I Tried These Three Breast Pumps And Found My Favorites

Alright, so this was my first-ever breast pump that I tried after coming home from the hospital. The one good thing about this pump is that it was covered under my insurance. It also came in my favorite color, pink! One thing I love about The Spectra is that it comes with a light, which is perfect for those middle-of-the-night pumping sessions. It also comes with a variety of settings, which is helpful to cater to each momma. Now here are the downsides: it takes a bit to set up. I mean there’s tubes, the flanges, and these little suction cups that always seemed to fall off at the most inconvenient times. Not to mention, being attached to this pump made me feel like a real life milk machine. I felt like a cyborg. And on top of all of that, I never pumped beyond 1 ounce per boob. Now while that is the average most mommas will get from a session, I’ve gotten loads more from other pumps. Needless to say, this is now sitting in my baby’s room collecting dust.

This is a must-have. It is my favorite! After you’ve been breastfeeding for a while, you may notice that if your baby is on one boob, the other boob starts to leak. After too many soaked bras and worrying if I’ll get an infection from just sitting in wetness, I decided to invest in the Haakaa to use as a collector. Meaning, I’d put this on the other boob to collect any milk that’d drip out. I didn’t realize I was literally leaving ounces on the table! What’s even better is that the Haakaa is perfect for tandem pumping, which is what I do now. So this little silicon cup can actually suction your other breast and creates a constant suction. While breastfeeding my babe, I’ve gotten three ounces and even got four ounces once. It also saves time. Right after giving birth I always felt like something was on my boob—so annoying! But with the Haakaa, my breastpumping sessions became super efficient because I did them at the same time as feeding. It’s also great if I wouldn’t be home for a while. The Haakaa is super small and fits into my clutches. With no tubes or set up, I’d also breastfeed in the car (while driving!) and even in bathroom stalls at movie screenings, weddings and just about anywhere. Talk about convenient. And I didn’t even mention the super low cost.

So the Willow Pump, which boasts being super quiet and wearable (yes mommas, it fits in your nursing bras!), is my favorite addition. When I began breastfeeding at work, my nerves got the best of me. Although it was super easy to let down (when your milk is released from your ducts) at home, letting down at work in a cold Mother’s Room was super difficult. But when I began using the Willow Pump, my let down happened within minutes. Now here are the drawbacks: It’s dumb expensive! It currently retails at nearly $500. It’s also a bit tricky to start using the product, so I suggest taking them up on their experts, who you can Facetime. They teach you how to use the pump, and were even available afterwards via text for any last-minute questions. Once you know how, and have downloaded the complementary app, it gets super easy to use and even wear. I haven’t been bold enough to wear it outside of the house, but I’ve worn it around the house. I’ve even worn it while doing the dishes; making life super convenient. Another downside is that it’s sometimes hard to know if milk is actually coming out. So I’ve started using the Haakaa in tandem with the Willow. I know that if milk is being released in my Haakaa then it definitely should be coming down into the Willow Pump, which you can’t see unless you release the suction. But what makes Willow a winner is that it also, for me, stimulated multiple let downs! That’s never happened with any other pump I’ve used. And any momma knows, multiple let downs means even more milk. With the Willow, I’m confident that I can pump for at least a year, which I now plan to do.