The Breast Pump Market Is Broken—Here’s What Pumping Parents Need to Know
Hey there, I’m Jessica—an IBCLC and, for better or worse, a literal expert in breast pumps. I don’t just know how they work—I read the patents, follow the lawsuits, and stalk the FDA’s clearance database like it’s my personal soap opera. (Because let’s be honest, sometimes it is.)
I do this because parents deserve better than broken pumps, sketchy marketing, and customer service reps who think “exclusive pumping” means you like to shop online.
The breast pump market right now? It’s a mess. A big, confusing, often laugh-or-you’ll-cry kind of mess. But instead of burying our heads in a pile of tubing and flanges, we’re going to look at exactly what’s going on—and why it matters so much.
Because if you’re trying to feed your baby in this system, you deserve straight answers. And I’m here to give them—zero fluff, maximum function.
Let’s dig in.
In a Normal Market, Better Products Win
In a healthy product market, it works like this: companies make products. Consumers buy them. If the product is good, they tell their friends and keep buying. If it’s bad, the product disappears. That’s how quality improves over time.
But the breast pump market? It’s not a normal market anymore. And increasingly, pumping parents aren’t even the customers.
So… Who Is the Customer Now?
It used to be that if you wanted a breast pump, you paid out of pocket. That meant pump companies had to compete for your dollars by creating products that worked. It wasn’t perfect, but there was clear motivation to make something that actually functioned.
Then the Affordable Care Act rolled out breast pump coverage through insurance. Which sounded amazing—and in many ways, was! But it also created an entirely new market dynamic. Now, insurance companies and DMEs (durable medical equipment suppliers) are the real customers. Not you.
And when you’re no longer the one buying the product? Everything changes.
What That Means for Quality (Spoiler: It’s Not Good)
Here’s how it plays out:
DMEs buy pumps wholesale from manufacturers.
They then bill your insurance company.
You get a pump—often from a limited selection, and quality is not assured.
The manufacturer makes less profit than they would selling directly, but still has to provide customer service, warranty support, and marketing.
To stay afloat, companies are cutting costs: cheaper materials, fewer accessories, shorter motor life. And because you’re not the one directly choosing (or paying), companies can push out junk and still profit—because the DME, not the parent, is the buyer.
What Happened to the “Good” Pumps?
If you were pumping around 2014–2020, you probably remember the surge in innovation. Spectra hit the market. Luxury wearables were booming. Parents had options. And people were investing—sometimes owning five to seven different pumps to solve niche challenges.
Now? That’s slowed way down. Most of my clients today have one or two pumps, max. That’s partly due to a tightening economy, but it’s also because the market has become saturated with products that don’t work well—and are actively hurting milk supply.
It’s not uncommon for parents to be sold clunky, underpowered pumps that:
Die after 100–200 hours of use
Can’t handle exclusive pumping
Have poor suction or confusing programming
Offer virtually no customer support
And nobody asked for this. These aren’t products parents wanted. They’re just what’s being pushed.
This Isn’t Just Annoying—It’s Dangerous
Pumps are medical devices. Your ability to feed your baby can depend on one. But we’re watching the breast pump market fill with junk while trusted names go under—Elvy being the most recent major brand to declare bankruptcy.
More companies are making desperate moves. Some are quietly shifting their messaging. Others are releasing new models with rapidly declining quality. We’re not just seeing a slow trend anymore—we’re seeing an acceleration.
At this point, I won’t be surprised if another pump company folds tomorrow.
How Do We Fix It?
This market can be fixed—but only with structural change and action from all sides:
🧪 Require the FDA to provide real oversight.
Right now, breast pump clearance is a “pay-to-play” system. Companies with deep pockets can secure FDA approval without proving their pumps actually work. That lets them flood the market with underperforming products—and pump parents are left holding the (very quiet, very ineffective) bag.📢 Consumers must start reporting pump failures to the FDA.
If your pump breaks early, loses suction, hurts you, or causes supply issues, report it. This is a medical device, and failure has consequences. The FDA can’t act if no one speaks up.
👉 Submit a report here via the FDA MedWatch Portal💸 Force insurance companies to reimburse fairly.
Every year, insurers are paying less for pumps. That pressures companies to cut quality. Fair reimbursement allows high-quality products to compete again.🏬 Hold DMEs accountable.
DMEs shouldn’t be allowed to push junk and call it a day. Many are working with barely trained staff, if any. They need oversight and responsibility for the products they distribute.🛍️ Give parents real choice.
If your insurance benefit is $300, you should be able to apply that to any qualifying pump. Letting families shop based on needs—not just what the DME carries—would clean up the market fast.⚙️ Establish real performance standards.
We would never accept a nebulizer that only worked 60% of the time, or a broken CPAP machine. Why are we tolerating that in pumps?
What You Can Do
If this frustrates you, good. It should.
You can:
Be selective with where you get your pump—support smaller DMEs with better offerings.
Advocate for yourself and ask questions.
Share your experience, especially if your pump failed.
Report poor performance to the FDA right here.
At the end of the day, I don’t have loyalty to any company. My loyalty is to you—the pumping parent trying to feed your baby in a system that is stacked against you.
Let’s keep calling it out, demanding more, and supporting each other. Unless there comes a day breast pumps don’t exist (and honestly, wouldn’t that be something?), I’ll be here helping you make the best decisions with the resources you have.
Happy pumping!
