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This post is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps but all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. Disclosure.

You could read tons of breast pump reviews and still not know which is the best breast pump! Picking out a breast pump is so daunting isn’t it? If you are going to need to pump daily, it’s especially overwhelming because chances are that you are going to use it a few hundred times and spends hours of your life with it. Plus, if this is the first time you are using a pump, it can be difficult to even know which criteria are most important for you!

This post is designed to:

• Help you compare breast pumps
• Learn which pump might be best for your unique situation

As a mom blogger who is breastfeeding for the second time, I have been able to test out many pumps and this post summarizes what I’ve learned about each. I’ll try to keep it to the point so feel free to comment below if you have a question that I didn’t address!

LET’S START WITH A BREAST PUMP COMPARISON TABLE!

If you’re looking for some quick information about some of the most common pumps then here you go! One thing you’ll see in this table that you won’t usually find is the maximum suction strength of each pump (mmHg) and the noise level at maximum strength (dB). This should help you compare breast pumps using the features that are most important to you! For example, if finding a super strong or super quiet pump is important to you, then this table should help!

Keep in mind though that how efficient a pump is (how well it will pull milk out) is not JUST related to the suction strength. The suction pattern (how it sucks) and the duration of each suck is a factor too and that’s hard to quantify.

A note about this table:

• The sound (dB) is my point in time estimation of the noise level and are most helpful when trying to compare the noise level of each. I got these measurements using an app on my phone while running the pumps at the highest level on my table. Pumps occasionally get louder or softer during their cycle and depending on what surface the pump is on. That said, I tried to test them all in a similar manner, in the same place, on the same table etc. The values are just my estimate and not an official number. The official decible level is likely slightly different for each. If knowing the exact dB level is critical, I recommend contacting the manufacturers.

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WHICH IS THE MOST QUIET BREAST PUMP?

One of the most common questions I see is “which is the most quiet pump?”. I’ve read tons of breast pump reviews but haven’t seen any describe the sound level of breast pumps in a “scientific” way. The reality is that most brands claim to be quiet but many aren’t… plus the sound some make can be very annoying! That’s why I decided to focus on how loud breast pumps are!

If you need to pump discretely or even pump in your office, having a quiet pump is going to be important!

The table above shows a sample noise level of each pump I own at their max suction that’s not as useful as actually hearing them right? So here’s a quick video of each pump!https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hf1hh0WLjqs?rel=0

SO WHICH BREAST PUMP IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

BEST VALUE BREAST PUMP

If you are looking for the best all-around breast pump that has a little of everything, then the Motif Duo is the breast pump you are looking for! The suction strength is comparable to the most popular breast pumps and it’s extremely similar to the Medela Freestyle with one big difference … It’s fully covered by many insurance plans and the out-of-pocket cost (if needed) is nearly half that of the Medela Freestyle! With the Motif Duo you get good suction strength, it’s quiet, and it’s battery powered!

For an in-depth review of the Motif Duo click the button below:

Does your insurance company cover the Motif Duo? Click here to find out!

BEST BREAST PUMP FOR WORK (DESK JOBS)

Do you work in an office environment and need a strong but comfortable breast pump? Do you have someplace you could store your pump overnight without having to bring it home? If so, then the Spectra S2PLUS pump is the one for you!

But before I get into that, be sure to read my post on preparing to pump at work when you’re done with this one for great tips and even a downloadable schedule and calculator!

Most moms find the Spectra S2PLUS to be gentle. I think this is because of “how” it sucks but also because you are able to control the suction strength and suck duration. This gives you full control on how it feels and most pumps don’t have this option.

As far as I can tell, the Spectra S2PLUS also has the strongest suction strength of the pumps offered by most medical supply companies like Aeroflow Breastpumps. This means that it’s likely the strongest breast pump covered by insurance! 300 mmHq is a seriously strong pump!

