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To feed your baby, you may find yourself in an exclusive-pumping situation–which means constant pumping! If that describes your sitch, you need to make sure you’re using the best electric breast pump in 2019.

Given my twins’ long NICU stay–50 and 80-something days, respectively–this mama was nearly exclusively pumping from day one. And healthcare pros and moms alike were constantly preaching the need for a “hospital grade” pump. But is hospital grade really the best breast pump? I wondered.

Since my supply already wasn’t great, AND I was pumping every two to three hours, I was willing to search to find the best. Here are the pumps I tried and how they ranked:

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Best electric breast pump in 2019

1. Ameda Elite

Producing enough milk was a struggle. The first few days in the hospital I was so proud to get even a smidge of colostrum. I figured before long I’d be awash in extra milk.

The very first pump I tried in the hospital was the Ameda Elite. I had nothing to compare it to, so in the hospital I thought it was great. Something was happening at least!

I should also note that I was on a lot of painkillers. So pumping and everything else had a happy sheen on it. But I hadn’t tried the other pumps yet.

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2. Ameda Platinum

After I was up and about, I starting spending more time in the NICU, where there was a top-of-the-line Ameda Platinum. How could this one be so much better than the Elite? I don’t know but it was huge. I was PR’ing my milk production every time I pumped by my baby’s bedside, using the Platinum instead of the Elite.

The downside to this one is you have to rent it. I actually did rent one upon returning home. The problem is it’s really not designed for a home user. For one, it’s huge. It was delivered in a giant generic duffel bag that one might use to rob a bank.

Then it has to stay in one spot. Some people might have time to sit in one spot and pump for hours, but when you’re pumping for hours a day you gotta be mobile. So eventually the Platinum collected dust in a corner until I finally returned it.

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3. The Spectra

Ordering my pump through insurance, I hemmed and hawed between the Spectra S1 and S2. I didn’t realize at the time that battery-powered was the thing that makes the S1 Premier Rechargeable Portable Electric Breast Pump great.

Bottom line: pay the extra $50 for the S1!

I pumped in the car, while emptying the dishwasher. I pumped while bottle-feeding twins. It was a lifesaver. And I was able to pump just as much–or near as much–as with the hospital-grade Ameda.

That’s not to say things were perfect with the Spectra.

A few months in my pump stopped holding a charge. The warranty situation required sending in a video of the issue. Sending in a video of your malfunctioning breast pump in action. Very amusing.

But I did [without me in the video!] and it turned out the rest of the process was relatively pain-free. They sent me a new one days later and we’ve been pumping together happily ever since!

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Supply not enough?

I should note that even with the best breast pump, I struggled to produce enough milk for my preemie twins. Between my twins’ long NICU stay–and the fact that I couldn’t hold them for weeks, I spend lots of time trying to boost milk supply. Let’s just say my body never got the memo there were two babies.

Obsessed with producing more, I scoured the internet for advice. Here’s what worked for me. Though your experience may differ, hopefully this helps some other mamas out there. 

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Eating Oats

Oats are supposed to increase milk supply, and a daily half cup of oats was an easy swap. I even made up a great recipe called “oat and egg” I could eat daily.

I bet you can guess how that’s made. There are only three ingredients and one is a pinch of salt.

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egg and oat recipe

• Mix 1/4 cup of dry oats with some amount of water in a coffee cup
• Microwave for somewhere between 40 and 50″
• Crack an egg on top and microwave another 45 – 60-ish”
• Let it sit for a variable amount of time so the egg cooks a bit.
• Add a pinch of salt and enjoy

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Results: mixed. I did feel like I may have possibly kinda made more on the days I ate oats. Or, it could just be those were the days I’d pay attention, or I’d pump longer because I wanted to win? Overall, this is an easy, low-cost way to boost supply. Recommend!

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Lactation Cookies

I bought these cookies made with more oats, brewer’s yeast, fenugreek and other items that were supposed to boost supply. They are delicious, like a box of Famous Amos cookies, so there is that.

Also, the term “lactation cookies” tends to dissuade others from getting high on your supply. I loved these cookies so much that it was easy to justify grabbing a bag a few times a day in lieu of a healthier snack.

Results: It seemed like I produced more on the days I ate cookies, but I wasn’t sure. I enjoyed every one of those delicious morsels, but my weight loss stalled–because it was so easy to eat multiple bags per day!

I’d recommend at least trying these. If they weren’t expensive for “just cookies” I’d probably still eat them!

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Lactation Smoothies

In a moment of desperation, I amazoned these pre-made smoothies. They tasted like sweet applesauce and were full of fenugreek.

Result: Again mixed. Sorry. I wish I was able to reveal the secret by now. I *may* have made more on those days. They were delicious, but again, I couldn’t justify consuming them on a regular basis if I wasn’t sure they were working. Definitely worth a try!

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Power-pumping

This is sometimes called “power hour,” a term that makes me think of that game in college where frat boys of dubious intelligence would take a shot of beer a minute for 60 minutes. Or was it one hundred minutes? At any rate, power pumping is less exciting, but also less likely to lead to puking. You merely pump on and off–time guidelines vary–for an hour-ish.

Result: It was good excuse to sit on the couch and watch an extra episode of something, but it didn’t lead to greater milk production for me. Wah wah.

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did anything work?

Was there anything at all that helped? I am happy to say yes, but it’s not what you think.

In the end, the only thing that made an appreciable difference was getting the twins home and “getting the baby to the breast” as the lactation consultant would call it, every day. My twins were never great nursers, but even five minutes as a warmup to a bottle seemed to charge things up.

I never ended up being a super-producer and by the time my babies were four months old, I had stopped obsessing about milk supply as the be-all-end-all and got used to the idea I was always going to have to mix breast milk and formula.

Of course, YMMV.

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If you’re tried any of these methods for boosting your milk supply, what worked for you? Anything I should have tried along the way? Let me know in the comments!

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the verdict

Though it’s possible that some older “home” pumps were much worse than true hospital grade pumps, my experience didn’t reflect that. The $200 pump worked nearly as well–and was much more convenient–than the mega expensive hospital ones.

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If you tried any other pumps–or any other ways for boosting milk supply–what worked best? Anything I should have tried along the way? Let me know in the comments!

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More ideas for your new mom journey:

• 3 new mom hacks to save you hours per week
• How to tandem feed twins to save time
• 5 tips for a productive morning routine with babies
• Four most comfortable and flattering maternity dresses [for 2019]
• The real deal on getting back in shape after baby
• The real hospital bag must-haves [from a twin mom]

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