"I love the idea of being able to pump directly into a bag -- eliminate the middle-man and avoid washing extra bottles! Unfortunately, this bag just is too problematic to work. You might think that these bags are specially designed to work with Medela pumps. Not true. There's just a piece of tape at the top of the bag to hang it off the pump. And the tape doesn't even work well for all Medela pumps! I use the In-Style pump, and these bags fit OK, but it's still pretty precarious trying to pump into them, because of all the problems below. As a number of other people have mentioned, the ziploc seal is *very* finicky and easy to not seal correctly. I've had the seals fail so many times that I now check and double-check them multiple times and I've *still* had them fail! Somehow the zipper mechanism seems to get off track, so you can zip from each of the two sides and have a gap in the middle that you can only close by opening the whole thing and starting over. And it's not obvious when it's not zipped correctly. It's also hard to open, requiring both hands and a lot of force, which can cause spillage if it's a full bag. A second problem is the fact that the bags are wide open at the top while you're pumping. So you have to be careful to avoid spilling if you pump a full bag, or if you're not sitting straight up, or if you lean to reach something, or if the milk is caught near the top of the bag (see next complaint). Third problem: the plastic the bag is made of is very stiff, which makes it difficult to get the bag inflated. This is not helped by the fact that there is no finger-hold or other way to pull open the bottom of the bag to help it inflate, so you really have to open it from the top, either by sticking your finger in or blowing it up, both of which defeat the purpose of having a sanitary bag. If you go ahead and pump without inflating the bag, the milk pools up near the top of the bag until there is enough weight to make the lower part of the bag open up. Unfortunately, sometimes the weight of the milk doesn't make the bag open up soon enough, and you end up spilling or overflowing the milk out all over yourself (and potentially ruining the leather chair you happen to be sitting on, and needing to re-wash the pants you just washed that morning -- grr!! Since the milk is body temperature, if you're not paying attention when it spills you don't notice it for a while and you can pump out several ounces before it cools and you feel how wet your leg is!). And finally, as others have mentioned, the bags only hold 5 oz, which isn't always enough for a full pumping. If the bags were a little easier to work with it wouldn't be much of a problem to just switch out the bag mid-session. But since it takes both hands and some wrestling to get the bags open and closed, you don't want to have to do that mid-session while your boobs are dripping all over you. As much as I like Medela, I have to say I'm more than a little disappointed in them for selling this product. I would have given them two stars for selling a bad product, but they lose an extra star because clearly they didn't do much product testing on this one. And I do blame them for the big stain on my leather upholstery! Avoid this product!! A piece of tape on a Lansinoh bag would work *much* better!"
Medela Pump and Save Breast Milk Bags, 50 Count (Compare Deals from $10.59)
"You don't need these. You either need something to pump into or storage bags. This combo seems like a good idea, but it's not. When I was pregnant and picking my pump and pump accessories, I thought this was a great idea. Once I actually started pumping, I discovered this is a complete waste of money. When you're pumping, the majority of your milk is going to feed your baby in the near future (the milk you pump at work today will be the milk your childcare provider uses tomorrow). So there's no reason pump into a single-use bag. You'll use at least six bags a day to pump, which means in a work week, you're using 30 bags that will end up the trash the next day. Plus, you can't feed a baby from these puppies, so you have to pour the milk into a bottle anyway. Save a step and lots of cash--pump into the bottles you use to feed with. If you have a Medela pump, then you can use these ( Medela Breastmilk Feeding and Storage Set ) or these cheaper ones that also fit the Medela pump even though they're a different brand ( Evenflo 4 Pack Simplymilk Storage Bottles, 5 Ounce . You'll pump into the bottles at work, put the lids on, store them in the fridge, then put rings and nipples on them the next day to serve them to your baby. Even if you plan to use different bottles for feeding because your baby has a preference (don't go there if you can avoid it--I insisted on using the Dr. Browns bottles for baby #1 because I thought they were "better," but I'm just using the pumping bottles to feed baby #2, and there's no difference in the amount of burping or gas), just storing the milk in these easy to wash, bpa free bottles is better than burning money on pumping bags. Even if you're trying to build a freezer stash, these don't make a lot of sense. In most cases, only a small cut of your daily milk goes towards the stash, so you're freezing one bag a day and throwing away five that are used for immediate feeding milk. Better to pump everything into bottles and pour the occasional spare milk into a storage bag when you've got it. Also, these bags are not the best for freezing--they've only got a single zipper, so they are more likely to leak. Plus, their size makes them more likely to bust open in the freezer (there's not a lot of room above the five ounce mark for the milk to expand into when it freezes). To freeze, get these: Lansinoh 20435 Breastmilk Storage Bags, 25-Count Boxes (Pack of 3) . They have better closures, are less likely to freeze open, and they are cheaper. Happy pumping!"
