Review of the Pumping Pretty Inserts

Released in February of 2022, the Pumping Pretty Inserts are marketed as compatible with any brand of flanges, and for use with any mobile pump to fit into 24mm and 25mm flanges - including the Elvie OG.

What is the unique claim of this insert?

The claim of this insert is that it was designed specifically for the Original Elvie Pump (Elvie OG) to address the issue of short flange tunnels for elastic nipples. The design is supposed to extend the tunnel of the flange by 5-7 mm without requiring modification to use with either the Elvie OG or the Elvie Stride.

This insert is being marketed as being the longest insert on the market, compatible with all wearable pumps (and pumps in general), and providing a comfortable pumping experience with elastic nipples. It is being represented as being able to be used in 21 mm flanges.

Insert Features and Style:

The rim of this insert is the key feature of this insert that sets it apart from the multitude of others on the market.

Most flanges have a rim elevated above the top of the tunnel, whereas this insert has a built up rim. This design feature is the reason it is able to add length for the Elvie OG.

The rim elevates the top of the tunnel by about 5-7 mm above the tunnel of the Elvie OG flange. The rim is flexible and broad, allowing this elevated insert to create an air seal. This allows for the insert to have a cut out at the base that easily allows clearance around the suction holes in the Elvie flange’s without risking elastic nipple tissue pushing the flange against those holes (this is a known issue with several brands of inserts and the Elvie OG pump).

This cut out is similar to the cutout of the Maymom Inserts that allowed proper suction with the original Freemie Cups. Inserts have to allow proper air flow for suction to be generated and maintained throughout the pump session. The shallow flanges of the Elvie OG and the Elvie Stride made this a significant issue for those who need smaller than a 21 mm flange, and these inserts are a great fit to solve that particular issue.

Sizing and Fit :

These inserts are brand new to the market, and this initial release comes in size 13 mm, 15 mm, 17 mm, and 19 mm. These inserts run true to size and have not demonstrated any sizing inconsistency.

The flat shape of the rim of the insert mirrors the flat shape seen with the Elvie OG, Elvie Stride, and the Freemie Low Profile Cups, which consistently require standard pump sizing. There is no reason to suspect a variance with these inserts, but they are new and extensive testing and usage will take months to compile.

Length:

These inserts are the longest inserts available that fit the Elvie Original pump without modification consistently. Nenesupply and Willow inserts are longer and fit for many people without modification, but more elastic nipples swell enough to require a small notch cut in the end to prevent blocking suction.

Where the claim of increased length overall falls short is that Pumping Pretty is actually the second shortest insert available on the market when measuring the functional length of the tunnel.

Across all 4 available sizes, the length of the functional tunnel length was 26 mm. This is more of an issue with considering this insert for use with pumps other than the Elvie Pumps it was designed to be compatible for, most worrisomely, use with strong suction pumps like the Willow Pump and the Baby Buddha.

© Genuine Lactation

© Genune Lactation

It’s important to remember when assessing the length, the pump being used plays a huge part in what can work, as each pump has a different suction strength and pattern.

The length you need with a pump like Elvie with its short cycle length and lower suction strength is going to vary from what you need for a pump like Baby Buddha with longer and stronger suction patterns.

Willow and its constant suction require the most length of any pump on the market, and unfortunately, using this insert with a pump like Willow is a recipe for mushroom nipples, pain, and damage. You have to make sure you are using the right tool for the pump.

Materials:

These inserts are made of a soft, flexible silicone that is semi-transparent. The texture is smooth and most comparable to Maymom inserts. The rim feels cushioned due to the thickness of the silicone, which is a nice feature compared to the hard plastic of many flanges. The inserts feel durable, and they washed well.

I did note that the silicone clouds easily when washed, but that would not effect the use of the insert. We see this same phenomenon with the silicone used in flanges for other pumps.

There is a rough interior seam on all 4 sizes located towards the end of this insert. Given the length of the tunnel, average nipples have the capacity to reach to this point and may find the seam irritating.

There is a rough interior seam about 1-2 mm above the outer stability ring, and 1-2 mm before the end of the insert. © Genuine Lactation

What size Flanges do they fit in?

Like the majority of inserts, these are designed to fit in 24-25 mm flanges. That means the exterior dimensions are designed to fit that size of flange snugly without being compressed.

The wide rim of this insert did allow for placement in larger flanges of 27-28 mm without loss of suction, but stability of the insert was somewhat compromised with a little wiggling in the tunnel. That could be an issue for alignment for some, but the wide rim did stick to the flange well enough this issue would be fairly minor.

They are being advertised as being compatible with 21 mm flanges which is misleading.

Using these inserts in a 21 mm flange poses two different issues to consider:

The first issue is that it distorts the diameter of the flange size, and the varying external diameters of this insert cause an uneven and unreliable compression. So, this is not something that should be used like the hack to compress a Maymom insert to 12 or 14 mm sizing. That ability is based on the design on the insert and material that does not translate in this case.

When compressed in a Medela FlexFit 21 mm, the diameter read at 11.8, versus being distorted in the opposite direction with the Willow 21 mm flange which read larger than the intended 13 mm sizing. This presents a challenge where the size of the tunnel diameter would be unreliable and vary enough to prevent this from being a useful hack.

The second issue is that the external diameter and design of this insert compresses unevenly resulting in a lumpy flange tunnel with that rough seam elevated in a way that poses a risk of nipple damage and trauma.

The bottom line with these inserts- use them the way they were designed and intended, they produce unreliable and risky results with this hack.

© Genuine Lactation

© Genuine Lactation

© Genuine Lactation

Compatibility:

While technically these inserts FIT into most standard flanges on the market for various pumps (they did not fit the Freemie Slim Profile Flanges), every other flange tested appeared to accommodate the insert in the 24/25 mm sizing. But FITTING and WORKING WELL are two different things, and on the claim that they work well with every pump they simply fall short.

With the Spectra Pump, Pumpables Pumps, and Motif Luna, it should be noted that the vibration of the pump was dulled enough that it could impede the ability of the vibration to help trigger a let down. The thickness and firm fit of the insert changed a feature that is intended to be there with these pumps.

The inserts worked well with the Medela Maxflow to help smooth the sensation of what is a rather harsh suction pattern to help make the pump more comfortable when placed in a 24 mm Medela FlexFit flange.

They fit very nicely with wearable cups and the silicone flange wearable pumps. As long as there is no reason to be concerned about the length in your situation, this could be a good insert to try. The only issue noted with this was pairing wearable pumps with the Baby Buddha - this quickly pulled the nipple to rub against that rough seam and was quite uncomfortable.

These inserts fit beautifully in the Elvie Flanges they were designed for. They flawlessly address the the issue they are designed to address, and it’s an issue that has been a problem for several years now without a clean and easy option.

For the Willow, I recommend passing on this, or any other insert with a length less than 30 mm. It’s simply not worth the risk to the nipples when we have well-functioning and viable inserts available.

And, if you take anything away from this, don’t put these inserts in flanges that will compress them. That is just going to end poorly because that is just not how they were designed to fit, and the hack didn’t pass the test.

So, do your research, consider what has worked or failed in the past, and if you think they will help, these inserts are worth trying IF you are using a pump they are designed to work with.