Why You Should Swap Your Manual Pump for The Best Wearable Breast Pump

As a first time mom, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed my baby. Nourishing my baby’s growing body with healthy nutrients has always been super important to me. Like many other first time moms, I learned lots of lessons as I entered motherhood. Some the easy way and other lessons were learned the hard way. Like the best way to breastfeed my little one. 

THIS POST IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ELVIE. MEANING I RECEIVED FREE PRODUCT AND COMPENSATION. ALL VIEWS AND OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. KNOW THAT I ONLY POST ABOUT SITES AND PRODUCTS THAT I THINK WOULD BE IMMENSELY HELPFUL AND THAT I HAVE USED MYSELF.

Fast forward to today and I now have two healthy, strong, and beautiful babies. I have had the best experience breastfeeding both of my little darlings. So whether you are on the hunt for the best breast pump for working moms or stay-at-home moms, there is one breast pump I highly recommend. The Elvie Pump. It has been a huge blessing. So much so that I used this pump with both of my kids.

My biggest mistake was initially opting for a traditional breast pump that requires being connected to a wall outlet. It felt so restrictive. Like many moms, I had a laundry list of things on my to do list, and being tethered to the wall for 20 minutes a session was a major pain. Learn from my mistake and just invest in this electric pump from the start. You will be so thankful. AND productive!

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Best Wearable Breast Pump

First Time Mom Tips

• Clean & sanitize your pump- The hub contains electronics so this part definitely needs to be kept dry! Cleaning it with a clean damp cloth will get the job done. The washable pump parts should be properly washed after each pump session.
  
  Wash them in cold water first. Next, wash them with dishwashing soap in warm water. In cold water, rinse the soap off all the washable pump parts. It is worth mentioning that they can also be washed in the dishwasher.
  
  Elvie recommends sterilizing the pump parts once a day. Simply boil the washable parts in water for 5 minutes.
• Become familiar with your pump- I highly recommend that you become familiar with your pump before using it. I will admit that after unboxing I was very intimidated by this pump. But after taking the time to learn how to operate the pump and playing with it myself, I figured it out pretty quickly.
• Invest in a double pump- You can order a single pump if you want, but I suggest buying the double pump. I had an oversupply with both my kids, so having a double pump handy was a major help. Even if you don’t have an oversupply, pumping both breasts at the same time is the way to go.
• Download the app- DO IT! This was a game-changer for me. After having my first baby, I had to return to work after 3 months. I was a teacher before becoming a stay-at-home mom, so multi-tasking was crucial. The app seamlessly connects to your pump, keeps track of your pumping history, and saves your preferred pumping settings. My favorite part is that it detects when the bottles are full and will automatically shut off. Because when you are in the middle of something and can’t fully pay attention to your pump, it will do it for you.
• Buy milk storage bags in bulk- Whether you are a working mama or a stay-at-home mama, you will appreciate having storage bags. They make building your freezer stash so easy.
• Use breast pads- Leaking is inevitable. Breast pads will save you from leaking into your bra and shirt.
• Ensure the shields fit just right- Pumping with the wrong size flange is a nightmare. The shields have lines and if they fit properly the outside of your nipples should line up with these lines. For additional information about flange sizing, read more here.

Reasons I Decided to Use an Electric Pump

1. Freedom

The idea of breaking free from the wall outlet was motivating in itself. After being chained for a few months, I knew I needed freedom. I craved it. Enough was enough. Pumping with a traditional breast pump honestly made me feel like I was in timeout. I was so over it.

2. Smart Features

The pumping rhythm feature is super helpful. It is customizable and is supportive of sensitive nipples and heavier let-downs. While using the app, you have a few smart pumping options. Multi-switch is great for power pumping, express and collect is wonderful for heavier let-downs, and slow and gentle mode is excellent for those with sensitive nipples.

3. Discreet

I really appreciate how discreet this pump is. Being able to pump while at work, with company at the house, or on the go means the world. There is no reason why pumping should interfere with your schedule. I would always pump around other people, and no one ever knew.

4. Great for Multi-Tasking

Since I had an oversupply with both of my babies I NEEDED to pump to get some relief. My husband was only able to take a week off from work so it just wasn’t practical for me to pump with anything other than an electric pump. Especially after having my second baby. I needed to be able to tend to my newborn and toddler AND be able to move around the house freely to do whatever I needed to do.

5. Highly Recommended

Before pulling the trigger and buying this breast pump I did a lot of research. I wanted to be sure that I chose the best wearable breast pump and that it is worth the money. After all, they are not cheap. My other mom friends recommended that I give this pump a try and I never looked back.

My Experience Using Elvie as a Working Mom

I had my daughter in December. At the time, I was an elementary school teacher and was given 3 months off for maternity leave. This meant that I returned to work in March to finish out the school year, which ended in June. 

Returning to work after 3 short months was the hardest thing ever. I probably don’t have to tell you that mama.

Even though I knew workplaces had to give breastfeeding moms time to pump, I did not have much faith that my leadership team would carve out coverage on a daily basis to ensure that I could pump.

Here is why I did not have faith in my boss giving me time to pump. During the third trimester, I found out that I had gestational diabetes. With that came stress and lots of doctor’s appointments. This meant that there were days when I had to leave work early to make it to my appointments. Leadership was supposed to provide coverage, but there were many times when I was late to leave because they did not follow through. I waited for them to frantically (and at the last minute) assign a substitute to my class. 

So before heading back to work, I started researching the best wearable breast pumps. Finding a discreet and reliable electric pump became increasingly important to me. I bought the Elvie Pump and quickly learned that this was the best investment I’d made in a long time. Sadly I knew that I could not rely on anyone else to give me what I needed, what my daughter needed.

The time had finally come for me to return to work after maternity leave. I was right about my bosses not making pumping a priority. Someone was supposed to show up to my class so I could excuse myself to pop in my pump and then again twenty minutes later so I could remove my pump and store my milk. Luckily I made arrangements for the teacher next door to keep an eye on my class while I quickly left to pop in and out my pump because my boss did not support me. Again.

I was so glad I went with my instinct and bought the Elvie pump before returning to work. Relying on a traditional pump would have been impossible. Being able to pump enough milk to feed my daughter was vital. This pump made it so I did not have to rely on anyone to provide nutrition for my growing baby. And that meant everything to me as a busy working mom. 

My Experience Using Elvie as a Stay-at-Home Mom

After the school year ended, I became a stay-at-home mom. I knew I wanted to spend every single day taking care of my kids. I didn’t want to miss a thing. And we knew we wanted to be blessed with another.

I had my second baby last month and I had an oversupply again. So even though I was breastfeeding, I also needed to pump in between sessions to get some relief. There was no question. 

Plus, I like having milk in the freezer ready to grab when Nana and Grandpa are watching the kids or when this mama needs a break and hubby gets to take a turn to feed him.

This time around I knew exactly what pump I was going to use. No research was necessary. 

This pump was insanely helpful as a stay-at-home mom with a super active toddler and brand new baby. I was able to pump while vacuuming, playing with my babies, during diaper changes, you name it. 

If I had company over, discreetly pumping was not an issue.

Is Elvie worth it?

100%. The only thing I regret buying was a manual pump to begin with. As a first time mom who was naive and did not thoroughly research breast pumps soon enough, I wish I invested in this pump sooner. 

Nothing compares to the Elvie wearable breast pump.

My daughter has a tongue tie and a lip tie and nursing her was a huge challenge. So having an electric pump that was gentle made a tremendous difference.

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