Ensuring continuity of care for mothers and infants

Medela aims to support mothers with the right technology at the right time so they can feed their babies breast milk for as long as they choose. By renting a Symphony® and buying PersonalFit™ PLUS for home use, mothers can continue benefiting from the same comfortable¹ and efficient¹ system they started pumping with in hospital. This can reassure them that they are still receiving high standards of care, helping them feel more confident about expressing longer-term.

A pumping solution for each key stage

Supporting mothers and infants in hospital

The Symphony® hospital-grade breast pump has a unique INITIATE program designed to mimic the sucking and pausing patterns of a term infant in the first few days of lactation. This can be used by pump-dependent mothers to stimulate and initiate their milk production.


Mothers can then switch to the Symphony® MAINTAIN program. This uses Medela 2-Phase Expression® technology, a pumping pattern based on the way term infants suck at the breast during established lactation. It is designed to optimise milk output once the mother’s milk has come in (around two to four days after birth). These research-based programs have been shown to build and maintain an adequate milk supply for the future.¹


Using the Symphony® breast pump with the PersonalFit™ PLUS pump set instead of the standard design obtains 11% more milk over a 15-minute pumping session, and is 4% more effective at draining the breast.² Overall, this means making higher volumes of own mother’s milk available in hospital, which in turn can support earlier transfer of infants from the NICU and earlier discharges,³ thanks to reduced illness⁴ and enhanced neurodevelopment.⁵

For mothers who have had a c-section or are recovering from a difficult delivery, PersonalFit™ PLUS is particularly beneficial, thanks to its overflow protection feature that allows them to pump in a more relaxed position. PersonalFit™ PLUS is also clinically proven to offer a more comfortable pumping experience, with 100% of mothers positively evaluating the breast shield fit.⁶

Preparing for life at home

Generally, the average amount of time a mother stays in hospital after giving birth is becoming shorter. In some cases, they are discharged before their milk has come in. In others, the infant may have to remain on the ward while the mother divides her time between hospital and home.


It is important that in these situations mothers experience the same high standards of pumping care wherever they are expressing. Healthcare professionals can support mothers by recommending they use a Symphony® from a pump rental station or pharmacy, together with a PersonalFit™ PLUS pump set. This way mothers can continue to initiate, and then build, milk supply at home over the first month just as effectively as they would have done in hospital.

Supporting mothers and infants in hospital

The Symphony® hospital-grade breast pump has a unique INITIATE program designed to mimic the sucking and pausing patterns of a term infant in the first few days of lactation. This can be used by pump-dependent mothers to stimulate and initiate their milk production.


Mothers can then switch to the Symphony® MAINTAIN program. This uses Medela 2-Phase Expression® technology, a pumping pattern based on the way term infants suck at the breast during established lactation. It is designed to optimise milk output once the mother’s milk has come in (around two to four days after birth). These research-based programs have been shown to build and maintain an adequate milk supply for the future.¹


Using the Symphony® breast pump with the PersonalFit™ PLUS pump set instead of the standard design obtains 11% more milk over a 15-minute pumping session, and is 4% more effective at draining the breast.² Overall, this means making higher volumes of own mother’s milk available in hospital, which in turn can support earlier transfer of infants from the NICU and earlier discharges,³ thanks to reduced illness⁴ and enhanced neurodevelopment.⁵


For mothers who have had a c-section or are recovering from a difficult delivery, PersonalFit™ PLUS is particularly beneficial, thanks to its overflow protection feature that allows them to pump in a more relaxed position. PersonalFit™ PLUS is also clinically proven to offer a more comfortable pumping experience, with 100% of mothers positively evaluating the breast shield fit.⁶

Preparing for life at home

Generally, the average amount of time a mother stays in hospital after giving birth is becoming shorter. In some cases, they are discharged before their milk has come in. In others, the infant may have to remain on the ward while the mother divides her time between hospital and home.


It is important that in these situations mothers experience the same high standards of pumping care wherever they are expressing. Healthcare professionals can support mothers by recommending they use a Symphony® from a pump rental station or pharmacy, together with a PersonalFit™ PLUS pump set. This way mothers can continue to initiate, and then build, milk supply at home over the first month just as effectively as they would have done in hospital.

Ensuring a correct breast shield fit

Because PersonalFit™ PLUS breast shields come in a range of tunnel sizes to help ensure a good fit, mothers will need to measure and note their nipple size ready for when they or a family member collects their rental breast pump.


Medela has a simple breast shield fitting guide that clearly explains how to do this, and the basic principles are outlined in the graphic, right.

