The Elvie Pump Changed My Mind About Pumping

I remember when I created my baby registry, a few friends asked me if I was going to add a breast pump to it. Nope, nah, I was totally uninterested in being tethered to a noisy machine plugged into a device meant to extract my milk like a farm animal. And those pumping bras with the holes cut out? No thanks! Since I work from home, I figured I could just manually express a few ounces of milk ahead of time if I knew I would miss a feeding. And for the first few weeks of our son’s life, that strategy worked.

Then reality set in.

What about if I went out to lunch and got stuck in traffic on the way home, and the 4 ounces of milk I’d left behind finished, but the kid was still hungry? What if I wasn’t feeling well and needed to take a night off from nursing? How was I going to build up enough of a stash to go on a long weekend getaway without the baby by solely hand expressing milk?

After 6 weeks of motherhood, I decided I needed a breast pump.

Now I’m the kind of person who hates compromising style in the name of function, so I was super excited to try the sleek Elvie pump as an alternative to traditional breast pumps. Cordless, quiet, and discreet, the Elvie pump promised to assuage my pumping fears, and I’ve got to say, it has delivered!

The light and slim profile of the Elvie breast pump fits right into my nursing bras and tank tops – no need for special pumping bras with cutout holes. The pump, flange, and collection bottle all fit together to create one seamless piece. It even comes with two different size breast shields with a third available for purchase, so you can ensure a proper fit for better milk production. The Elvie pump charges quickly using a USB charger, the same kind of cord my camera uses, so I can charge it while in my bedroom, in the office, or even using a power bank while on the go. I’ve found that a full charge can carry 3-4 20 minute pumping sessions, so no need for working moms to charge while at the office.

My favorite aspect of the Elvie pump is the mobile app that works in tandem. You don’t need the Smart app to use the pump, but I like that I can start and stop the pumps or change the suction intensity without having to reach into my bra. Speaking of suction, the Elvie pump is very comfortable and doesn’t overwork my nipples. The pump mimics a baby’s sucking by starting off more intensely until the letdown is triggered, and then it slows down. Plus it allows you to set a timer and track how much milk you’ve pumped from either side (though this isn’t always accurate, especially if you move around a lot while pumping), and will automatically stop if it senses that the reusable 5 ounce bottle is full. The only change I’d make to the app is the ability to manually add in sessions – I did pump once and for some reason my data didn’t save, so it would have been nice to be able to record my output myself. When I’m done, I can either store the bottle in the fridge directly, or use the spout to transfer milk into a freezer storage bag.

Although pumping at work is probably the most common use case for a breast pump, I can envision countless situations where the Elvie breast pump is going to come in handy for me personally. Long plane ride? Pull out Elvie. Stuck in traffic and starting to feel engorged? Elvie to the rescue. Want to Netflix and pump without having to turn the volume to 50 to drown out the sound of a noisy pump? Elvie to the rescue again. I’ve used it at home during the baby’s long afternoon nap to keep my milk production up and build a stash, and have used it while out and about if I’ll miss a feeding so I don’t mess up my nursing schedule.

If you’re on the hunt for a new breast pump for yourself or as a gift, I highly recommend the Elvie pump. It’s the only silent pump on the market, and has made pumping a much more pleasant experience for me than I expected. You can now use my code IJEOMA10 and get 10% off the Elvie Pump!