Electric Breast Pump

Update: Still using this pump now with baby #2, and the #1 annoyance is that the tubes fall off about a dozen times during each session. They are heavy and there are no secure ends so the tubes just push straight on, and they slip off over and over again. Incredibly annoying, can't move or so anything without them falling off. Definitely need a redesign on those. I am a 9 month nearly exclusive pumper with a kid who occasionally nurses. Thusfar I've only used a Medela Pump InStyle Advanced or a Medela Symphony at the hospital. I liked both pumps well enough, but as time has dragged on, my supply has eventually started going down some, and I've just gotten tired of pumping. I have seen the Spectra pump mentioned in several places lately, with good reviews, so I finally decided it was time to invest in a second pump. The first question was - shell out the extra money for the rechargeable battery, or not? I am used to siting in certain spots, plugged in for hours a day. I was very tempted to save the money. But - I am SO glad I got the one with the battery. The portability of this thing is one of the biggest perks. I never realized how much easier and convenient it is to be able to just stand up and walk somewhere else with my pump without being tied down to an electrical outlet. If in any way possible, splurge on the S1 instead of the S2. I usually plug it back in to charge after every pumping session, so I haven't tested the limits of the battery, but it works just fine so far. I can't tell a difference in suction between it being plugged in or not plugged in. It's QUIET. I love it. I can hear conversations over it. I can hear music or TV over it. I can make phone calls or use the conference room without being embarrassed that people hear my pump running. It doesn't wake my family up when I use it at night. Most other electric pumps are LOUD. That being said, this one does vibrate, which is amusing. If it's on the bed, the whole bed vibrates a little bit. Also, if it's on a table and it's not 100% flat and secure, it can actually vibrate out of place or fall off of a surface. Not a problem for most people probably unless you have it on a narrow spot or the edge of a table or shelf. It has a light. You may think this is a small thing. In the bleary eyed hours of the night, the light is fantastic. It is easy to find the button to turn it on, and just bright enough that you can pump without turning any other lights on in the room. Love it. Hated always turning lights on to pump in the past (or using flash lights.) Adjustable! I love the variety of suction and speed options. So much more customizable than other pumps. This one feels better than others I have tried. It sort of pulses/vibrates, and is a bit more gentle than other pumps. No milk in the tubing - one of the issues I had with Medela was that occasionally milk would get in the tubing and it was a pain in the butt to clean it out. This pump prevents milk backing up. It seems like the tubing also does not gather condensation, (at least so far) which is nice because mold was a concern with other pumps. No milk spilling! The Medela also annoyed me because if I leaned slightly over, I spilled milk every where. I did this over and over. The system here is much more closed, so milk does not spill if you move around. Great! Now for what could be better: It starts in expression mode. There are 2 modes - a letdown mode and an expression mode. Letdown is soft and fast. Expression is slow and hard. I don't know why anyone would want the pump to BEGIN in a slow, hard pump. It's unpleasant for the first pumps to be hard before I hit the button to switch over to the letdown phase. The machine should start in letdown phase. The letdown phase has no self-timer. Other pumps usually have a limited letdown phase and then automatically switch to expression. This one will stay in letdown phase forever until you manually change it. This one annoys me because I will forget what phase I am in when I am multitasking and realize I've spent the whole session in letdown phase - which doesn't release nearly as much milk. I wish it would automatically switch over after a few minutes. Hard to find accessories - can't find the bottles or flanges or parts in stores, only online on their website, which is inconvenient. I usually like to keep spare parts because I pump 5-6 times a day and hate washing over and over. I also pump at work and at home, so it's nice to keep extra sets at work. Parts are expensive. A new set of 2 flanges/bottles/backwash protectors runs about $45 which is pretty pricey compared to other pumps. So many parts - there's probably no way around this, but with the backwash protectors, there are so many parts to take apart, clean, dry and put back together that it's a little annoying. And with several of the parts being clear, I have misplaced them a few times and had to go hunting. I wish they were coloured to see easier. And yet... the flanges are one piece. Other pumps have flanges that are interchangeable... these flanges are one piece that connects to the bottle. What this means is you have to stretch the hole out on your hands free bra to get the flange in, instead of sliding a narrow bit through the inside. Over time this will probably wear a bra out faster. Also makes it harder to clean the flange because you can't really get into the interior section. And you can't buy different flanges from other companies to use as spare parts/better fit (i.e. pumpin pals.) Flanges too short. I don't like that the flanges are so much shorter than the flanges of other pumps. Width limitations. The flanges come in a standard 24mm, which is a normal medium size. The next size up is 28mm, which has to be purchased separately. The smaller size is 21mm which also has to be purchased separately. I wish there was something in between 24 and 28. It's a big difference. Bottom line: It's a very nice pump, I would recommend it to all my friends. I think there could be some tweaks made to make it even better, but it's still worth buying as it is now.