Ensuring a correct breast shield fit

Because PersonalFit™ PLUS breast shields come in a range of tunnel sizes to help ensure a good fit, mothers will need to measure and note their nipple size ready for when they or a family member collects their rental breast pump.


Medela has a simple breast shield fitting guide that clearly explains how to do this, and the basic principles are outlined in the graphic, right.

Measure nipple diameter

Tunnel should be approximately 4 mm (0.15 in) bigger than nipple diameter.

PersonalFit™ PLUS tunnels come in a range of sizes

Opportunities for rental stations

Helping mothers achieve their pumping and breastfeeding goals is a powerful tool for creating strong customer loyalty and retention. It also creates the chance to support mothers with more products as their families reach new stages in life.

From additional bottles for storing breast milk, to breast care products, nappies, cleaning supplies and more, cross-selling is a huge opportunity. And because it is often a relative or close friend who visits the rental station on the mother’s behalf, particularly in the early days after the birth, this drives customer traffic even further.


A positive customer experience is key to this success, and the levels of care and ease of use Symphony® and PersonalFit™ PLUS offer help to ensure mothers’ rental experiences are as satisfying as possible.

Opportunities for rental stations

Helping mothers achieve their pumping and breastfeeding goals is a powerful tool for creating strong customer loyalty and retention. It also creates the chance to support mothers with more products as their families reach new stages in life.

From additional bottles for storing breast milk, to breast care products, nappies, cleaning supplies and more, cross-selling is a huge opportunity. And because it is often a relative or close friend who visits the rental station on the mother’s behalf, particularly in the early days after the birth, this drives customer traffic even further.


A positive customer experience is key to this success, and the levels of care and ease of use Symphony® and PersonalFit™ PLUS offer help to ensure mothers’ rental experiences are as satisfying as possible.

Mirroring milk production

After the infant’s birth, a mother’s milk production follows three stages: Initiate, Build and Maintain. The Symphony® has unique suction patterns that mimic infant feeding behaviour during each stage.¹

Supporting mothers longer-term

Once supply is established, mothers who are pump-dependent can continue using the Symphony® breast pump with PersonalFit™ PLUS to express frequently. Doing this will obtain breast milk and help maintain supply. When pumping exclusively, the levels of comfort PersonalFit™ PLUS provides remain an important benefit. In addition, because PersonalFit™ PLUS pump sets are easier to use, handle and clean than standard designs,⁶ ⁷ home users require less initial instruction and ongoing support.


Non-pump-dependent mothers who established an adequate milk supply over the first month – whether through breastfeeding, pumping or a combination of the two – may still need to pump to maintain milk supply during any separations from their infant. There are also those who want to pump occasionally to express milk for another caregiver to feed to their baby.

Choosing which breast pump to use at home depends on how many breastfeeds are being replaced by expressing: for example, if mothers are only expressing occasionally a personal-use pump may be an option.⁸ Medela personal-use breast pumps with Flex™ technology offer breast shields with the same proven advantages as PersonalFit™ PLUS.

Supporting mothers longer-term

Once supply is established, mothers who are pump-dependent can continue using the Symphony® breast pump with PersonalFit™ PLUS to express frequently. Doing this will obtain breast milk and help maintain supply. When pumping exclusively, the levels of comfort PersonalFit™ PLUS provides remain an important benefit. In addition, because PersonalFit™ PLUS pump sets are easier to use, handle and clean than standard designs,⁶ ⁷ home users require less initial instruction and ongoing support.


Non-pump-dependent mothers who established an adequate milk supply over the first month – whether through breastfeeding, pumping or a combination of the two – may still need to pump to maintain milk supply during any separations from their infant. There are also those who want to pump occasionally to express milk for another caregiver to feed to their baby.


Choosing which breast pump to use at home depends on how many breastfeeds are being replaced by expressing: for example, if mothers are only expressing occasionally a personal-use pump may be an option.⁸ Medela personal-use breast pumps with Flex™ technology offer breast shields with the same proven advantages as PersonalFit™ PLUS.


Medela offers hospital levels of care to pumping mothers – whether they are expressing every other hour, every day, or every now and then.

Medela offers hospital levels of care to pumping mothers – whether they are expressing every other hour, every day, or every now and then.

Only Medela

By using a unique milk flow rate measurement device to gauge milk ejection, Medela researchers found that double pumping obtains 18% more milk on average, compared to single pumping each breast in turn.⁹ The milk expressed was found to have a higher energy content, too.⁹ This is why Medela recommends using a double PersonalFit™ PLUS pump set with the Symphony®.