Starter Supplemental Nursing System 80 ml #0097003S

Ok mamas, get in here! I don’t usually write reviews but I decided to write one to help any new mom considering getting this item. It’s hard being a new mom and making the decision to buy this easier is me trying to help. So first things first, i read prior reviews before ordering this and there were a lot of complaints from leaks to difficulties using the sns in general. But I was desperate and ordered it anyways. Not to bore you with the details, my 5 week old daughter had nipple confusion from early introduction of bottle feeding cos I had some nursing issues early on in my breastfeeding journey. I had resigned to exclusively pumping but it is a lot of work. Also my daughters intake per feed was increasing meaning I had to increase pumping to increase supply and I was getting exhausted. She absolutely rejected the nipple when I tried to feed her. She would taste the nipple and spit it out cos she didn’t instant gratification like the bottle nipple. I was getting frustrated cos I tried everything online(skin to skin and the whole nine yards) . Using an sns was my last resort and I’m glad I tried it. In less than 1 week, my daughter is back to breastfeeding and I have reduced pumping to 2ce a day with increased supply (yaaaaaay!). This thing works. Now to the cons. It was hard to use at first. In fact It leaked breast milk everywhere the first time I used it. I was like yeah you should’ve listened to the reviews.m but after that I watched a video on YouTube and saw I was assembling it the wrong way and the leak stopped. Also, get your own tape to secure the tube to your breasts stopping just before the areola. I used an inverted T to secure the tube and that worked. After a few uses, you get used to it. Finally, cleaning is not easy but I take my time cos it’s nothing compared to pumping all the time. It’s supposed to be disposable but I use boiling water to sterilize (don’t boil or microwave) and Iv used it for a week now.

We received one of these from our lactation consultant to use while my daughter learned to latch.She taught us how to use it and it was super easy. You just have to make sure everything is in place correctly and then you flip the bottle upside down, squeeze the bulb and squeeze again to prime the tubing. The little crack in the plastic piece on the tubing will hold the milk in place if you slip the tubing in there. The tape is to tape it on your breast to align it perfectly with your nipple. Then you can you use the clip around the bottle to hold it somewhere while you feed. Once the baby latches, you can unclip the tubing and if you see bubbles in the milk that means your baby is sucking the milk. If she feels the plastic, I just slip the tubing in after she starts sucking. If you have everything in place, it won’t leak. But everything has to be tight! I used it, rinsed it, and placed it inn my sterilizer. I got a plenty of uses out of it this way! And my daughter was able to gain weight and keep her energy while learning to suck. And avoided having to take a bottle in the first 6 weeks and deal with nipple confusion. This was the fastest way for me to replace the one given by our LC and continue using.will keep purchasing whenever my daughter and milk supply needs a boost!

This starter bottle was great for supplementing breast feeding, in the beginning. It has a tiny feeding tube (perfect for newborns) and it lets out just the right amount of milk. We used it multiple times, even though it is labeled as a one-use item (you just need to make sure you wash the tube out well. After two weeks, the top became harder to screw on and the tube started to not work as well (flow would slow in the tube where it had been kinked off previously with the yellow disc. It is a great product, for the price and the number of uses we got out of it. It you thinking that you may have to use it longer than a week, I would suggest purchasing 2-3 in order to rotate them and clean them well in between feedings.

This thing is absolutely the biggest pain in the butt. Any woman who has to supplement her baby is already incredibly frustrated and emotional. Now add this incredibly difficult to use contraption into the picture and a poor mother is ready to lose her mind. I could think of so many ways that this could be made better. I tried one with my son 6 years ago and was highly disappointed to find that they have not changed or improved at all in that time. It is absolutely impossible to use this thing the way it is instructed. Trying to get this tube in the babies mouth is the biggest test of sanity you will ever experience. The tube gets distorted and is so soft and flexible. It isn't rigid enough to stay put when you try to latch the baby. Thank God I read a review where a women suggested attaching it from the under side of the nipple. That is the ONLY way I could get it to somewhat work. Even still I had to tape it almost to the tip of the nipple because as mentioned earlier-- it kinks EASY! So now, my baby is not sucking or sealing appropriately because there is tape in her mouth!! The purpose ends up defeating itself. Not to mention that it took nearly 45 minutes to get 2 oz into my baby with this. Twice as long as a bottle. Mothers DESERVE better than this!! Either improve this worthless crap Medela or STOP selling it!! What a terrible thing to do to a desperate mother. Honestly ladies, please don't put yourself through trying to use this thing. Just save yourself the sanity and pump!! Oh-- and I forgot to mention.. even if you happen to be able to get this thing to work by doing the things I mentioned--its a 2 person job--and both of you will want to bang your heads against a wall!

