Product Spotlight: Breast Pumps

iiirene

S(+)TMs: Give us the pros and cons of what you have, or ask about what you want. What brand(s) have you used? Which one is best and why? Are you dreaming of any that are on the market now? Battery powered or outlet? What are the best accessories? How did you go about getting one through your insurance?

FTMs: What brands are you interested in? What questions do you have?

etnyah

STM:

I have the Spectra s2. That’s the one with an outlet, not a battery. It works well and I’m keeping it for this baby too, not thinking of getting another one. I used a website to get it through insurance, I can’t remember the name of it though! It was super easy, you just fill in all the info and they’ll ask you for anything else they might need, either you or your doctor will have it all. It’s smart to do this in the second trimester as it can take a few weeks.

Some general tips: if you work in an office, get two pumps so you don’t have the carry it back and forth every day. You can only get one for free through insurance, but many people give them away for free after they’re done with it so check your local Facebook groups. Then all you have to carry is bottles, flanges and tubes.

Get good flanges. The hard, angled plastic ones that come with most pumps are terrible. I got a size assortment from https://pumpinpal.com/ and they were a game changer.

Also, you will undoubtedly hear about the Haakaa. It’s a small, handheld manual pump a lot of people rave about. Try it, but it’s ok if you hate it. Yes, I figured out how to use it. Yes, I still loathe the thing. It made me obsessed with collecting every drop of milk from the boob my son wasn’t currently nursing, and then I’d fall asleep of exhaustion and forget to put the drops of milk collected away so I had to toss them anyway, which made me upset. Not every drop of milk needs to be saved, it’s okay to let the leakage go into a rag. If you have a decent supply, don’t stress about the haakaa.

nsk489

S(+)TMs: Give us the pros and cons of what you have, or ask about what you want. What brand(s) have you used? Which one is best and why? Are you dreaming of any that are on the market now? Battery powered or outlet? What are the best accessories? How did you go about getting one through your insurance?
I had the Spectra S1 and the Elvie. The Spectra S1 has a rechargeable battery so you don't have to be plugged into a wall. The Elvie is a wearable pump. For me, the Spectra worked best. I wanted to love the Elvie, but I honestly hated it. It leaked, it was hard to get positioned just right, the app was complete garbage, and sometimes they would turn off indicating they were full when they were not. There were many times that I had it on and it felt like it was right and sounded like it was working, then after 20 min I would find out it had pumped no milk 🙃
The best pump is one that works for you. Karrie Locher on Instagram has a fantastic write up of pretty much every pump on the market.
I got the Spectra from my sister (who was an exclusive pumper with both of her kids) and the Elvie through insurance. I contacted my insurance company and they gave me a list of pumps I could get, or said I could buy any pump I wanted and they would reimburse me up to $470. That's the route i ended up taking (the Elvie is normally $500 but I got it on sale).
Tip: make sure you measure to ensure you are using the proper size flanges. The hospital gave me flanges that were MUCH too big. I eventually figured out that I needed smaller ones and pumping went much better once I got ones that fit. Also you need to replace your parts (like the valves) every couple of months, depending on how much you pump.

Also adding you don't have to pump if you don't want to!! I triple fed (nursed, pumped, and gave bottle of pumped milk) for every feed for nearly 6 months. I felt like I had to do it. It was the most exhausting (both mentally and emotionally) experience. I finally started giving formula in addition to nursing and cut back on some of the pumping, and it was a game changer for me/my mental health.

etnyah

@nsk489 triple feeding for six months?? That’s beyond exhausting!! I did it for like a week when my supply dropped after I was sick and it was hell. You’re a hero.

abirdd9

I had Medela Pump in style advanced for my first 2 and a Spectra with my third. I preferred the Medela and I’ll get it again for this baby. 

I didn’t enjoy all the different combination of settings for the Spectra. It was confusing and I could never really tell what was right for me after having been so well acquainted with the Medela. I also respond easily to a pump so I didn’t need the settings to be highly customized.