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As a mom of 2, I’ve collected quite a few breast pumps, including getting ones through insurance for each baby and purchasing some on my own. With my first baby, I honestly didn’t put much thought into choosing a breast pump. I planned to mostly breastfeed, so I picked one that seemed popular and would “get the job done.” Around six months in, our feeding journey shifted, and I found myself pumping much more than I had expected and getting a different pump anyway.
By the time my second came along, I quickly became an exclusive pumping mom. That change pushed me to spend a lot more time researching breast pumps and learning what actually matters when you spend so much time using the pump. When pumping becomes such a big part of your routine, having the right breast pump for you and your lifestyle really makes a difference.
Over time, I’ve learned that there isn’t one perfect breast pump—at least not for me. Different pumps shine in different situations, and that’s what led me to try several and figure out which ones work best in each situation.
How I’m Rating Each Breast Pump
Each breast pump will be evaluated on comfort, suction strength, reliability, portability, noise level, and ease of cleaning. These are the categories that I take into account when thinking about what breast pump I want to use. I will rate each pump on a scale of 5 stars.
Willow 3.0 (now Willow 360)
When/How I Used it:
- Pump I got through insurance (paid some for) and used occasionally while primarily breastfeeding my first child. Then, it became a backup pump when I exclusively pumped with my second.
What I liked:
- Can pump directly into a bag, which makes the pump leak-proof
- Collection cup option (additional cost)
- Easy to take on the go
- Easy-to-use app that can show how much milk you have pumped and your settings
What I did NOT like:
- Learning curve for “flip to finish” once done pumping to get milk out of the Flextube
- Bulky, couldn’t hide too well under shirt
- Only 3 buttons on it, so had to use app to see information about pump
- Had to troubleshoot a lot (mostly with the reusable containers)
- Expensive replacement parts and had to pay extra for reusable containers
Would I use it again?
- Maybe, if I wanted to pump directly into a bag and be leak-proof.
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I feel the Willow 3.0 is fairly strong and it empties me quickly for a wearable breast pump. It is a little bulky and still fits in your bra, however, it is noticeable. It’s also not one of the quietest pumps, especially when it is starting to suction. The pump is easy to fit in your bag to bring with you on the go. The setup to use with the bags you pump into is super easy to clean and only has 2 parts. The reusable collection cups are a little more challenging to clean with more pieces and some hard-to-reach places.
The biggest thing that makes this a 3 out of 5-star breast pump for me, is that it is not always reliable. With that being said, it was more unreliable with the collection cups. The “Flip to Finish” aspect was another part that was challenging. I essentially had to learn how to correctly flip the pump once I was finished to get all the milk out of the Flextube. This resulted in milk being spilled a few times, but got easier as I figured it out.
You can find the Willow 360 here.
Pumpables Genie Advanced
When/How I Used it:
- I got this breast pump during my transition to exclusively pumping with my first and then used it as my primary pump with my second.
What I liked:
- Considered to be stronger than a wearable
- Portable
- LED screen that tells you settings, time you’ve spent pumping and battery life
- Multiple levels of letdown mode and expression mode
- Silicone flanges, with a design to cut down on the number of parts (duckbill is built into the flange/tube
- Comes with a lanyard and a clip to ease portability
What I did NOT like:
- Had to get the motor replaced halfway through my exclusive pumping journey, however they did replace it as quickly as they could since it was still under warranty. (Still took almost 5 days though)
- The tubing is a little long and would catch on things while trying to do things while pumping. But I cut them shorter and that solved the problem.
Would I use it again?
- Yes, I plan on it being my primary pump with my third baby. I loved using it with the Medela Collection Cups, which made it a lot easier to pump while doing other things.
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The liquid shield kit it comes with very comfortable silicone flanges. You pick the flange size so it fits you correctly. The liquid shield kits are designed to have fewer parts to clean and that definitely stands out. You can also use other flanges or collection cups, which is one of my favorite parts of the pump. I will even take it with me on the go since the motor is small enough to fit in my hand and doesn’t take up a lot of room to transport. It is a generally quiet pump, and usually clipping it on my pants under a shirt can help conceal any noises even more.
You can find the Pumpables Genie Advanced here. (Not an affiliate)
Eufy S1
When/How I Used it:
- I used this as a secondary pump while being an exclusive pumper. I used it occasionally, mostly if I was on the go and knew I wouldn’t be pumping a lot since I did tend to overflow it.
