Honorary mention
The Elvie Pump is $550: Elvis works fine, but it doesn’t do cool enough to guarantee such a high price. I saw the same results as the pump is cheaper, and it doesn’t function as a similarly priced Willow 3.0. However, the timer functions well, as are the fridge and freezer-ready bottles that are connected to the wearable pump.
Medela Pump style, priced at $209: This famous pump has great strength and is easy to use, but it is not portable. We’re excited that we love the upcoming new version of the wearable collection cup that Medela Freestyle loves, so it’s easier to wear (but still not portable).
Tommee Tippee made it for me for $148: The pump has a similar setup to the Elvie, but is cheap. However, the app is frustrating and there are more parts to the app than other pumps.
Lansinoh wearable milk pump for $200: Lansinoh’s pump comes in a wide variety of shield sizes, ranging from 21mm to 30.5mm, which is great (most pumps only have two to three sizes). I didn’t see this result, but it’s worth noting that this is the last one I tested and my son has started weaning.
How do I test my breast pump
I tested all of these pumps during my first year of my son’s life, most of which were in the second half of the year after the milk supply stabilized.
I use each pump continuously for at least 10 days. During those 10 days I judged how comfortable it was to wear and pump, how successful it was (I already know how much breast milk I would normally pump in classes), how easy it was to go from pump to storage system, and how easy it was to clean and dry it. I tried using several different bras to judge comfort (for example, Willow bra for wearable pumps, and Kindred Braverly’s Sublime Crossover Bra, Care Bra), while I tried using the standard pump from Momcozy’s basic pump.
Do you need to suck milk?
You may not be sure if you need a breast pump. It’s hard to know in advance whether to pump water, or even breastfeeding, will work for you and your baby. Even if you want to mostly breastfeed and don’t want to need a pump often, it can help build a milk supply in the early weeks; my lactation consultant recommends using a grandma pump in the first few weeks after discovering how low the water supply is after delivery. I mostly breastfeed until my son went to nursery when he was nine months old, but I often find myself using pumps to maintain milk supply, relieve milk, or feed my husband a bottle.
Check out our guide to learn how to buy a breast pump for more information about the type of pump you might want, what hospital-grade suction means, which nutritional pump is best for you, and whether insurance covers your pump.
