Mothers spend hours expressing milk, so it pays to choose the right pump.
Breastfeeding is a magical experience and offers a way to nurture and bond with your baby. As much as you adore your little cherub however, you may want or need some time apart from them, which is difficult if you are exclusively breastfeeding. Expressing milk to be fed to your baby later by you or someone else can be very handy.
Expressing milk can take a while to master. But, the breastfeeding experts at Medela have some great advice:
“For your first breast-pumping session, express for around 15 to 20 minutes. Don’t worry if you don’t collect much milk at first, just keep going. Hold the breast shield gently against the breast – pressing too hard could compress your breast tissue and obstruct milk flow.
Once your milk is flowing, you should always pump at your maximum comfort vacuum, which is the highest breast pump setting you can use while remaining comfortable. In research, this was found to remove a similar amount of milk as a baby does during breastfeeding.
To find the right level for you, increase the breast pump suction gradually until it becomes slightly uncomfortable, and then turn it down a notch.”
Logically, double pumping halves the time spent expressing, and collects 18 per cent more milk on average, compared to pumping from each breast in turn, so we chose to test mostly double pumps.
We looked for pumps that promised comfort, ease of assembly and cleaning and great suction.
These range from fully portable, wearable pumps to non-portable plug in pumps. When and where you pump will dictate the type you need. The same tester tried each pump for consistency.
You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Medela freestyle flex 2-phase double electric breast pump
We love a bit of tech, and this compact pump from Medela has it in buckets. We connected it to the “MyMedela” app so that we could track our pumping patterns and loved how it notified us when the USB charged battery was running low.
The pump interface lights up, which was useful for expressing in the dark. We also appreciated the delay start function, giving you an extra 10 seconds to get the second pump in place perfectly without rushing.
This pump was one of the quietest electric models we tried. The improved flex breast shields gave exceptionally strong but smooth suction, so even the highest level wasn’t painful. It expressed the same volume of milk as the hospital-grade Medela symphony pump, which is incredible for a portable machine. It has fewer parts than the other electric pumps, so was very easy to clean.
We also tried the Medela symphony, which is used on 75 per cent of UK maternity wards. It is a powerful and efficient bit of non-portable kit, which can be rented for less than £1.50 per day.
Elvie double electric breast pump
Elvie is the world’s first silent wearable breast pump. Any mother who expresses milk will understand what a genius idea this is – the hours spent sitting still and pumping are unreal. We slipped this double pump into our bra and hoped to get on with our day. We liked that it was silent so that we didn’t sound like a robot. The app enabled us to see how much milk we had expressed and control the pump remotely.
It was very easy to set up and synched with the Elvie app with no problems. It is comfy, although requires a tight bra to keep it in place.
This expressed four ounces of milk before shutting down, so some additional pumping was required and it was slower than other electric pumps. But, this is a tiny price to pay for having the freedom to move around, drive and have free hands. It is easy to clean too.
Haakaa silicone breast pump and white flower stopper gift set box
The Haakaa is a simple silicone vase, which is squeezed, placed over the nipple and then the steady suction draws out the milk. No wires, tubes or batteries. This set comes with a cute flower stopper to save any spills.
No electrics mean no noise, and it couldn’t be simpler to use. We found it ideal to place on one breast while feeding from the other. It catches and encourages the let-down milk that would otherwise be wasted. We could collect up to four ounces this way.
It is dishwasher safe and as easy to clean as a cup. We loved how natural it felt and how simple it is to use.
Ameda finesse double electric breast pump
This pump prides itself on providing hospital-standard pumping at home. The controls are similar, so it makes an easy transition for anyone who got to grips with expressing milk in hospital. We loved the simplicity of the two dials, which were easy to use.
Batteries make it portable, but still allowed it to pump quickly to a hospital-grade standard which really impressed us. We were done and dusted in 20 minutes. It is quiet, too.
The hygenikit milk collection system is a closed system pump that protects your milk and baby from bacteria and viruses and prevents mould from growing in the tubes. This gave us peace of mind and made the pump super easy to clean.
Nuby double digital electric breast pump
We voted this the best value pump. It has a touchscreen control unit, which looks so slick it could be mistaken for a smart speaker. It is quiet and discreet with nine speed settings, and you can use batteries or mains power to get it going. It can be used as a single or double pump. For a double pump, it is exceptional value and doesn’t lack in power, expressing milk quickly and comfortably. We especially liked the fact that is charges while pumping.
Lansinoh breast pump 2-in-1 double electric breast pump
We liked the fact that this pump can be used to express directly into the Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags, minimising opportunity for germs to access stored milk. This makes it a great option for mums who are exclusively pumping. It works exceptionally quickly, expressing a full feed in 15 minutes. With less harsh angles in the funnels than other models we tried, it was comfortable. The LED display was also handy for night feeds.
Tommee Tippee made for me single electric breast pump
This pump promised to be one of the quietest; just as quiet as the Medela flex we featured above, which is impressive. It is a small, single pump, which is ideal for taking out and about. The USB charged battery lasts for an hour, but single pumping takes twice as long. It is easy to assemble and clean and can pump straight into the Tommee Tippee range of bottles, which is helpful. We also loved the timer display as it is easy to lose track when pumping.
Philips Avent comfort double electric breast bump
This pump promised that we wouldn’t have to sit hunched forward while pumping to make sure we didn’t spill any milk. This sounded like a welcome relief for our poor, bent backs. We were impressed that it enabled us to pump eight ounces of milk in under 10 minutes. It was comfortable and quiet when we kept the pump in the travel bag. It breaks into a few pieces to clean, which are easy to match back up – anything that saves us time and brain power is a bonus.