"This is the first review I have every written (and I buy a lot of products from Amazon) so that alone should indicate how terrible this product is. For almost three months I have been diligently pumping every morning to build up a large store of milk so that when I went back to work, I wouldn't have to worry about having enough breastmilk for my daughter. I freeze the milk right after I pump it, being careful to seal the bag completely. My milk has been kept in a chest freezer to minimize freezer burn. Last week I defrosted two bags of milk about 2 months old to leave in a bottle for my sister, who was babysitting. She called my husband and I about halfway through our engagement to tell us that our daughter was refusing to drink from the bottle and screaming her head off. We could not figure out what was wrong since we had never had any issues giving her (fresh) milk from the bottle before. My husband left the dinner to go help, but he was unable to get her to drink more than an ounce or two at most. We thought she was frustrated from having to suck the milk through a stage 1 nipple when she needed a stage 2. We switched the nipples on all our bottles and the next day I again defrosted two bags and left them with my husband while I attended a baby shower. He called me to let me know that our daughter was gagging and I could hear her screaming in the background. I suggested switching to a different brand bottle. A half hour later he called me to tell me that the problem was my milk!!! The milk I left with him smelled and tasted terrible, so he had pulled some more bags from the freezer that were only a week old, and she drank that milk just fine. Today I defrosted 4 bags of milk to discover that any milk more than a month old STINKS!! The inside of these bags smell and that smell is transferred to the milk after it has stayed in the freezer for several weeks. I'm sure that some babies wouldn't mind, since other customers have been able to use these bags without problems, but my daughter hates it. I am devastated that I will have to discard 2/3 of my stash. I wish I had known this before I started pumping. Buyers, beware!"
"This is what I ordered, but what I got is the "update" of the pump n save bags. What is the update? Well, instead of a tape that is attached to each bag, you get an adapter that you put on the pump nozzle that contains two little "arms". These arms fit through two little holes on the bag, and that is how the bag connects to the pump. I thought this was nice because no longer would I have to pick up tiny yellow squares of backing from exposing the adhesive on the strap. Since I pump at work, I need things to be pretty fast and I have to say that the new adapter makes things pretty fast, especially since I just leave it on the pump in between sessions. The stinky thing about these is really my fault. A pure case of user error. I poured the milk from the bag and it came out of one of the holes the adapter goes through. I lost an ounce. For someone who is working so hard to maintain and increase my milk supply, this was like a dagger through my heart. Apparently, Medela saw this as an issue and has given the adapter holes a second purpose of being a pour spout. This is kind of silly. Out of a whole bag, you are going to expect someone to pour milk through a tiny little hole. You need a steady hand or the milk is going to shoot past the little hole and go out the top. Grandparents watch my kiddos while I work and I envisioned ounces and ounces of breast milk going down the drain so I sat with each one and showed them the bag. Apparently, neither one poured from the top of the bag of the old pump n saves--they just snipped a corner and poured it into the bottle like that. Anyway. They serve their purpose of collecting milk while I am at work, they take up little space. Medela has improved the zipper on the bag and it's much stronger, which means you have to press harder but whatever. As long as milk doesn't come out of the bags on my way home, I don't care. I imagine I will probably buy them again and if, by chance, I would receive a box of the bags with the tape vs. the adapter, I will be pleasantly surprised."
