Someone in a group chat asked about breast pumps a few weeks before her due date. I sent back what I always send back, which is: call your insurance, it's free, here's what I'd actually get. This is that, but longer, because I've now done this twice and have opinions that have changed.
Bottom line: Get the Spectra S1 through your insurance — pay the upgrade fee if you have to — and then buy a Pumpables wearable on the side. That combo handled everything for me across two kids and two very different pumping situations.
Who This Is (and Isn't) For
This is for anyone who's planning to pump and hasn't bought anything yet. It is especially for you if you're overwhelmed by the options and someone told you "just get whatever's free through insurance" without explaining what that actually means.
If you're planning to exclusively breastfeed and never touch a pump, none of this applies and you can close this tab. If you've already bought everything and you're deep into it — same, come back to us on the next one.
What We Actually Did
I pumped across two kids born three years apart. With my first (pandemic baby, nowhere to go, nothing to do), I used a Spectra S2 from insurance and eventually leaned on a Medela hand pump more than I expected. With my second, I upgraded to the S1, discovered wearable pumps exist and are good actually, and figured out a bag situation that doesn't require checking a second piece of luggage to leave the house.
Step One: Call Your Insurance
You get a breast pump covered. By law. Call your insurance, they'll route you to some third-party fulfillment company with a website that looks like it was built in 2009, and you'll pick from their list. The list is real, the pumps are real, and this part is actually fine.
The Spectra S2 will almost certainly be on the list for free. The S1 — which is the same pump but cordless — might cost you an upgrade fee, usually around $75. Pay it. Cordless matters more than you think it will, and you won't realize how much until you're stuck in a corner because the outlet is behind a chair.
The Spectra S1 (Your Main Pump)
The Spectra is a hospital-grade double electric pump and it is legitimately good at its job. The suction is adjustable, the settings make sense once you figure them out, and it does what it's supposed to do without drama.
It's not wearable, which means you're attached to it — you'll need a hands-free pumping bra (get one, don't skip this) and you'll need to be near an outlet or have the battery charged. This is fine for pumping at a desk or on a couch. It is less fine for pumping in a car, at a gate, or while pretending to participate in a meeting.
That's where the second pump comes in.
The Pumpables (Your Mobile Pump)
Wearable pumps have gotten genuinely good. They fit in your bra, have no tubes, and mean you can pump while driving, walking, standing in a kitchen making lunch, or otherwise living your life. The Pumpables is the one I'd recommend.
It's compatible with Spectra flanges, which matters because you'll probably figure out your flange size with your Spectra first and then you don't have to re-figure it out for the wearable. You can also get Maymom flanges (cheaper, work just as well) and those fit both.
The output is comparable to the Spectra for me, which I did not expect. Some people get less from a wearable. Some people get more. Your mileage varies, but it's worth trying early so you know before you're dependent on it.
The Medela Hand Pump Situation
I used my Medela hand pump more than I expected with my first kid and less than I expected with my second, and I think that's entirely because I had the Pumpables this time. If you're going to have a solid wearable option, the hand pump becomes backup-backup. Still worth having around. Just don't buy it expecting it to be your primary.
Whitney says: The $75 upgrade fee for the S1 felt annoying to pay when I was also spending money on a crib and 47 other things. Two kids in, it's the least I'd do differently.
The Links
Spectra S1 Plus — Get this through your insurance. Pay the upgrade if you have to.
Pumpables Genie Advanced — The wearable worth buying. Compatible with Spectra flanges. Buy this in addition to, not instead of, the Spectra.
Maymom Flanges — Cheaper than the brand flanges, work just as well, fit both the Spectra and the Pumpables.
The One Thing Nobody Tells You
You will figure out your flange size after you start using it, not before. All the guides say to measure and order the right size ahead of time, and that's good advice, but almost everyone I know ended up adjusting once things were actually happening. Order a size or two, don't stress about getting it perfect before the baby arrives, and know that the Maymom kit comes with multiple sizes for less than the cost of one Spectra flange.
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