supply hasn’t dried up whilst being away from him for 12 hours day. I’ve also been keeping the Medela Harmony Manual Pump in my drawer at work. I don’t feel the need to express every day but on occasion, usually when Taylor hasn’t fed for long and I’ve been rushing out to work, I’ll have to express a little for comfort.

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Otherwise I’ve found returning to work full time and breastfeeding to be far more manageable than I had imagined, using the Swing Maxi to stock up on milk benefited me tremendously. Had I of tried to express the same amount with the single pump I imagine I’d have been panic pumping every evening before work to get that little bit more. If you’ve got any experience of expressing you’ll know how easy it is to cry over spilt milk or cry over lack of milk. I cried at a nappy advert, I have definitely cried over milk.

I’m still getting used to being back at work and missing my baby terribly, but I’m also fist bumping the air at our achievements. 391 days of breastfeeding, this time last year I was 26 days away from my EDD  and wondering if I’d manage it at all, now look at us!

Thanks Medela for making this milestone and the transition into working mum less stressful!

The Medela Swing Maxi retails at £239.99, currently available on offer for £214.99 on Amazon UK

join-the-conversation
  • Angela Milnes

    I used this when Sylvia was a new born as I was not producing enough milk. It was a great nifty machine and so useful. I’m glad you can take this and use it at work. That’s fab news! Angela

  • Such a useful tool especially when you are a business woman like yourself who has gone back to work but still wants the child to feel close to you through expressed milk. Definitely worth the money then?

  • Congratulations – over a year is fantastic going. I really struggled to express at all (breastfeeding in general was a struggle in fact!) and couldn’t get an electric pump to work at all, so I know how much effort goes in to manual pumping too…

  • You Baby Me Mummy

    Great review. Well done for sticking with it. I didn’t breastfeed, but I am sure this will be useful to those who are x

  • Ickle Pickle

    Well done – I didn’t breast feed, so this is all beyond me, but this look great. Pricey though, but worth it if it helps. Kaz x

  • TheL’s Mum

    Great review. I didn’t breast feed but amazing you did and wanting to keep it up. I think something like this may encourage people to continue the joinery like you are doing.

  • Emma Amoscato

    I’ve used the medela manual and electric and they’ve been great. Glad it’s going well for you and you can carry on breastfeeding.

  • I had a medela with Monkey and it was the best thing I brought wouldn’t have been without it. Recommend to everyone I meet. Hope the return to work went well xx

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