"I never write reviews, but I thought that this one actually deserved one because I want to warn all of the pumping mothers out there. I have used these bags before when I was pumping for my first child (2.5 yrs old now) and I never had issues with them before. HOWEVER, this time around with my second child (4.5 months old), I have been so frustrated over these medela milk bags. Every other bag that I defrost seems to leak milk, not up by the zipper part where I would expect, but somewhere down by the base or on the body of the bag, as if someone took a knife and punctured it. Obviously it wasn't an issue when I was pouring fresh milk in since it didn't leak then, and it looks like it froze properly, so it must be while it is freezing that the milk expands and makes the bags puncture or pop for some reason. Honestly, because I unfortunately bought a 50 pack of bags, I'm forced to continue to use these until I'm out of them, but even when I try to only fill the bags with 3 or 4oz (not the 5oz capacity that it is supposed to hold), and even allowing for air so that there is room for the milk to expand, I am still having bags that leak. I am planning on contacting medela to complain about the poor product quality, but wanted to share my experience after losing another 4oz this morning. I will be looking for different bags to pump into. And yes, I am crying over spilled milk. Whoever came up with that expression obviously was not a breastfeeding mother who has had to pump!"
"I read a bunch of reviews for these and was surprised by all the negative reviews, so I wanted to put in my two positive cents. I am currently pumping for Baby Number 2 and these bags are working just fine. For Baby Number 1 I used Ameda Store n' Pour bags and I can really not tell any difference except that these Medela bags are a little less expensive. I ordered Ameda bags when I started pumping for Baby Number 2 and kept the plastic attachment parts that came with those bags and have just continued to use them with the Medela bags because they are a little longer, so they go down below the zip-seal section of these bags, which takes care of other reviewers' issue of having milk splatter above the zip-seal. As for the zip-seal itself, it is absolutely NO different from the Ameda bags. I have had both types of bags leak from me not getting them sealed up all the way on the first try, but really, it is not a major issue. I just put forth a tiny bit of effort to be sure I've got the thing zip-sealed all the way before I lay them down and all is well. No magic tricks, and no need to go over it 5 times. I have been using these for 2 months and will continue to use them for the next several months until baby is weened. I pump 4 bags a day and baby only uses 3 bags a day while she is at daycare. The daycare ladies just put the bag of frozen milk into a crockpot of water for a few minutes, and she is all set. This system works well for us. Do whatever works well for you."
"When I went back to work after having my baby, I needed to continue pumping to keep my supply up. I had a box of the old style bag with the paper strap that goes over the top of the breastshield and now use these newer ones with the hanger holes. Pros: - Hanging holes are way more secure than the strap and quick to put on and take off. - Don't have to tear strap off anymore. I always risked spilled milk when trying to disconnect it from the breast shield. - No more perforated parts to take off. The perforations on the other bags never went all the way through and I would end up tearing off parts of the section where you write the amount and date. - Much neater. The adapters make the milk fall below the zipper line. A drop or two can still end up above it, but nothing the like the mess from the previous designs. Cons: - Need to be a little more careful when pouring milk out because you have to pour it from the sides since the front and back have the holes. - Holes have ripped on the occasion when I tried to put it on the adapter too quickly. It didn't rip all the way through and was still usable. These are two more cons that are common for both styles of bags: - The volume gradations are still useless. It's the same scale they have on their bottles, which are solid, firm plastic. - They don't come in more than 50 per box. I pump 3 times/day at work, which means that I use 6 bags/day or 30 bags/week. So I go through a box in less than two weeks. I would be nice if they came in at least a 100 pack. Also, I don't mind washing the adapters. They are pretty easy to clean and since I'm washing other parts anyway, it doesn't add a lot."
Medela Pump and Save Breast Milk Bags, 50 Count (Compare Deals from $10.59)
