Should You Buy the Latest Breast Pump?
New breast pumps with fantastic and cool new features are hitting the market every day. Each one promises to fix or improve something pumping parents are struggling with! And many of these new pumps are simply amazing technology. They are freeing pumping parents every day to be able to pump for longer than they ever thought possible without sacrificing hours a day connected to wall outlet. They allow us to pump in places and situations that were inaccessible before. They are giving working mothers and mothers with a ton of work a fighting chance.
And did I mention they are cool? The “cool factor” is a huge draw to these pumps. As someone who started pumping a decade ago with a Medela in a backpack, these new pumps are super fun to see and use compared to that!
How does this play out in real life?
A new pump launches with a beautiful website, fun ad with carefree dancers pumping away, and pumping parents scramble to order as quickly as possible. New groups spring up for support online. And inevitably, 2-6 weeks later, pumping groups are loaded with disappointed and frustrated buyers complaining of buyer’s remorse. They now have an expensive new pump that they either can’t access replacement parts for quickly enough for their use, or it has super cool features that they pay a premium price for but those features add nothing to their quality of life. Let’s break down why this happens without fail so you can decide if rushing to buy the latest and greatest pump is the best option for YOU.
What is the main thing you need to know?
These new pumps are novel technology and designs. They get tested for safety and basic functionality before they hit the market. BUT… novel designs and technology mean the design hasn’t been tested for the full lifecycle of the pump. Surprises, flaws, and issues are bound to pop up. Replacement parts may be tricky to obtain in the early use of a pump as the company figures out how to manage the supply chain for the pump. Novel designs for replacement parts mean pricier replacement parts. Hacks, workarounds, and strategies to make the pump work in special cases won’t exist yet, and they will take time to develop, test, and have recommendations spread within the pumping community. The newer the technology, the longer this can take.
And you know what’s really hard to test for in trials?
USER ABUSE and USER ERRORS! What are some common ones?
New mom-brain leading you to wash your pump hubs, pop the motor in the fridge, or simply the impact of tossing the pumps loose in your diaper bag can’t be accounted for in trials where things are more controlled and gentle.
How the pump operates with the billion different types of inserts and accessories pumping parents may prefer to use are also unknowns.
What “hack” an influencer is going to throw out that is going to have unintended consequences (all hail the Gram - 🙄).
The rate at which users will learn how to operate these pumps.
The impact of longterm daily use and wear. It can take months or longer to understand all the flaws with new novel technology.
It isn’t because the pump companies are not testing them well, it’s because it’s impossible to do without widespread use of the product.
Guess who is the test subject for the first full lifecycle of the pump… Y-O-U! The parents who bought it at launch!
By buying a novel pump, you are literally signing up to test this pump at your own expense. You are signing up to experience all the hiccups along the way. And answers won’t be immediately available to problems that crop up because solutions take time to create and evaluate. Congratulations! You will likely get to be a lucky tester of the “well this might work so let’s see what happens kinda solutions.” It just goes with the territory when you decide to be the first to buy this type of technology.
Just look at the roll-outs with other types of technology in other fields...issues happen.
Is it a good idea to try a new to the market breast pump?
Absolutely… IF, and ONLY IF, you are the type of person who is going to be okay with the realities mentioned above. You should really do some soul searching before pushing buy now to decide if you are up for:
Reading the manual, watching all the videos the manufacturer has put out, and interacting with customer service likely multiple times to troubleshoot or handle an issue. If you are hoping for a quick YouTube tutorial from your favorite mommy influencer, maybe this isn’t the right fit. New technology requires more of us as the use and issues aren’t understood yet.
Not getting frustrated with a learning curve! If you want a plug and play kind of pump, let me introduce you to my old reliable friend the Spectra s1. It understands the assignment. But, it doesn’t fit in your bra, it’s not leak free, and it’s not discrete. It’s a regular, old trusty breast pump. If you want one of these new features to make pumping easier for you in the long run, you have to be willing and ready to put the work in to learn to use it.
Spending a significant amount of money ongoing. New pumps = new parts. New parts tend to be pricey. There are unlikely to be generic options available. Parts require replacement quite frequently depending on use.
Dealing with hassles surrounding finding replacement parts...new pumps mean immature and unestablished supply chains. It happens. I can’t think of a single wearable pump in the last two years that hasn’t had at least some issues with this. So, likely you want to have a backup pump available to avoid any lack of ability to pump.
Accepting that this super cool pump may not be the right fit after all. We don’t know who a pump is truly best suited for right away, so you could end up with an investment you don’t love.
Now that we’ve discussed the downsides of being the first wave to push “buy now,” what are the perks?
A cool breastpump that may have just the features you need to make pumping work better for you! The whole point of these new breast pumps is to improve pumping! Just in the span of my breastfeeding years, I went from that backpack Medela to a wireless, leak-free pump I can use laying down.
The Willow 2.0 with it’s steep learning curve and adjustment period was 110% worth the hassle. It saved my complicated breastfeeding situation. Leak-free pumping ability was the game changer I NEEDED to make pumping work for me.
For me, any headaches associate with using new technology were overshadowed by the way these new pumps improved my life! Has it been all sunshine and rainbows, nope. But it’s been overall better. Not every new pump I have tried has had the features to be life changing for ME, but they have all had the features at least some of my clients needed to find success. It’s just about getting the right options to support YOU.
Seriously think about if this is the right move for your breastfeeding situation and your goals. Are you prepared for the headaches? If this new pump is going to cause you more stress, how can it improve your life, and if it’s not improving your life, what’s the point?
It’s okay to take a leap and jump with the newest technology if you do it eyes-wide-open! Know there will always be lactation consultants like me who are going to keep helping you make this new technology work for you!
Think before you buy, and only take it on if you stand to truly benefit from it! And, if you aren’t sure if this particular feature is going to be the thing you actually need, book a consultation so we can go through all of your options before you buy a $500 pump that doesn’t solve YOUR issue.
