With its transparent cups, the Freestyle™ Hands-free gives you added reassurance that you’re expressing correctly. The clear cups make it easy to accurately position the nipple and you get instant confirmation that milk is flowing. More milk, more comfort ClinicalTrials.gov [Internet]. Bethesda MD: National Library of Medicine, USA, data on file: NCT02496429; NCT02492139; NCT02719548; NCT03091985 https://clinicaltrials.gov/

Center nipples move freely.Your nipple should move freely in and out without touching the sides of the tunnel and without redness or pain. As you pump regularly, your nipple diameter may change again. So it’s best to reassess your breast shield size every few months. Freestyle™ Hands-free comes with a built-in, USB-chargeable 4 battery for convenient pumping anywhere you are. Your breast pump can be used on an average for eight 15-minute sessions which gives you about 2 hours of battery life between charges. Do you need WiFi to use Freestyle™ Hands-free? collected over the 24hour period were used to determine the storage capacity of each mother's left and right breasts.

ClinicalTrials.gov [Internet]. Bethesda MD: National Library of Medicine, USA, data on file: NCT03091985 https://clinicaltrials.gov/

Breast tissue elasticity (more elastic: longer breast shield tunnel or need to opt for silicon flanges / insert) The starting point for choosing the correct breast shield is determining your optimal size based on your nipple diameter.Most breast pump shields have a 90° angle. The Freestyle™Hands-free breast shields are designed with our research-based 105° angle technology to create a more natural fit and reduce pressure on the breast, resulting in better milk removal and more comfort. It’s from Medela, a trusted expert in breast milk feeding for 60+ years In each session, breast shield size was determined prior to double pumping for 15minutes, either with the 105° or 90° shield. Human milk samples of the first, mid and last part of expression were collected from the pumping sessions to determine first, mid and last fat (%). The volume of milk expressed at 15minutes was used to determine efficiency. At the end of each visit, participants completed a short‐structured questionnaire (5‐point Likert scale) devised for this study, to assess the comfort of each breast shield. Between study visits, mothers completed a 24‐hr milk profile which was used to determine the breast storage capacity. These data in combination with the volume of milk expressed and the milk samples from the study sessions were used to determine the effectiveness of the breast shield, for the primary outcome breast drainage.

mm is our most standard size based on data we receive from our healthcare experts. Mothers may need a different size based on anatomy or other factors, such as needing a different size per breast or the point a mother is at in her breastfeeding journey. As their breasts adapt over the course of lactation, some moms may find that they need a larger size breast shield, while other may benefit from a smaller size. When your breast tissue has higher elasticity, the tip of your nipple may extend all the way towards the end of the tunnel, no matter which size you use. In addition to choosing breast shield with longer tunnel or using insert, you may also choose soft silicone flange instead of hard-plastic flange. The silicone flange may help giving more grip to hold your areola so that it won’t extend too much. Up until August 2020 I was following the advice of 'measure the diameter and add 4mm', and that was the end of the story.... Still feel full after pumping? Have sore nipples? You may have a flange that is too big or too small for you.I just bought “ Medela breast shield 21-mm insert.” It fits Spectra 24-mm flange too, or if you use Medela, fits in 24-mm flange. I’m using both. I also used hospital grade Spectra breast pump (i.e Spectra S1). Guess what? My output is 150% up (compared to my yield when I pumped for my first born)! And guess what? Most pump manufacturers don’t even make a 15mm flange (19mm is usually the very smallest they go down to). Most pumps come with a standard 24 millimeter (mm) flange. But they’re available in a wide range of sizes, generally anywhere from 21 to 36 mm. The size indicates the diameter of the small tube on the flange's narrow edge. Rachel Goldstein, Doula, Postmodern Childbirth, New York, NY, and Member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board. Jones E, Hilton S. Correctly fitting breast shields are the key to lactation success for pump dependent mothers following preterm delivery. J Neonatal Nurs. 2009;15(1):14-17. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135518410800121X

Pumpable fitting room ( FREE consultation with Pumpables team, send your pumping video over and let them share their suggestion) All of Medela’s bestselling electric breast pumps are now available with Flex™ technology: Swing Flex, Swing Maxi Flex and Freestyle Flex. All these breast pumps include two sizes of breast shield (the 21mm and 24mm) and also have a comfortable-to-hold connector. Or if you rent a Medela Symphony with PersonalFit™ Plus breast shield, you can buy the innovative new PersonalFit™Flex breast shield to use with it. When breast shields fit correctly, the nipple will be centered in the breast shield tunnel and will move freely during pumping.

Room for improvement

Another theory for why this new shield improves volume is because its form more closely matches the contour of the breast. When the let-down reflex occurs, the milk ducts in your breast increase in size by 68% to accommodate all the milk flowing through them towards your nipple. 8 This new shape and angle appear to help that milk flow more freely. Briefly, the expressed milk of each breast was collected onto two separate ShowMilk devices (Medela AG, Switzerland), recording the cumulative weight (g) of milk, the rate of milk flow (g/second), and the breast pump vacuum (mmHg). The stimulation pattern was applied until the first milk ejection (≤2 mins or first jets of milk from the nipple) was observed; breast expression continued for a further 15minutes using the expression pattern at the mother's maximum comfortable vacuum.