Guest guest Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 RE the Medela shortage.. the hospital where I am mentoring at the moment has had a severe shortage as well. No just the nipple shields, but also Harmony hand pumps (which I understand they are just going to discontinue making) and pump kits. First it was the ability to get sterile kits, now it is hard to get any kits and those we do have all have one part that is defective. We are reluctant to call Medela about the defects for fear it will start a nation-wide recall of the kits and then none will be available. Those with the pump rental station are somewhat panicked that they will not be able to get kits and thus not be able to rent pumps. Anyone know what is going on at Medela? Tina BC, CLC working on clinical hours towards July11 exam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Yes, at our hospital that I work part time at, it’s all coincidental from what I understand. The machine that makes the nipple shields is down and the pump kits were defective and were recalled (the kits in the hard plastic container). I think there is something going on in the company. Maybe mismanagement or a turnover. They are the most widely used company and maybe they just can’t keep up. Who knows? I’m glad to see that other companies are rising to the challenge and that it’s just not Medela in the running. I’ve heard of many WIC programs using Hygeia and encouraged to hear that you all are satisfied with the product. I’m more partial to Medela, but willing to try Hygeia out sometime. They are a bit cheaper. June , RN, IBCLC, LLLLOhioRE the Medela shortage.. the hospital where I am mentoring at the moment has had a severe shortage as well. No just the nipple shields, but also Harmony hand pumps (which I understand they are just going to discontinue making) and pump kits. First it was the ability to get sterile kits, now it is hard to get any kits and those we do have all have one part that is defective. We are reluctant to call Medela about the defects for fear it will start a nation-wide recall of the kits and then none will be available. Those with the pump rental station are somewhat panicked that they will not be able to get kits and thus not be able to rent pumps. Anyone know what is going on at Medela? Tina BC, CLCworking on clinical hours towards July11 exam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 They are quite a bit cheaper, better customer service, great products and NO CODE VIOLATIONS. I love that at least currently they only sell through LC's and not in stores.Maybe we are finally having an effect on Medela..doubt it but maybe! Ilene Yes, at our hospital that I work part time at, it’s all coincidental from what I understand. The machine that makes the nipple shields is down and the pump kits were defective and were recalled (the kits in the hard plastic container). I think there is something going on in the company. Maybe mismanagement or a turnover. They are the most widely used company and maybe they just can’t keep up. Who knows? I’m glad to see that other companies are rising to the challenge and that it’s just not Medela in the running. I’ve heard of many WIC programs using Hygeia and encouraged to hear that you all are satisfied with the product. I’m more partial to Medela, but willing to try Hygeia out sometime. They are a bit cheaper. June , RN, IBCLC, LLLLOhio RE the Medela shortage.. the hospital where I am mentoring at the moment has had a severe shortage as well. No just the nipple shields, but also Harmony hand pumps (which I understand they are just going to discontinue making) and pump kits. First it was the ability to get sterile kits, now it is hard to get any kits and those we do have all have one part that is defective. We are reluctant to call Medela about the defects for fear it will start a nation-wide recall of the kits and then none will be available. Those with the pump rental station are somewhat panicked that they will not be able to get kits and thus not be able to rent pumps. Anyone know what is going on at Medela? Tina BC, CLC working on clinical hours towards July11 exam -- Ilene Fabisch, Brockton, MA " Each day is a blank canvas waiting for our unique brushstrokes to create a masterpiece. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 We've had ongoing problems with Medela supplies since September. I have no clue what their situation is, but we've had problems with ordering of nipple shields (both the sterile and non-sterile, breastfeeding isn't sterile, why the sterile at all????, we just need clean!), back orders with 24 and 20mm, and the pump kits. I'm pretty confident that the hospital I work in uses more of these items than any Babies R Us in our area and we still don't see much responsiveness on the part of Medela, considering we support @ 4000 births a year, have a level II SCN, and an outpatient lactation clinic serving anywhere from 200+ clients a month!! We started using Ameda supplies, but this Medela problem has