Medela Calma - a review

The idea seemed cool - a teat that was designed for breastfeeding babies so that they can use bottle and still doesn't end up with nipple confusion.

I got my Calma teat along with the Freestyle my husband bought for me last year. I only introduced bottle after one month of exclusive breastfeeding. I feel it is important not to introduce bottle within the first 4 weeks of birth, if you have no medical reasons to do so. This is mainly because, the first few weeks of breastfeeding is the most crucial part of breast milk supply establishment. 

Yes, it's challenging. But persevere. :)

So, I started my bottle feeding experience with Medela Calma - which costs RM85 in the market today.

At first, I was definitely attracted by the fact it is recommended by lactation consultants for breastfed children. I read reviews on Amazon (and even thought of getting a second set) before starting to use it. Some people reviewed that their babies choked on this teat. Some claim it was the only thing that worked for them. 

For me, my baby accepted the teat just fine. She had problems with it first - like choking on the gush of milk. The teat works by the means of vacuum - the baby has to suck to create vacuum to get the milk flowing. But that's where it stops in comparison to breast feeding. When the baby stops sucking, the milk kept flowing until the vacuum runs out. So babies are forced to drink when all they wanted to do was pause.

Since my baby was only 1 month old when I gave her this teat, she had trouble swallowing the heavy gush of milk. In the end, a lot of breast milk just went down her neck instead of her throat. Also, the amount of work she has to put in the get the milk is far more difficult and tiring than getting the milk from the breast itself. In no way I see this teat can be compared to breastfeeding.

Often, it is also a challenge to get the bottle to be completely empty as possible. This is because you have to keep repositioning the flow hole so that the last few millilitres of milk could flow to the baby's mouth. But then, it is almost always difficult to see the hole. If you're planning to send the baby to daycare, then it requires a lot of training for the caregiver to properly use this teat, else you risk losing A LOT of breast milk just because the flow hole wasn't positioned properly and the milk doesn't get to the baby. This was my #1 concern and frustration - anything that makes my breast milk to go to waste raises a loud alarm bell in my head.

Also, my baby takes just 5 minutes to finish 3 ounces of milk with this teat. At one month, she used to breastfeed for at least 40 minutes. So 5 minutes on the bottle is REALLY fast. She was literally gulping the milk. This is not a good thing.

The bottle is not anti-colic. Period.

Finally, disassembling, washing and assembling it again was another chore to add to your list. The teat has a silicone nipple (which was long and hard), and some other "layers" of parts to clean and assemble each time. It was just a hassle.

I stopped using Calma at 2 months old mainly because I couldn't see my baby choke on the milk each time anymore. She struggles and when she's really hungry she gets frustrated for not being able to get the milk out. It was much easier to get milk letdown on my breast than using Calma. I'm glad I did not make the decision to purchase a second set. It's just too pricey and the so-called technology that went into it is just marketing gimmick.

I finally bought Pigeon bottle with Peristaltic Plus nipple at M size which has Y-cut nipple. It works much simpler that Calma, cheaper, easier to clean and my baby doesn't choke on it. The milk flow pauses when my baby pauses and the breast milk leftover is just so little.

If you're looking to purchase Calma to replace some other bottle you have been using, then skip this product. Give the teat a try if you got it free - who knows you might like it. I wouldn't really recommend the teat if you need to pay money for it.