I purchased this because I was not sure my baby was receiving enough nourishment. EASE OF USE AND BABY CONCERNS My three stars is based predominantly on this category as you will find that I have favorable comments in the other categories I've evaluated. In my experience, it was exceedingly frustrating to get this hooked up and fed into my baby's mouth. I tried hooking it onto a bra and I tried tying it onto a string hung from the top of our bed's headboard and I tried having my husband hold the tube while I tried to feed the baby. I had a hard time getting it into a good position to use it. I also had an extremely hard time getting it into my baby's mouth. I tried this both with a shield and without a shield (a shield is a separate product that is like a silicon nipple the mother can wear). I could not get the tube to stay in the baby's mouth (with or without the shield in between) and then get the clamp opened to allow milk to flow through. My baby would move his mouth to spit the tube out. It seemed to really annoy him. We eventually scrapped using a supplemental nursing system and tried other non-mechanical strategies e.g., herbal teas; relaxation; double pumping after each feeding; consuming galactagogues like bone broth and kombucha. VALUE I highly recommend that anyone considering a Lact-Aid or other type of supplemental system first get this starter system. The price difference is considerable and if you have the experience I had, you will be relieved to have only spent $17 and not $80 or more. It can really be used more than once, making its cost per use even more attractive. ASSEMBLY Read the instructions...I found that the assembly was not intuitive. It is not difficult, but not something that you can necessarily figure out on your own. CLEANING This was surprisingly easy to clean--you basically squeeze water through the tube to clean the product. Careful cleaning will allow you to use this multiple times. Overall, I think this is a valuable purchase if you are not sure that your child is receiving enough nourishment directly from breastfeeding and are considering purchasing a supplemental system. I gave it three stars because I found using it a little difficult and, as mentioned, my baby hated it--but I highly recommend you try this out before purchasing something like a Lact-Aid that is more expensive. Also talk to your pediatrician or lactation consultant to find out if there are non-mechanical options for you like herbs.

This saved my nursing journey! My little one has a tongue tie which wasn’t revised until he was a month old. He couldn’t nurse and got used to a bottle. We had to train him to learn milk comes from the breast. He would latch and just want for milk to flow and wouldn’t work for milk. He would get so frustrated at the breast because he was accustomed to the quick milk flow at the bottle instead of eliciting a let down at the breast. I pumped milk and hooked this up, latched my son and immediately pushed milk into his mouth. Then he sucked and got milk from the SNS and breast. Within 1-2 weeks, he was transferring 5oz from the breast without the SNS! Truly saved my nursing journey by helping my son learn how to suckle at the breast instead of bottle. My milk supply also increased due to increased nipple stimulation!! Quality is good, takes practice. Get some good medical tape to use with it. I stored it in the fridge between feeds and cleaned every few uses. Just be careful to clean well because the fat in breast milk can clog it. Used several times without issue!

I LOVE THIS THING!!!! My 4 month old all of a sudden started refusing the bottle and wasn't getting enough to eat. I am breastfeeding, but have to supplement with formula because I don't make enough milk. I tired all the bottles and all the nipples, all the distractions, all the formulas, tried to feed when she was sleepy, dream feeds, I tried everything!!!! Still couldn't get her to take a bottle anymore, she just prefers the breast. Finally I ordered this on a leap of faith after some googling for a solution! Just tried it for the first time and it worked!!!! She didn't even notice it, nursed a nice length of time and she got the formula, about half of what I put in the bottle (she was tired). I almost cried! It definitely takes some practice, so practice before using it. It didn't leak at all! and was super easy to clean! My chest is small so I just kinda cradled it in my bra on one side. I am hoping it lasts me until she turns 6 months or longer if I am careful with it (I read some reviews from others who got it to last about 7 weeks or so) Hoping to switch her to a straw sippy cup around 6 months. Thank you MEDELA!!!!!!! Get it!!!! Try it!!! I hope it helps you. (any questions feel free to ask)

I’m not used to write a review but I felt that I need to review to help this product gain more stars because this is a life saver! I don’t understand why people gave bad review. This is easy to use, just watch the YouTube video, the flow is perfect, the tube size is perfect and again, this is a life saver! I’m very very grateful for this because this helped when my baby was not being able to latch and he was hungry!!!