You can find what breast pumps are covered by your insurance, and order the pump at AeroFlow Breast pumps. If you decide to purchase a pump that isn’t fully covered by your insurance, they will help you understand how much will be covered by your insurance. Also, you qualify for a new breast pump through insurance for each pregnancy.
I have several breast pumps, and I most recently went to a lactation appointment at my hospital where the consultant showed me how to use my pumps. She told me her favorite was the Spectra, and I had to agree.
You might be wondering- why they wouldn’t recommend the hands-free bra-insert type pumps, and the only drawback is that the cups don’t hold much milk. Some brands offer different size cups, but then they stick out of your bra SIGNIFICANTLY and make you look like you have a robot chest. This is fine if you just want to pump around your house, but it’s not really conducive for pumping in the office or in public. I have one, and I enjoy it for around the house because I can fold laundry while I pump, but my Spectra has more settings and a stronger suction, so I usually opt for the Spectra over my hands-free one.
The Spectra S1 Plus has lots of settings and the difference for this S1 vs the S2, is that it is mobile. You charge it at night, and then you can take it around the house, in the car, to the office, etc. and not have to be tethered to the wall as you would with the Spectra S2 (pink model).
Remember you have to wash the pump parts after every session, so I’d recommend stocking up on pump parts- just make sure to order the right size flanges based on your nipple diameter. Your hospital’s lactation consultant can help you with this. They also make little sizing inserts that can make a large flange (the ones that come with pumps are pretty large) fit you better.
Lastly, the bottles that come with the Spectra can only hold 5 ounces, so most people use different bottles to screw into the pump. The Phillips Avent bottles screw in easily and can hold up to 9 ounces of pumped milk.
Tine Murray 