Well my breastfeeding and pumping journey has come to an end completely (I’ll chat more on that in Henry’s 6 month post), so I thought it was time for my review of the Elvie handsfree pump as I feel like I definitely used it enough to know the ins & outs of it!

What I loved:

• The convenience – This was by far the #1 positive thing about it! It was so so nice to not be attached to a wall and stuck in one spot while pumping. I loved being able to pump while I was putting on my makeup, doing the laundry or making dinner. I also used it while traveling to Mexico & Florida and was able to pump while on the plane without anyone even knowing.  Convenience  factor is a 10/10 for me. If you work from home and need to be hands free to pump, this is definitely a great option for you. I just brought it on my trip to Utah and I used it in our meetings & on the bus coming home from dinner one night without anyone really noticing!
• The charging life – I feel like I was able to get 5-6 pumps out of each round of charging which I think is great!
• Easy to clean – it’s a little intimidating at first, but it really is so easy to clean and the parts all go together flawlessly. There are 6 parts in total and 5 of them need to be cleaned after use.

What I didn’t love:

• Leaking – If you bend over or move too much, it leaks. At first I thought it was maybe just my pump so I returned it for another one and it still did the same thing. I’m talking bending over to pick something up….leaks. So even though you are hands free, don’t be going to do yoga with it or anything. HA!
• The suction level – Before I purchased this, I had heard from friends that the Elvie didn’t suction or pull out as much milk as a plug in pump and I have to agree. I also have the Spectra pump and I would get out almost double the ounces when I pumped with that instead of the Elvie
• The milk container size – It says that it holds up to 5 ounces pumped, but mine would always shut off at the 4 ounces line. I wish the container was just a little bit bigger at 6 ounces!
• The light on the start switch – this isn’t really a big deal, but there’s a light that goes on when the pump starts and it never turns off until you are done. So you can see the light though your shirt at all times.

Other questions I got:

Did I purchase one or two pumps? I only purchased one and I totally thought that was ok. If you are scrunched for time and want to pump extra fast, then you probably would benefit from two pumps going at the same time. OR if you have issues with pumping on one side and the other side leaking, you might want to get two pumps. I’ve never had that issue so that wasn’t a concern for me but I’ve heard from a lot of you all that it happens to you!

Where did I purchase mine and does insurance cover it? I ordered mine off Amazon because I wanted free shipping and free returns. My personal insurance didn’t cover it, but that doesn’t mean yours won’t. It’s always a good idea to check!

Did I feel like my milk production slowed down when using it? I never used it exclusively in the first 4 months because I did think that might happen! I have had friends who took it on trips and only used it to pump and definitely noticed a difference in their supply. After month 4 when I went to Mexico & Utah, I found myself using the Elvie exclusively for time purposes. I did notice a slight decline in production but nothing crazy. When I started the full weaning process at 5 months, I chose to just use the Elvie to actually help slow down my supply and it made that easier for sure.

Have you tried the Willow? I haven’t but I heard they are very similar.

Would you use it again for another baby? Absolutely! Like I said, having the convenience of being hands free and not connected to a wall is HUGE as a busy mom. And if you travel a ton like I do, it’s a MUST!

Did you ever try the Elvie Manual Pump? I did! And LOVED that it formed more to your breast than the really popular Haakaa. This one and the Haakaa only worked for me during the first month or so when I was balancing out my supply and had a ton of milk, but as far as catching milk, they both caught about the same, the Elvie was just way easier to put in your bra and walk around with.

 

My overall review is that I loved it and found it easy + convenient to use, it just leaked about 25% of the time. BUT I was willing to deal with that to be hands free and save me time!

I hope this helps you mamas! Any questions I missed?! Put them in the comments section below and I’ll get back to you asap!