Breast Pump Reviews

I have a love-hate relationship with pumping.  I want to continue breastfeeding, so pumping is nonnegotiable.  Each baby has made this dreaded process easier and easier.  I have not only have more experience with the milk sucking machine, but I also have been able to experiment with different pumps along the way. 

If you are a first-time mom and can only afford one pump my recommendation is the Medela in style pump.  It is great on its own or you can add accessories to make your pumping session easier and more convenient.  My favorite accessory I’ve purchased is the Freemie cups.  My job doesn’t allow or easily accommodate pumping mothers and I often found myself pumping in front of my coworkers.  The Freemie cup allowed me to pump without people knowing I was.  I attached it to my Medela pump and place the cups straight down my shirt, turn the pump on, and go to town.  They easily pour out into milk storage bags and have very few parts to clean. 

If you are on your second pregnancy or can afford a second pump with your first, I hands down recommend getting the Willow pump.  It’s a great secondary pump because it’s convenient.  This high-tech pump is cordless, handsfree, and syncs to your smartphone.  As with most things, there are things I hate and things I love about this pump.

Positives are you can pump virtually anywhere.  I have pumped in the emergency room, in my car, while feeding my little, and while cooking dinner. I love that it’s synced to my phone because it tells me exactly how many ounces I’ve pumped.  The negatives are you must purchase the willow bags which if I pumped 4x per day I would spend around 80 dollars a month on bags.  It only holds 4 ounces of milk per side, so you must stop and put a new bag in before finishing your session.  Lastly, this pump has a learning curve.  I had to watch videos to understand how to do it correctly.  Overall though I am so glad I have the willow and feel blessed to have both pumps for different life circumstances.  Having kids is hard enough, we hope to simplify pumping, in turn simplifying motherhood.

Subscribe to the Freshen Your Life Podcast: