Medela supplemental nursing system (SNS)

Very poor design, plastic on threaded ‘connecting feed tube’ keeps splitting, we are now on our second one, breaks within a couple of uses. (Just what you need when you have got an unsettled baby that needs feeding) I’m pretty sure a 3 year old could design something more substantial! Thanks but no thanks!Kind RegardsFrom a now tired and teasy mum, dad and boy

I didn't get off to the best start with my breastfeeding journey after the birth of my baby and this supplementer was recommended to me by my infant feeding team.My son was finding it difficult to get milk from my breast partly because my inverted nipples meant I was using nipple shields. Initially we topped up his breast milk intake using feeding cups.This device was advised to help him get all the breast milk he needed until he was bigger and more able to remove the milk from my breast himself.The supplementer is easily built and filled but it can be quite fiddly to attach to yourself. Once the bottle is clipped onto a bra strap (I found it best to position the bottle on the opposite site to the breast you are feeding from) you need to try and get the feeding tube to sit slightly proud of your own nipple then tape the tube to your breast with micropore tape.Positive PointsThe main advantage of using this SNS is that it can save a lot of time. Instead of expressing milk, breastfeeding and then topping up baby with a feeding cup, you can express milk and feed it to baby whilst breastfeeding.Cleaning the supplementer is easy, there is a syringe included which makes it possible to clean the tubing. All other parts can be sterilised.I found the parts to be good quality and never had any leaks.Negative PointsThe most difficult part is to try and get baby to take your nipple and the tube into his mouth at the same time. The biggest issue that I found was that unless the tube was positioned exactly right the milk just wouldn't flow and you'd have to take baby off and on the nipple adjusting the tube slightly until it worked properly.I also found that wearing it feels quite cumbersome and makes is difficult to move around. Especially as I was using it combined with nipple shields I felt like a bit of a breastfeeding robot!I think for what you get this is very overpriced.Despite the price I found this to be a worthwhile purchase. It helped us get through the first few weeks when we were trying to get an established breastfeeding routine. I would recommend this to anyone committed to get through early breastfeeding struggles before you're able to safely top up your baby using a bottle without causing nipple confusion.

Medela is the best.

It’s not very reliable. It leaks easily and after returning a broken part, we still couldn’t get it to work properly. I’m my honest opinion it’s overpriced for what the product offers

We bought this after SNS were recommended to us by a lactation expert. In theory, this is great. However, the plastic moulding where the tube screws into the bottle lid was misshapen and therefore didn’t attach properly and leaked every time we used it. This meant that we lost 15/20% of the milk every time we used it, on top of it being a real struggle to get the tube to attach in the first place.To make things worse, for some reason it isn’t eligible for return or refund even though it’s still within a few days of purchase.So, we spent over £40 on something that doesn’t work and we can’t return.

Difficult to clean tube. Quite overpriced too for what it is.

The media could not be loaded. Connector from bottle to silicone catheter cracked after 2weeks of use. Impossible to fix and impossible to use as liquid is not passing correctly to the tube.I bought another one and in 3 weeks it cracked again, so I could feed my baby until next one arrived.Very pour quality for this price. I hope for refound as I spent almost £100 for the product that doesn't work longer than a week.

I bought this sns due to difficulties with breastfeeding. I found it very difficult to use, always having to ask for help from my partner to hold the bottle as attaching it on the bra did not work. When I tried using it on my own, I always got milk spiking through the little hole...The little tube/hose tickled baby's palate or something as he always seemed to be disturbed by it and stop nursing.I think the idea is great, however not very practical.