trickled down to other vendors creating a demand they didn't anticipate so they are even struggling to sustain orders. How I would love to dump Medela.....we are seriously looking at this for when our contract expires. I do think like someone else mentioned, that mothers prefer to purchase kits etc. that are compatible with their pump in style, so for our clinic I can see where it would really affect our retail sales, but in the hospital I don't see that it makes a difference what brand we use (until they go home and wish to use the supplies on their personal pump....).... The flange swapping is > > RE the Medela shortage.. the hospital where I am mentoring at the moment has had a severe shortage as well. No just the nipple shields, but also Harmony hand pumps (which I understand they are just going to discontinue making) and pump kits. First it was the ability to get sterile kits, now it is hard to get any kits and those we do have all have one part that is defective. We are reluctant to call Medela about the defects for fear it will start a nation-wide recall of the kits and then none will be available. Those with the pump rental station are somewhat panicked that they will not be able to get kits and thus not be able to rent pumps. > > Anyone know what is going on at Medela? > > Tina BC, CLC > working on clinical hours towards July11 exam > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Around here Ameda/Evenflo is prominent in most of the hospitals. And I am glad. I think the first indication there was something going on with Medela was when they disregarded the WHO Code for marketing. Lou Moramarco IBCLC Birth, Breastfeeding & Beyond International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Bradley Childbirth Educator Certified Birth Doula (732) 239-7771 marylou22@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 It has been my experience that when I called about problems, both with products and or processes they were not interested in listening or improving or even caring. Most of the time I just got an attitude . I came to the conclusion that they don't much care about anything other than the big retail accounts. The customer service front line reflect a corporations culture and attitude. Theirs is one of the worst I have experienced in a very long time. The quality is going down quiclkly also. The fail rate on the PNS was rare and now really starting to rise (right out of the box). I also noticed changes not reflected in the packaging. Luckily for us there is Ameda, and now Hygeia and soon Lucina. There is only so long one can live off a reputation that used to be very good. The choices and consequenses made are theirs and I am sure they will be well deserved. To: From: YabbaDabbaDoula1@...Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2011 14:59:25 +0000Subject: Re: Hygeia /Medela We've had ongoing problems with Medela supplies since September. I have no clue what their situation is, but we've had problems with ordering of nipple shields (both the sterile and non-sterile, breastfeeding isn't sterile, why the sterile at all????, we just need clean!), back orders with 24 and 20mm, and the pump kits. I'm pretty confident that the hospital I work in uses more of these items than any Babies R Us in our area and we still don't see much responsiveness on the part of Medela, considering we support @ 4000 births a year, have a level II SCN, and an outpatient lactation clinic serving anywhere from 200+ clients a month!!We started using Ameda supplies, but this Medela problem has trickled down to other vendors creating a demand they didn't anticipate so they are even struggling to sustain orders.How I would love to dump Medela.....we are seriously looking at this for when our contract expires.I do think like someone else mentioned, that mothers prefer to purchase kits etc. that are compatible with their pump in style, so for our clinic I can see where it would really affect our retail sales, but in the hospital I don't see that it makes a difference what brand we use (until they go home and wish to use the supplies on their personal pump....)....The flange swapping is >> RE the Medela shortage.. the hospital where I am mentoring at the moment has had a severe shortage as well. No just the nipple shields, but also Harmony hand pumps (which I understand they are just going to discontinue making) and pump kits. First it was the ability to get sterile kits, now it is hard to get any kits and those we do have all have one part that is defective. We are reluctant to call Medela about the defects for fear it will start a nation-wide recall of the kits and then none will be available. Those with the pump rental station are somewhat panicked that they will not be able to get kits and thus not be able to rent pumps. > > Anyone know what is going on at Medela?> > Tina BC, CLC> working on clinical hours towards July11 exam> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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