Medela Shares Why It Phased Out Bottles in Commitment to Breastfeeding

“Fed is best” may be the most repeated phrase in today’s baby-feeding world. But despite the spread of this open and encouraging sentiment, conversations around infant feeding remain deeply personal, emotional and often divided. What looks like support for one parent can feel like a slight to another.

The latest flashpoint? Medela’s decision to discontinue its bottles and teats, citing a “commitment to breastfeeding.” The move has sparked strong reactions from parents, lactation consultants and feeding specialists who say it risks sending the wrong message about what real feeding support looks like. Below Medela responds to their concerns and explains why their decision was made.

Why Medela Discontinued Feeding Bottles and Teats

In a statement released in mid-July, the popular brand known for its pumps and breastfeeding support materials shared that it had decided to discontinue bottles and teats to “reflect our unwavering commitment to prioritizing breastfeeding and lactation support” and “ensure alignment with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes.”

The WHO standards, first established in 1981, are a global public health framework designed to protect and promote breastfeeding. It discourages the marketing of breast milk substitutes, including formula, bottles and teats to ensure parents can make informed choices free from commercial pressure. While not legally binding, many countries have adopted the Code into law or national policy, and companies that align with it are expected to limit the promotion of alternative feeding products.

So why the sudden shift? Medela’s Global Director of Medical Affairs & Clinical Education, Angela Lang, DNP-CNS, CNL, RN, C-OQNS, IBCLC, told The Bump that this change reflects an evolution of the brand’s long-term goal to support breastfeeding through education. “The stipulations of the code make it so we can’t educate healthcare providers if we have products under the scope of the code,” she said. “We believe that’s the most important thing we can be doing—to help those providers support moms in the earliest days of breastfeeding.”

Lang emphasized that this educational role is especially crucial in hospital settings, where its Symphony pumps are widely used. “The first 48 hours are really tough for new parents,” Lang added. “We want to ensure that every healthcare provider has the knowledge and tools to guide moms through that window because moms and babies are at the center of everything we do. And for us, that meant stepping away from bottles and teats to remove that barrier.”

All other products outside of bottles and teats will remain on the market including the brand’s contact nipple shields, supplemental nursing systems and all of their breast care products.

What Parents and Feeding Pros Are Saying

The announcement drew swift reactions from parents and feeding experts, many of whom have long relied on Medela products. “I was saddened, disappointed, and confused by Medela’s announcement,” Jessica Enderle, RD, LD, a mom of two and infant feeding specialist at Baby Food and Fun, told The Bump.

Enderle, like many mothers, used Medela bottles to feed both of her children and finds the discontinuation distressing, especially for those who may still in the process of feeding. “I initially started pumping breast milk to return to work at 8 weeks postpartum and I continued to pump breast milk/ combo feed for the next 5 months,” she added.

“Claiming that these changes are meant to better support breastfeeding feels both undermining and hypocritical when you’re simultaneously discontinuing production and sales of a key tool in infant feeding,” Enderle said. “Quite frankly, it feels like a bit of a slap in the face to my friends I know who are exclusively pumping. I think the nuance here is that bottle feeding and breastfeeding aren’t opposing choices. They often coexist, and supporting both is essential. It feels like Medela missed that mark in this announcement.”

Medela acknowledged that the emotional response the announcement generated. “I totally understand why some parents feel hurt or confused,” Lang said. “As a lactation consultant and a mother who pumped, I know firsthand how personal feeding choices are.”

Breastfeeding advocates like Danielle Facey MSc, the founder of The Breastfeeding Mentor, while encouraged by the brand’s decision initially, also expressed concerns with the way the announcement was made. “When I first saw Medela’s announcement, I felt a quiet sense of hope. It’s rare to see a major company publicly aligning with the WHO Code, and I thought, perhaps naively, that this might be a sign of real ethical intent. Medela has named ethics as their reason, and I want to honour that,” she told The Bump.

“At the same time, the cynic in me, and in many of the parents I’ve spoken with, wonders if this decision was also driven by commercial strategy. Bottles likely bring in less profit than pumps - and stepping away from them could help Medela position itself more cleanly as a breastfeeding-focused brand,” Facey said. Lang said the decision to remove bottles and teats from the market didn’t have anything to do with the quality, safety or profitability of the bottles themselves.

Others see the controversy as a needed starting point. “I think this is a fascinating conversation and I am glad that we are having it,” Francie Webb, IBCLC, a lactation consultant behind Go Milk Yourself, told The Bump. “I’m always glad for an opportunity for us to assess and reassess, reexamine really what it looks like to support people feeding babies. Not just support people who are breastfeeding, but support people who are breastfeeding and bottle feeding and combination feeding.”

What Parents Worried About Bottle Discontinuation Can Do

For parents who have relied on Medela bottles, the change may feel like more than just a product discontinuation. “While other companies offer bottles and nipples and the change may not seem like a huge change in that sense, Medela breast pumps are some of the most commonly used in hospitals and are often a first brand that parents come to know regarding infant feeding. By not providing additional options of bottles/nipples available for purchase separately, it feels like a break in the system as a whole,” Enderle said.

Facey agrees, noting that for many, Medela is more than just a brand. “They’re familiar, trusted, and integrated into complex feeding routines,” she said. “For someone who has worked hard to express milk around the clock, while navigating sleep deprivation or medical complications, this feels like a loss that goes far beyond a product line. It touches something deeper. Even though other brands exist, this decision has landed as a symbol—a reminder of how easily certain feeding journeys can be overlooked and undervalued.”

Medela clarified that while bottles and teats will no longer be available for purchase online, nothing is changing about its hospital kits. “We’ve never included teats in our hospital pump kits,” Lang shared. “Parents will still receive the same breast pump system and storage containers they’ve always had. Hospitals typically choose their own feeding bottles.”

As for alternatives, both experts point to a number of bottles with similar features, including wide-neck designs that work with certain pumps. Enderle recommends Lansinoh, Evenflo and Pigeon as reliable options—many of which also have compatible pump systems. She also notes that Medela bottles are compatible with disposable nipples and rings from Similac and Enfamil.

“I would always recommend checking with a lactation consultant or breastfeeding counselor who understands your specific needs, especially if you’re trying to maintain your supply or protect your feeding rhythms,” Facey adds.

Support for Every Path to Feeding

For parents feeling disappointed or left behind by Medela’s decision, experts offer validation, reassurance and a reminder that feeding choices are never one-size-fits-all.

“We like to make these things very black and white—but the truth is, we’re all living in the gray area,” Webb said. Medela’s decision to discontinue bottles isn’t inherently wrong, just as no single feeding method—whether combo-feeding, formula feeding, exclusive nursing or pumping—is universally right or wrong.

“I see you. I hear your frustration, and I understand how disheartening this might feel. For many of you, Medela bottles were how you made breastfeeding possible,” Facey said. "I want to remind anyone disheartened by this message that every drop of breast milk contains a broad range of nutritional, hormonal and immunological benefits—however your little one is fed.”

Enderle echoes the need for inclusive support. “We should be able to support breastfeeding without undercutting families who use bottles, whether by choice or necessity. I hope this announcement becomes a catalyst for broader conversations about what true feeding support looks like: informed, inclusive and realistic. Parents deserve support, tools and science-backed decisions/policy.”

For Medela, the decision wasn’t about choosing one feeding method over another, but about doing everything they can to support parents where they are. “At the end of the day, 85% of moms come to the hospital wanting to breastfeed. So it’s up to us to ensure that they have all the support they can to fulfill their breastfeeding goals—and however they do it, we’re 100% behind them,” Lang said.