5 Best Portable Breast Pumps For Travel And Pumping On The Go
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A lot of moms are looking for a small and compact breast pump that they can use on the go. Are you one of them?
Portable breast pump is great to have for moms who frequently on the move. Whether you are a busy stay at home mom or busy working mom, a compact breast pump would allow you to pump breast milk easily while doing other things at the same time.
In this article, I discuss the top portable breast pumps for breastfeeding and pumping moms on the go. This post includes the breast pump’s specification, comparison, as well as pros and cons. Don’t forget to scroll all the way down to read my tips on choosing the right portable breast pump for you.
5 Best Portable Breast Pump for Travel And Pumping Moms On The Go
Milk Genie Plus – The Smartest Portable Breast Pump
Milk Genie Plus is popular due to its smart memory function. You can prerecord up to three pump programs and let the breast pump runs by itself while you do other work.
Cycle speed adjustment: yes, 3 different cycle speeds in expression mode
(What is cycle speed: cycle speed is how often your breast pump applying the sucking / pulling pattern to your breast)
Battery usage: approximately 2.5 hours
Pros:
memory feature allows you to record your overall pump session so that you can just retrieve your setting and it will automatically change the setting accordingly. See how it works in my Milk Genie video
comes with 3 different breast shield sizes (perfect for new pumping moms)
Good battery life (can last for whole day pumping for most moms)
Amazing customer service and community. Pumpables team has very responsive customer service. They don’t only respond to Pumpables customers, they even offer breast shield fitting service for any breast pump users . They also have a very vibrant community in Facebook whereby the members are actively helping each other.
You can use the Milk Genie Plus with other breast pump parts (Maymom, Medela, Spectra, Freemie collection cups) as long as you keep it closed system.
Cons:
Some moms reported that the tubing easily pops out from the tube hole. Tip: Remove the white connector to make them more secure.
Baby Buddha offers very strong vacuum power and has a unique sucking pattern in massage mode. After 10 short pulls, comes one super long pull (2-3 seconds) that may either helps you to drawn more milk faster
Very compact and sleek, I think the lightest breast pump among the portable ones.
You can use other breast pump parts as long as you keep it closed system (Tip: remove the little white connector in the tubing so it fits the back flow protector of Spectra)
Medela Freestyle – The Most Heavy Duty Portable Breast Pump
There are two versions of Medela Freestyle currently available in the market, the original (old version, slightly bulkier) and the Flex (new version, more compact).
Weight: 360 gr (original), 270 gr (Flex)
Dimension: 130 x 90 x 55 mm (original), 147 x 66 x 45 mm (Flex)
You can use the collection cups with other breast pump models.
Comes with belt clip for pumping on the go.
Cons:
there’s no dedicated massage mode in this breast pump. That means, you have to find the most suitable pump setting to initiate your let-down (low suction fast speed would work best).
may be too gentle for moms preferring strong suction
Tips for Choosing The Most Suitable Portable Breast Pump For Your Need
There are various factors that you may consider when choosing a portable breast pump.
1. Size And Weight
Does it really have to be the lightest, smallest and the most compact? In that case Baby Buddha wins, followed by Freestyle Flex then other breast pump.
Some portable breast pumps come with lanyard or belt clip to make pumping on move even easier. But if not, fret not. You can come up with some crafty ways to make yours portable:
If you will be out and about for long-hour and may not be able to charge your breast pump for the whole day, you may prefer a portable breast pump with good battery life that will last you the whole day without charging. In this case, you may choose either Milk Genie Plus or Medela Freestyle. Tip: if your portable breast pump needs charging in between pumping session, get one that allows USB charging from your power bank.
3. Suction Preference
If you prefer a portable breast pump with strong suction power, Baby Buddha is your best bet (warning: some moms think it’s suction is too strong – me included). For those preferring gentle suction, Spectra 9+ would be the best option.
4. Flexible Setting
If you are used to hospital-grade breast pump which allows you to adjust the cycle speed independently, you may be eyeing for a portable breast pump with similar features. In this case, Milk Genie Plus and Freemie Liberty offer some cycle speed control. Bear in mind though, the cycle speed will still be limited compared to hospital-grade models.
5. Pumping on Auto-Pilot
Do you want a portable breast pump that works for you automatically, without you needing to press buttons repeated times to adjust the vacuum levels? In this case, I’d recommend Milk Genie Plus. You can record up to three different pumping programs Yes, when I say one pumping program, that means memorizing your pump setting starting from the level you choose for initiating your let-down and its duration, and automatically switching to expression mode in your preferred level and so on until you are done! Pretty cool, right! All you need to do is to turn on the breast pump, choose your prerecorded pump program, and get busy with other stuff.
6. Noise Level
Do you need a portable breast pump that is super-silent, so that it won’t wake up your sleeping baby, or disturb your colleague at work? If yes, Freemie Liberty is the good choice for you. It literally just vibrates, so no one will notice that you are actually pumping, except when they noticed your suddenly-transformed-to-extra-large boobs due to the collection cups, lol.
7. Your Current Heavy-Duty Pump
Say, you already have a hospital-grade pump that you can rely on. But you need a portable one for when you are out and about. In that case, I’d suggest to follow the brand. If you use Spectra S1, choose Spectra 9+ because they works in very similar setting. Similarly, if you use Super Genie at home, getting a Milk Genie Plus would be a best option for you for they have similar features. But if you decide to get a totally new breast pump, remember this. Your body needs some time to adjust to a new breast pump. So give it a few weeks to find and tweak the pump setting that suits you best. Hopefully, as time goes by, you finally find your perfect pump setting and able to pump effectively with the portable breast pump of your choice.
FAQ About Portable Breast Pumps
Can I use a portable breast pump good to build my milk supply?
A portable breast pump is usually good for maintaining milk supply. But if you need to build your milk supply (say, you don’t produce enough breast milk right now and want to pump more frequently to increase it (8-12x daily), I would recommend using a heavy-duty breast pump such as Spectra S1, Super Genie, or Medela Freestyle (original). While some moms reporting they are using a portable breast pump more than 5x a day, typically the pump motor will deteriorate pretty fast and soon (after 6 months) you will need to find a replacement breast pump.
Is portable breast pump good for exclusive pumping?
I am not an exclusive pumper, but I heard a lot of exclusive pumping moms using portable breast pump so that they can pump easily on the move, at home or when they are out and about. Bear in mind though, these exclusive pumping moms usually have more than one breast pump. They can be either a combo between heavy-duty breast pump (for at home / stationary use) and portable breast pump (for pumping on the go) or more than one portable breast pumps (so that they always have spare in case the pump motor stops working).
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So there you goes. I’ve tried my best to hand pick the top portable breast pumps that you can use for pumping on the go. I also shared tips on how to choose the most suitable portable breast pump for your need. Finally, I hope this post can help you to decide which top portable breast pump that fits you the most.
As always, if you have questions, feel free to ask in the comment.
Now, onto you. Do you have a portable breast pump at the moment? Share with us, which one do you use and whether you like it or not.
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