What I liked:
- Heat technology
- Strong suction, emptied my pretty quickly
- App- control everything and had some preset programs
- Buttons on motors themselves to change settings
- Can buy with charging case
- Came with multiple flange inserts of different sizes
What I did NOT like:
- Expensive- to purchase in general and replacement parts/ to get an extra set of cups
- No display on pump themselves to show how long you have been pumping (but they do shut off after a certain amount of time)
- Holds 5oz- which I quickly fill up being an overproducer and with the heat setting it was hard sometimes to tell if it was overflowing
- Motors would sometimes work out of sync (noticeable in the beginning of the pumping session for me, but then I wouldn’t notice after a while)
Would I use it again?
- Yes, especially since it has the heat technology and I respond well to it. I also really liked the app and the preset programs.
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All the components of comfort, suction strength, portability, and ease of cleaning are there for this breast pump. The noise level was a little loud for a wearable breast pump and as an oversupplier is was easy to overflow the collection cup. But the heat technology and app help make up for that.
You can get this pump here.
Spectra S2
When/How I Used it:
- Used it as my primary pump for a week when my usual primary pump stopped working. I needed one that would definitely empty me out as an oversupplier, and this did the trick.
What I liked:
- Hospital grade strength
- Tends to have more of a vibration
- Lots of level options
- Built in light
- Can be used with any flange kit or collection cups
- Can tell you how many hours of pumping you have done on it
What I did NOT like:
- Only worked plugged into the wall
- When turned on, it starts at last setting, which could be surprising if you forget to turn it back down before your next pump session
- Bulky to store or bring with you to pump on the go when possible
Would I use it again?
- Only if I feel like something different that I know will be effective and I can be stationary
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The biggest thing with this breast pump was having to be attached to the wall, making it not portable really at all. Plus, you would need a decent-sized bag in order to lug it around with you. So its not imposible, but just a little impractical. Otherwise, comfort and ease of cleaning really depends on what flange set up you use. With it being a hospital-grade pump, the suction strength is great, with lots of different levels. It’s a bigger motor, so with that comes a little more noise.
You can get the Spectra S2 here. OR, you can get the version that is rechargeable (Spectra S1) here.
Madela Hand Pump
When/How I Used it:
- I used it mostly with my first while primarily breastfeeding if my baby wouldn’t eat much on one side. Sometimes I would use it as a quick way to get a pump in, if needed, when I was exclusively pumping.
What I liked:
- Quick to use
- Easy to clean with just a few parts
- Could use with most narrow neck bottles
- Could create any expression pattern you respond to best
What I did NOT like:
- Would tire my hand out after awhile
- Singular pump
Would I use it again?
- After using it with both babies, I have decided to try a different hand pump. But I would come back to it if I don’t like the new one I try.
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There really wasn’t anything wrong with this breast pump, besides having to manually pump it. But thats also kind of the point to have something quick to use where you can create your own pattern of expression. It is a single pump, so you have to do both sides separately. After a while, it would start to hurt my hand so I would have to take a break before switching sides.
It mostly came in handy, though, when I was doing more breastfeeding with my first, and my baby didn’t eat the greatest off one side. This was easy to grab and pump that one side quickly.
You can find this pump here.
Breast Pumps I Will be Trying in the Future
As I am expecting my 3rd baby soon, I will be trying out 2 new pumps. I got the Willow Go through insurance and I also purchased the Willow Wave manual pump to try. These are more of a “want” type of purchase for me. (The Willow Go was an insurance upgrade so I still had to pay a little for it.)
The Willow Go mainly drew me to it because of the 7oz collection cups that you can get. It is very inconvenient to have to really pay attention to your pumps within the first 5 minutes to watch if you’re going to overflow your pump. I will be having my baby in April, which means exclusively pumping during the summer. We are always out doing things and on the go during the summer, so I also wanted to try a new wearable pump in general.
The Willow Wave is new and one of the first of its kind, being a wearable in-bra manual pump. That alone made me want to try it. The handle also seems more comfortable to use and it’s still compact which seems easy to take on the go with you.
I plan to update this post once my baby is born and I get to use these pumps for a while. You can sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of this post to stay informed of any updates.
You can get the Willow Go here and the Willow Wave here.
I also have the Mommed S33 Luma on my radar. This pump has a built-in light, which I think would be very convenient to use for my middle of the night pumps. It is also a more affordable pump, so I am interested to see how it would compare to the other wearable pumps that I have.
Final Thoughts
Remember, each pump is different and you are gonna have your own thoughts about pumps, too. The best thing is to do your research and make the best decision you can. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that you won’t know how it will work for you until you try it.
If you’re interested in reading about the first few months of my exclusive pumping journey, you can find that blog post here.
