Okay, I'm feeling a little cranky today, so take these comments in that 
vein.

I got one of those big ol' new "hospital-grade" pumps too, along with the 
five kits to allow me to do the marketing research for Playtex on my time.  
A colleague got her box, as did the hospital where we both do contract IBCLC 
work.  They sure are getting the pumps distributed.

My colleague asked the Playtex folks how they expected five mothers to trial 
the pump when the box so clearly states that only one person is supposed to 
be using it.  The stumped Customer Relations person said she'd have to "ask 
Corporate" for an answer.  We are waiting for the reply.

A few of us played with the pump.  It is quite noisy, wheezing and rasping 
as you increase suction.  The admittedly-cool-looking flanges crinkled and 
gargled as they worked to "plump" the nipples (I'm quoting the pamphlet 
here.  I must have  missed the study telling us nipples need to plump in 
order to transfer milk).

We didn't have any moms around to ask to use it.  Indeed, the Playtex 
materials say the pump is to be studied by mothers whose milk supplies are 
already well established ... and those moms are in short supply on the 
post-partum floor.

Big flaw:  the tubing comes out of the packaging kinked, and the suction 
power does NOT "iron it out."  Only one out of three of us figured out why 
the pump didn't seem to be working at all .... we had to manually pinch 
about five kinks out before the machine started wheezing and gargling.  Now, 
we work with pumps all day every day.  What would a stressed post-partum 
mother do?

The information materials are too heavy on the use of pictures of babies 
drinking from bottles to suit my taste ... although someone seems to have 
tried very hard to make the information WHO-Code-friendly.  (Bottles aren't 
called bottles.  They are "breast milk storage systems."  And guess who just 
happens to have a breast milk storage system to sell you?)

I might offer mine to an experienced pumping mom, to get at least one mom's 
view of how well it works, compared to a Medela or Hollister pump.  If the 
pumps express the same, and they all sell for about $300 (!!), I don't think 
I'd choose this noisy model.

The consumer advocate in me is a bit peeved with the packaging.  It clearly 
states the pump cannot be returned once it is opened.  Most moms will buy 
it, realize it is noisy (and maybe even lousy), but think they are stuck.  
I'm willing to bet most mothers don't understand that the USA's Uniform 
Commerical Code's warranty of merchantability would supercede the 
manufacturer's self-serving exclusions.  (For those of you saying 'Huh?', 
that means:  If you bought it, and it doesn't perform to the level you 
expected, you can still return it .... even if it is not broken.)

I will give the design department a gold star:  the black bag and its inner 
baglets are quite nice.

Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC
Wyndmoor, PA, USA

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