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Are you looking for more information on how to use Spectra S1 breast pump?
Or perhaps, you already have Spectra, but still unable to use it comfortably.
Don’t worry, you are not alone.
I’ve seen some moms use Spectra using the wrong setting, oops…, and that’s partially why they are unable to get milk as they are supposed to get.
So, shall we learn how to use Spectra breast pump now?
In this article, I’ll discuss in great details how you should pump with your Spectra to maximize your pumping output.
Read on.
This article is part of Spectra breast pump series. Click here to check other Spectra posts:- Spectra S1 Breast Pump Review | The Detailed Pros and Cons
- How to Use Spectra S1 breast pump | The Beginner’s Guide
- Spectra S1 vs Spectra S2 | What’s The Difference?
- Spectra Breast Pump Parts & Accessories | Which one is Compatible?
- Which Breast Pump Bags Can Fit Spectra S1? Check out the top 5
- Spectra M1 Breast Pump Review (most affordable Spectra model)
- Spectra 9+ Breast Pump Review (most portable and sleek Spectra model)
- Spectra S2 vs Spectra 9+ | Which One Should You Choose?
- Spectra S1 vs Super Genie Breast Pump | Two Popular Hospital Grade Pumps In Comparison
- Spectra S1 vs Motif Luna | Which One Is Better?
HOW TO PUMP | PAY ATTENTION TO THIS
The 3 tips below are not exclusive for Spectra S1 / S2 breast pump. Whatever breast pump brand you use, please check on these things.
1. Make sure you are using correct breast shield sizeÂ
In case you are wondering what is this, it’s the inner size of the ‘cone’ that you put on your breast). Not only the good-fit allows you to pump comfortably (no pain while pumping), but it also enables you to express the most of your milk.
Original Spectra breast pump comes with 24-mm breast shield. Other than that, Spectra also has 20, 24, 28, and 32 mm breast shield size available (with separate purchase).
If you need bigger or smaller size, I recommend you to take a look at Maymom breast shield set (they sell compatible accessories that can be used with Spectra).
>> Check out my breast shield sizing guide here if you still need help <<
2. Check if your duck-bill valve is in good quality. Or if you are using the newer blue valve – white membrane set, make sure there’s no tear and the membrane covers the valve securely (no misalignment).
3. Make sure the connection to the tubing, back-flow protector, and breast shield is secure and tight. Loose connection can affect the suction quality.
To learn more about how to pump breast milk effectively, don’t forget to check my PUMPING 101 series. There are more than 10 articles discussing about pumping in details.
HOW TO USE SPECTRA S1 BREAST PUMP
I created a video version of this guide, to give you a better clarity how this breast pump works (especially regarding switching between let-down / expression mode). Feel free to read the text below for some extra tips.
Now let’s move on to how to operate Spectra S1 breast pump.
Here is a simple guide on what those buttons on the pump for.
(1) How to assemble Spectra S1 breast pump parts
Spectra S1 breast pump parts consists of the following:
- breast shield
- valve (you can use duck-bill valve or combination of white valve and membrane)
- collection bottle
- back flow protector (this is the important part that will keep your Spectra S1 as closed system and thus prevent moisture to enter the pump motor)
- tubing
- pump motor
How to assemble:
- Attach the valve onto the breast shield
- Screw the breast shield onto the collection bottle
- Attach the back flow protector to the back part of the breast shield
- Connect one end of the tubing to the back flow protector and the other end to the breast pump motor
(2) Turning on the breast pump
Press the power button to turn on / off your breast pump.
Now you need to know that Spectra always turns on in expression mode, unlike Medela which automatically turns on with let-down mode.
That means, as soon as you turn on the pump, you need to press another button, let-down button.
PS: A lot of moms have mistaken that the moment Spectra turns on, it’s already in let-down mode. Some of them were frustrated how come they can only adjust the vacuum strength up to 5 in expression mode. Turns out, they got it all wrong. One lady in Reddit was not even aware about this for months. So take note, ladies ;).
(3) Switching to let-down mode / massage mode
The let-down button  (sometimes also referred as massage button) is indicated as the three-wave button right above the power button. This button allows you to toggle between let-down mode and expression mode.
How do you know you are in which state, let-down or expression mode?
(a)Take a look at the LED display.
When you are in let-down mode, there will be a three-wave (some people refer it as ‘bacon’) icon displayed in the top-left corner of the screen.
In expression mode, this icon will not be displayed (see the picture below).
(b) In let-down mode, you cannot change the cycle speed, it is fixed at 70 cycles per minute. Additionally, you can only adjust the suction strength between 1 to 5. On the other hand, during expression mode, you can adjust the cycle speed and suction strength independently.
Yes, unlike other typical breast pump model, Spectra S1 and Spectra S2 allows you to adjust the vacuum / suction strength and suction speed setting independently.
In other breast pump brand, the higher the vacuum level, the speed will automatically be slower (lower cycle speed).
But in Spectra S1/S2, you can adjust it based on your personal preference.
This is such a great feature, because not all women benefit from slow speed / high vacuum setting. Some reference even mentions that higher pump speed make help you pump more milk at a more efficient pace.
