Who Can the Babyation Pump Benefit?

One of the biggest questions with any pump is, “Who is this pump a good fit for?”

It doesn’t matter how cool a pump is if it’s not the right pump for the individual using it.

Pumps like the Babyaytion Pump are unique! They have features that can make or break your ability to successfully use and enjoy using this pump! This pump, in particular, is such a stand-out pump in terms of not really being comparable to other pumps, that I think parents considering this pump need to take a close look at their pumping situation to see if this pump is REALLY the right fit for them.

The biggest thing I have found you should consider - What type of bra do you like wearing?

The tubing needs to point down (if it’s angled up, the milk won’t move) which means to wear it with a bra and the bra pads, the band of the bra and the cups need to be on the lighter compression side. Now, my favorite use for this pump is braless pumping - but if I want to use it during daylight hours when I tend to have a bra on, many of my favorite bras are flops. I use wearable pumps like the Willow and Willow Go quite a lot when I am pumping, so I tend to choose nursing or pumping bras with heavy, firm, supportive bands to hold those pumps in place. With the Babyation, I need a different style of bra altogether, or the thick, heavy band reduces the suction to the pump to almost zero (Coming Soon: a list of bras that work well with this pump).

If you like a snug bra and are not willing to compromise on this, this pump is likely not for you.

So, assuming you are open to the idea of a lighter weight bra, or you already love the “barely there bra” fit - could this be the pump for you?

Here are the questions to ask yourself:

What are you doing while you pump?

Are you laying down, holding a baby, working at a desk, or driving in a car?

This pump provides excellent support for more stationary pumping. It is mobile in the sense that you can just pick it up and walk around with it while pumping, but it doesn’t have a huge range of motion before the tip sensor is triggered. I’ve been able to walk around enough to wash dishes or get ready for bed carrying it, but it’s hard to be too much more mobile than that with it. I have easily been able to snuggle my toddler while wearing this pump, and he hasn’t complained at all about it being hard or pokey even with his head on the breast pads, so that is a huge plus. I wish I had this pump when I was pumping and nursing at the same time, multiple times a day. It would have been so much easier to pop this flange in my bra than trying to navigate around a large cup or pump, certainly better than a bottle and flange that can be kicked.  

If you are trying to be fully mobile, as in get up and go with your only limitation of finagling a baby around the pump or flange and not bending over to avoid leaking? Yeah, this isn’t that. 

Other pumps do not have the sensitive tip sensor to contend with, and the actual pump unit is larger than a Spectra s1 or s2.  The tubing could be disconnected easily if the tubing was pulled on, so moving around with kids in your arms could be quite tricky.

My favorite times to use this pump: when I’m working on my computer or doing video chats, and at night for braless pumping.

What are you looking for with a discrete pump?

This is a popular term for pump marketing right now. Parents want discretion with pumping. The challenge is your definition of discretion and my definition of discretion may be wildly different. Let’s define discrete and see how this pump meets that criteria, and how it may compare to yours.

What is the “discrete” baseline for pumping - topless while holding the flanges of a traditional pump to your chest. Any option providing more coverage would technically be discrete. Typically, though, discrete pumping refers to a unit contained inside the bra of the user so that the user can pump with other parties present without the breast or nipple showing. Some provide additional levels of discretion, such as the Willow 3.0 which is self contained and allows for unlimited range of motion to conceal pumping, but even that is not discrete in the realm of no one can tell as that pump adds to the bustline substantially. Momcozy pumps are concealed in the bra, but they have motors sticking out. The volume of the pump heavily influences discretion as well. Willow 3.0 sounds like a fax machine in your bra while Elvie OG is almost unnoticeable while in use with a self-contained design, low volume and natural profile.

Babyation’s discretion is defined as low profile flanges with bra pads that make a natural and subtle profile.  The noise is contained within the motor unit. Overall, the Babyation Pump is fairly quiet and lacks the rhythmic noise of the average breast pump. It can be heard over phone or video chat, but is not a distinct and easy to place noise. It’s not loud enough to wake my husband when pumping at night, and it has a white noise quality if pumping near your baby. I will say the noise is not a disruptive noise, and I have been able to comfortably use it while interacting with others, and it hasn’t caused any issues.

There is still a large, white unit closely placed to your body, though. It’s going to be noticeable in that regard. The tubing runs down through your shirt, but the unit itself isn’t really hide-able. To date, I have not found a bag that holds it well enough to use while moving around that could conceal it a bit more.

How much attention to detail are you open to paying?

At least 1 out of every 10 times, I have to reassemble the components and determine where I got something not quite right. This honestly doesn’t bother me. The pump had a decent learning curve, but now that I have figured out what I am looking for, it’s not too difficult to assess and fix.  But some people are not only not open to a pump that requires attention to detail, it’s enough to add more stress to the work of pumping and overwhelm them.  

It doesn’t just take attention to detail to use this pump. It takes attention to detail to troubleshoot this pump. If someone needs assistance with this pump to determine why it’s not working for them, it’s rarely a one quick-step problem solving process. We often need to gather several videos and photos as we troubleshoot what is happening. Some people have the patience for this while others find this to be more than they can handle without becoming distressed. This is an area I really think people need to do some self-reflection in before dropping hundreds on a new pump that may only serve to stress them out and place their breastfeeding success at risk.

What does your milk supply look like?

I am an undersupplier from day 1, it’s just my reality. So, the bottle capacities on this pump don’t bother me in the least. Switching bottles out if you have a higher supply isn’t awful, but the bottles are involved with establishing and maintaining the vacuum, and you have to remove the tubing from the post so it does present the possibility of needing to troubleshoot mid-session if you need to swap bottles out. You would need to consider if this was a concern for you.

What if I have answered all of these questions and I’m still not sure?

One of the things I love about this company is that they have AMAZING customer service. They will even do a call with you to see if this is the right pump for you, and it has been my experience that they have been very honest when it’s a poor fit. I really admire this about this company, and hope that as they grow, this continues!  

You can also book a pumping consultation with me to learn about your options (including this pump!) for helping to support your ability to meet your pumping goals.