The one downside is that it is fairly large and it’s not battery powered, so this breast pump is best if you can leave it at work and not have to take it home every night and if you don’t need to pump on the go.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPECTRA S2PLUS

BEST BREAST PUMP FOR STAY AT HOME MOMS (WHO DON’T NEED TO PUMP OFTEN)

If you are are on maternity leave and want to start building a freezer stash, or are a stay at home mom and won’t need to pump often, then the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pumps are ideal for you! With the Haakaa pumps, you won’t need to plug anything in, it’s completely silent, non-electric, and is easy to use while you nurse!

Think of it as a hands-free manual breast pump! There are a few different models but all are made of just one or two pieces which also makes them really easy to clean!

The one pictured above (the 3rd generation) has the strongest suction of the Silicone Breast Pumps and it also serves as a bottle too! The one with the suction base is from a previous generation but is cheaper.

I wouldn’t recommend using JUST this pump if you need to pump to replace multiple meals a day BUT if you want to pump a couple extra ounces a day or need to pump the occasional bottle to get a few minutes to yourself, then it’s amazing! I still use it every morning even though I also pump in the office.

READ ABOUT HAAKAA PUMPS & WATCH MY VIDEO!

BEST PORTABLE BREAST PUMP FOR DISCRETE PUMPING ON-THE-GO?

What if you need to pump in public or just don’t feel comfortable using standard flanges? Then the Freemie Liberty pump is for you! It fits under your shirt (in your bra) which makes it especially discrete! Just wear a loose shirt and maybe a scarf and you can pump while running errands!

It’s also super quiet so no one will hear you pumping – You can even bump into a friend while running errands and they won’t know! The ONE downside of this pump is that since it fits in your shirt, it can be hard to see if your nipple is aligned correctly or if your milk has stopped flowing. With some practice though, this won’t be an issue!

That said… Freemie makes inserts for their flanges called FitMie and they will help you adjust the size of the cups to fit almost any nipple size! See them here.Try the Freemie Libery!

CAN YOU USE DISCRETE FREEMIE CUPS WITH A DIFFERENT PUMP?

Yes! You can use the Freemie cups with almost any other pump including the other pumps listed in this post!

Click these links/images to find the cups that are right for your pump!

For the cups that are compatible with Medela pumps (and others), click the image below:

For the cups compatible with Spectra and other pumps, click the image below:

 WHAT’S THE BEST BREAST PUMP IF YOU GET CLOGGED DUCTS A LOT?

Getting clogged ducts can be extremely uncomfortable. Getting mastitis is even worse! If you get either, having a strong pump is so important. For these moms, the Baby Buddha pump is amazing! It is the strongest pump that I have come across and it has some really long and strong sucks! I love having it on hand for clogged ducts and I know so many of the moms who have tried out this new pump swear by it! It’s strong….this is not for the faint-hearted!

This pump isn’t yet available through a medical supply company so it’s not covered by insurance but it’s well worth the price because of how strong and portable it is! I would strongly recommend first getting an insurance-covered pump (if you have insurance) but also getting this one if you worry about supply, being able to pump enough milk, worry about getting clogged ducts or mastitis. (For more on clogged ducts and mastitis, click here.

This pump is so popular that it is often out of stock! So…. you can buy it from two places…

Click here and order it from Target!

Click here to order it from Amazon! (My top pick)

WHAT ABOUT THE MEDELA PUMPS?

The Medela Pump In Style is a pretty standard pump. I used it until my first son was almost 11 months old and I had enough milk in my freezer to carry him until he was 12 months old! It works just fine BUT some of these other pumps are a bit better and I’m glad to have them this time around!

The Medela Freestyle is great too but it’s a bit pricey and I haven’t heard of anyone getting it 100% covered by insurance. So, given that the Motif Duo is so similar, I would recommend the Motif Duo over the Medela Freestyle.

That said, if you only have access to one of these two Medela pumps, you’ll still be doing just fine! I have used both and was able to successfully breastfeed as long as my little boy and I chose.

So, what do you think? Do you have any questions that I haven’t answered? Post a comment below if you have something to add or have a question. I hope this helped!Click here to check out my other breastfeeding related posts!

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