(4) Here are the suction strength and cycle speed options available in Spectra S1
Let-down mode:
- Cycle speed: 70
- Suction strength: 1-5
Expression mode:
- Cycle speed: 38. 42, 46, 50, 54 (this number simply means how many times suction is applied to your breast within one minute. E.g. 38 means in one minute the breast pump will apply suction to your breast 38 times.Â
- Suction strength: 1-12
(5) Adjusting the let-down mode
What’s the purpose of let-down mode? It’s to encourage let-down reflex. If you don’t know what let-down is, read this article.Â
So, if your milk does not spray right away once you turn on the breast pump, it’s totally normal. Relax. That’s why we use let-down mode to stimulate milk release from the breast.
Once you turn on the breast pump and switch to let-down mode, you can adjust the massage setting.
There’s 5 levels you can choose from, cycle speed is kept at 70 cycles / minutes. If you are beginner pumper, start with level 2 or 3. If you need stronger suction, increase to 4 or 5 (use the +/- button on the right). Remember, you should not feel any pain. If there’s any pain, that means your suction strength is too high.Â
Stay in let-down mode until you see milk spraying from your breast. If you are having trouble getting let-down, try some tips to stimulate let-down faster in this article. I personally combine a few tips to get my let-down faster.
(6) Adjusting the expression mode
You can switch to expression mode once you see your milk starts flowing.
If you are not sure what setting to use, start with 54 cycles, suction level 5.
You can increase / decrease suction if you feel you need to. Again, remember that you don’t need to use the highest suction to get max milk. Use the level that’s most comfortable for you. There’s no right and wrong here. It’s all about personal preference.
Watch how your milk sprays to determine if you need a faster or slower cycle speed. Normally, the higher your suction level, you’ll use a slower cycle speed.
However, if your milk stops spraying before the suction stops, you may benefit from increasing the cycle speed. On the other hand, if your milk still sprays a lot at the end of one suction cycle, consider lowering the cycle speed.
You can stay at the same level through out expression mode, and once your milk run dry (not dripping anymore), switch to massage-mode again to get another let-down. Repeat.
RELATED:Â 10 Proven Tips To Pump Breast Milk Faster
(7) Some variations how to use the breast pump throughout your pumping session:
(a) If expression mode feels too strong/painful for you (no matter which suction level you are at), you can always stay in let-down mode.
(b) Some moms gradually increase the suction and lower the speed throughout the expression period. Say, you start with 54/5, then goes all the way up to 38/11. That’s entirely up to you, you can experiment on these things. The most important thing is: pumping should not be painful and your breast gets emptied properly.
Legendairy Milk shared the following setting in their IG account (if you are a beginner pumper, you may try if these settings suit you:
- 70 cycle – low suction until let down starts
- 54 cycle – medium suction for 15-20 mins (return to previous step if milk flow slows down)
- 38 cycle – high suction for 3-4 minutes or until milk stops
(c) To pump faster: massage your breast to encourage milk flow, slightly reposition the breast shield to focus on different areas of areola. Don’t press too hard ya.. always be gentle to your breast while doing this. Invest in a good hands-free pumping bra so that your hands are free to do all these things. Click here for more proven tips to pump breast milk faster.
If your hand is aching doing breast massage, consider purchasing a tool such as Lavie Lactation Massager to encourage better milk flow. You can read my detailed review about Lavie massager here.
(d) Follow up with hand-expression / manual pumping to remove milk that can’t be removed with breast pump. Do this once your milk stops spraying and before you attempt to get another let-down.
From my experience, Spectra is very efficient in removing milk, but if you are like me, not wanting to waste any single drop, practicing hand-expression / manual pumping will still get you some extra milk (5-15 ml), not bad for some extra milk.
(e) If you need to boost milk supply, once you finish with your pumping routine, let your breast pump run for another 2-5 minutes. You won’t see milk spraying, that’s fine, but you are telling your breast that you need more milk and this extra stimulation will tremendously help. Also, you can try doing power pumping to increase your milk supply.
(8) Do I need a different Spectra pump setting for newborn stage?
Since you are just starting out to pump, you may want to start from lower suction setting to find the most comfortable setting for you. Your nipple may still be sensitive so always remember to increase the level slowly. Remember highest is not the best. If switching to expression mode is too painful, stay in let-down mode. This method works for some mamas with sensitive nipples.
RELATED:7 Ways to Increase Milk Supply While Pumping
(9) Switching to single pumping
Spectra S1 / S2 can be used for both single pumping and double pumping. To switch from double to single pumping, you just need to unplug one of the tubings and cover the plug with the white plastic cap.
(10) Using the night light
Spectra S1 / S2 comes with a night light, which is very handy for moms who regularly pump at night / wee hours.
The night light button is located in the right-most part of the panel (just beside the vacuum level control) and you just need to press the button a few times to choose which brightness level you’d like to use.
I hope this little guide helps you to understand how to use Spectra S1 or S2 breast pump and get the most milk from your breast.
