Part 2

Hey Y’all Hey! Kijan ou Ye! How are you doing?

It’s been a while but better late than never with part 2 of the pump life.

In part 1, I discussed my pumping struggles with exclusively pumping for four months to now pumping and feeding directly from the breast. If you haven’t read part 1, read it here before continuing on with part 2.

Related post:

The Pump Life | Pumping Struggles

Before returning to work in January, I was on maternity leave for 3 months and have a Medela pump at home which I love. Pumping hurts! Ever heard of that? Well let me tell you that pumping should not hurt! If it does hurt, then you are using the wrong flange size. It took me about 2 months to get use to the pump and finally realizing that I had to go up a flange size after all the weeks of enduring pain and sore and chapped nipples from pumping. Don’t be like me ladies, consult with your lactation support team before going in blindly with pumping.  

I was using my faithful Medela pump 24/7 at home. However, I realized that my very faithful Medela pump was not going to make the cut for me to travel with it to and from work every day.

My office space unfortunately does not have an extra room for me to pump in private. Thinking about this fact, caused me to do my research on wearable pumps. The decision came down to two wearable pumps that I found on the market, Willow and Elvie. Ultimately, I chose Elvie only because at the time Amazon only had Elvie in stock.

You may ask yourself if you have a doable pump at home which was free through my insurance why on earth would you purchase another one. Well the Medela pump I have at home has several parts, tubes, and cords needed to operate. Plus, I would need to carry milk storage bags with me to transfer the milk. And let’s not forget the issue of working in a small office that does not have a nursing room. So, purchasing Elvie out of pocket was the only choice I had.

Now let’s get into the pros and cons of Elvie and is it worth purchasing especially since it does cost $500.

I’ve been using Elvie for about six months. So, let’ s start with the cons.

Suction

The suction is off and inconsistent. I literally have to adjust the pump for about 5 minutes to get started which is completely different from the Medela pump. The suction on the Medela pump is 10x better. I use Elvie for about 40mins per session to equate the amount of milk I would get in 20 mins using the Medela pump.

Battery

This is a joke! The battery life on Elvie sucks! I have to charge it before and after every session to ensure the pump doesn’t stop in the middle of a session.

Does not synchronize with the app

Due to the fact that you can’t view the amount of milk being produced, there is an app that gives you the total. However, when I’m done with pumping it never fails that the app is wrong 90% of the time. Either it says I pumped way more or way less. One time I looked at the pump and it said I pumped 6oz on one breast when the container only holds 5oz.

Now you know the cons, here are the pros.

Wearable

Elvie is a lifesaver for pumping at my desk and on the go without anyone knowing. I love the convivence of just sticking it inside my bra and forgetting about it.

Silent

If you know what the Medela pump sounds like then the Elvie pump is a dream. Although at times when I’m close to someone at work I get a little conscious that they can hear it. So must times I start talking louder or just playing music.

App

I love the fact that it has an app. You can control the suction level as well as start and finish a session with just a click on the app. The only thing the app doesn’t do is turn it on/off. Yes, there are cons to the app but definitely more pros.  

To sum it up, is the Elvie pump worth purchasing? I would have to say yes! If you are in need of a wearable pump then this is definitely an option for you. You can walk around hands free without any issues but bending down is out of the question or you will experience leakage.

I’m 9 moths and counting into this pump life.

Fed is best, I pump because that is right for me. You do what’s right for you!

Until the next post…

Signing Out,

Live with purpose, Love with passion, Laugh with pleasure

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