Issues with the Babyation Pump
All breast pumps have issues, challenges, faults, and even just straight up design mistakes. The perfect, flawless breast pump doesn’t exist, yet, and it likely never will. New pump technology brings with it new challenges and new issues never encountered before. Given that these pumps are placing a parent’s milk supply and ability to feed their baby at risk when they fail, this is a concern we need to openly discuss.
The Babyation Pump is no exception. It has issues.
These units are developing a gravely loud noise over the span of a few months - even with light use. Given the pump claims to be discrete and silent, this noise degrades one of the key advantages to this pump. Changing posts helped temporarily, but my latest unit went on to thump loudly and irregularly. I love this pump for night pumping, but if it would wake a baby…
Troubleshooting assembly and issues with parts can get obnoxious. Bottles, flanges, tubing, posts… They can all fail, and troubleshooting can take time.
Durability of parts - In five months of light use with 3 sets of flanges in rotation, 1 set has already died despite careful use and washing. Several sets of posts have failed. 1 in every 15ish tubing sets seems bad. Two bottle lids have snapped. One bottle is warped despite handwashing. I expect to replace parts, but this does seem higher than average or initial assumptions.
Periodic issues with suction - There are times the pump suction takes minutes to establish and build. Sometimes, one port is stronger than the other for no apparent reason. Other times, suction has dropped for no reason and with no warning.
The app is glitchy in terms of connecting to the pump to control it. When it works right away, this is one of the coolest features I love about this pump. Connecting if it glitches can take a moment, but the pump is controllable manually.
The breast pads are a poor design and a point of failure for many users. The pad isn’t deep enough to protect the entire flange from collapsing. Some breast shapes can make the pad work, while others end up with a clunky, awkward fit. We do have a workaround hack, but at this price point, I would expect something like the breast pad to already be essentially perfected.
So is this pump a bust?
Not necessarily. The pump has a lot of potential! There are issues but none of them are deal breakers if the company chooses to work on them.
It seriously allows for braless pumping while laying down. That to me is a huge perk and is something that is supporting my breastfeeding goals. Users who have gotten it working really enjoy it!
Babyation’s customer service has been exemplary - so while I can’t say this pump has been easy to use all the time, they have worked to make things right, and I am confident that any future issues will be addressed the same.
I also anticipate (and enjoy troubleshooting) issues with new technology. My tolerance for this is high, and I openly encourage those easily frustrated to sit out adopting new pump technology too quickly. What I see when new pumps come out is there is typically a 6-12 month process as the company troubleshoots and addresses issues. I would hope the problems users are seeing today would start to be addressed in the coming months.
So, the verdict is still out on the Babyation Pump - it’s going to be up to the company if they can troubleshoot for an easier user experience.