Note that if you are just starting to use Spectra, allow yourself to get accustomed to Spectra setting for a few days – a week. Don’t get easily frustrated when you don’t get the amount of milk that you want. Keep experimenting and keep learning =).
>> Ready to use Spectra S1? Click here to get Spectra S1 from AmazonÂ
Meg says
This was incredibly helpful! I’m switching from a medela freestyle to the S1 and have found my milk gets expressed way faster with the S1. I haven’t been able to have a second let down with the Spectra. Is that normal? I’m getting about as much milk as I did with my freestyle with one cycle. I’ve tried to go back to massage mode to get the second let down but I have yet to be successful. Any tips?
Rina says
Hi Meg,
Did you get second let-down with Freestyle?
Some moms simply only get one let-down, and if that’s you, that means you don’t even need a second let-down (watch your baby’s cue during latching. How many times she ‘suckle’ to stimulate the let-down). For my baby, for sure, she suckled a lot of time. At the beginning, I thought she was just comfort nursing, turns out that I only released a little bit of milk with each let-down, so multiple let-down is the way to go.
Michelle says
Hello,
I would like to check with you how long should I be on Massage mode to begin with before moving into expression mode . How long should the pumping process take,excluding Massaging before pumping and hand expressing after pumping?
Thanks! 🙂
Rina says
Hi Michelle,
This will be variable from one mom to another. I don’t time my pumping, rather, I watch how my milk flow to switch between these modes.
I’d switch from massage to expression once the milk sprays (first let down can be less than 2 mins, subsequent let-down will be longer).
I stay in expression mode as long as I can still see milk flowing out from the breast. I’d do breast compression to make sure it’s emptied properly, and hand-pumping once there’s no more flow with electric pump. After that, I’ll attempt the second let-down by switching to massage mode. And the same routine begins again =).
Of course, this may not be applicable for all moms, but this works best for me. One cycle of this may take less than 10 mins, I attempted 3 let-downs, so total pumping time between 20-30 mins I guess.
Kelly says
I just switched from a pump in style (that I used with my first) to a Spectra 2, 7 weeks after my second son was born. I feel that I’m not getting as much milk with the Spectra in the same time, or longer, than the pump in style. Any tips for what settings I should use to mimic the pump in style? I don’t want to go back to using it because I really like the Spectra much better, but if I’m not getting as much milk, then I will switch back.
Rina says
Hi Kelly,
Your body needs to adjust to a new pump, give yourself at least 2 weeks before deciding which one performs better. A few tips:
(1) check flange size (spectra used to have 28 mm as standard, but I heard the new package comes with 24 mm, check which one is yours. Medela standard size is 24 mm).
(2) Vary the setting you are using. (a) Combine massage and expression mode (b) Stay in massage mode all the way (c)Gradually increase suction and vary the cycle speed
I’ve heard stories whereby right after switching to Spectra, a mom can only get 60ml (she used to get 120 with Medela). But 2 weeks down the road, she is able to get 140-180 ml with Spectra. I guess, it’s the adjustment period and practice makes perfect =)
Good luck!
Dianne says
Hi I just switched to a Spectra S2 because i think im not getting as much anymore with my medela swing maxi… i’ve been feeding my baby for a year now and i pump only when im
in the office. I was just wondering, i am using the massage mode to enable let down, once the milk starts spraying i switch to suction mode, however i notice that the milk just sprays for maybe 2-3 mins already and then nothing somes anymore….
Rina says
Hi Dianne, I’d check on few things:
(1) Do you also get the same pattern (let-down then 2-3 min spray then stop) with your Medela Swing? If yes, that perhaps how your breast works. I’d suggest trying to get a few more let-downs if you don’t see any more flow. Also, don’t forget doing hands-on pumping (massage, try to reposition the breast shield).
(2) If not, perhaps your body is just getting accustomed to your new pump. You can try to stay in let-down and see if you can get more flow or try other suction strength-cycle speed combination.
Dianne says
Hi rina
I am pumping more with my medela swing maxi. Previously, on my first pump of the day i am able to get at least 7-9 oz and then at least 4 oz on my succeding sessions (i usually do 3 when to 4 when im in the office depending how busy i am). However lately i noticed that I was able to get only around 5-6 oz on my first session and 2-3 oz on succeding sessions. Hence i switched to spectra as I have been using my maxi swing for a year already.
With the spectra i am lucky to get 4 oz on my first session and only 1.5-2oz on succeding sessions….
Thanks
Dianne
Dianne says
Hi
I also noticed that it seems the spectra 24mm is a bit bigger than medela? Seems like its taking a bit more of my areola than in the medela? Im planning to get a spectra massager insert to check out the difference
Rina says
Don’t forget that you can always use Medela breast shield directly with Spectra pump. You just need to get the little yellow flange adapter.
Rina says
Keep trying for a few weeks. Sometimes, the optimal result does not come right away. Been hearing that it gets better after a few weeks. I myself experimented for one week before finding my best setting and good output.
Dianne says
hi
the yellow flange adapter is not compatible for Medela Swing Maxi. Anyways, i will try to check my output for the next week 🙂
thanks very much 🙂
regards
Dianne