Being a first-time motherhood is exciting, as well as daunting. While some of us believe we are ready to handle such fragile little creatures and breastfeeding, the pressure that comes with this role can take a toll on mothers. Not to forget, these chubby little things come with an astonishing financial liability. While there is tons of stuff that one may need to begin this journey called parenthood, it’s hard to decide what are the real essentials and what are just cute little things designed to rip new parents off. Even the essentials like the right baby formula, baby bag, breast pumps, burp rags, an enormous number of onesies, etc. can come in tons of variety; this confuses new parents.

Not to worry, we will help all mothers out there navigate through this journey. The series equips new parents for this role and also help them what they need as a new parent and what products are a trap for them to splurge more and wreck their bank account.

Top Five Breast Pumps

Breastfeeding is beautiful. While breast milk is the best food for a newborn (supported by tons of studies, old wives tales; I mean come on everyone knows that), some mothers have trouble establishing it for various reasons. The formula might be helpful and comes with convenience and pretty decent nutritional value; the cost that comes with it can be killing for your budget. If you are a mom who is

• Working outside the home
• having health issues, 
• having trouble establishing latching/ breastfeeding in the first place, 
• providing milk for a preemie 
• having trouble with milk supply or
• really into providing breast milk without resorting to direct breastfeeding.

Then, bless science, we have the ultimate help called breast pumps. As a mom of five, I wish somebody had told me about it before my first one came along. The breastfeeding didn’t come naturally to us despite thousands of tries. We couldn’t establish latching and bless my husband, who researched and boom; we had a new addition to our family called breast pump. The little angel has been my trusted partner every time the new addition took place. However, I still believe that knowing your needs in terms of breastfeeding and then finding the model that fits them takes time and research, and this is what this article is all about. 

Top Five Breast Pumps (Buy them from here)

IMAGE	PRODUCT NAME	COMMENTS	LINK
	Spectra S1 Plus Electric Breast Pump	– Ideal for Exclusive Breast Pumping – Kit for Working Moms	CHECK ON AMAZON
	Medela Harmony Hand Held Pump	– Ideal for Supplemental Use – For pumping on-the-go – Handy for Working Moms	CHECK ON AMAZON
	Avent Manual Comfort Breast Pump	– Ideal for Supplemental Use – For pumping on-the-go – Handy for Working Moms and – Ideal for Sensitive Breasts	CHECK ON AMAZON
	Medela Pump in Style – Advanced on-the-go	– Ideal for Exclusive Breast Pumping – Kit for Working Moms – Cooling Bag for Storage	CHECK ON AMAZON
	Haakaa Manual Breast Pump	– Ideal for Supplemental Use	CHECK ON AMAZON

Types of Breast Pumps

There are many options for moms out there fitting in the following categories:

• Heavy-duty double breast pumps
• Single side electric pumps
• Battery operated pumps
• Manual ones

Manual pumping can give your hands a severe workout if you plan on pumping multiple times in a day. However, for supplemented pumping when you don’t have access to the baby or electric breast pumps, manual ones are the perfect fit considering that they check all the criteria mentioned below.

While deciding on investing in breast pumps, most mothers prefer the one that:  

• Is lightweight and easy to carry
• Is quiet or has a less distinct sound, 
• Has strong suction strength
• Are hands-free (some models allow both hand-held and hands-free options) and
• Is either covered by insurance or is economical enough for you. 

Now that you know what to look for in a breast pump, here are our top 5 picks for 2020. These tried and tested machines are used by mamas in our team and those who contributed to our survey. So here we go:

Moms No.1. Spectra S1 Plus Electric Breast Pump:

Wow, oh wow, this baby ticks all the right boxes on our list. Here are the salient features:

• Double side pumping, 
• pretty economical and has least noise in the hospital-grade pump range, 
• adjustable speed and suction strength
• the hygienic closed-pumping technique, 
• night light
• built-in battery for pumping on the go
• timer for preset pumping pattern
• easily available spare parts

No matter why you are opting for breast pumping, Spectra S1 is the ultimate aide for you. Also, if you want to go for the same benefits at a lesser cost, Spectra S2 will do for most moms. Other than one side pumping and no built-in battery, the benefits are pretty much the same.

Moms No. 2. Medela Harmony Hand-Held Pump

What can we say about Medela that’s not proven already? It has a vast range of breast pumps and other feeding accessories (P.S. we have a whole article covering Medela range for moms). However, this one model is mine and many moms’ ultimate favourite. We will tell you why:

• Portable, can fit in your shoulder bag
• Great suction 
• Economic with cost just under $30
• Little sound
• Comes with the bottle holder to avoid spills
• Convenient design to prevent strain on the back
• Amazing flange design
• Compatible with standard neck bottles of other brands

Although not meant for exclusive pumping, this pump ticks the rest of the boxes for majority of our moms.

No.3. Philips Avent Manual Comfort Breast Pump:

Avent has undoubtedly done its homework while designing its feeding range for moms and babies, especially this fantastic model. This pump is one of our all-time favourites for the following reasons:

• Compact
• Powerful suction
• Reclined pumping to avoid back strain
• Easy disassembling for effective cleaning
• Silicone lining which makes the most comfortable machine in the hand-held range
• Easily available replacement parts
• Can be sterilised in the microwave
• Cost-effective

The only down-side to this pump is its compatibility only with Avent bottles having a wide neck.

4. Medela Pump In Style Advanced On-the-Go Tote:

Medela has been the synonymous name for baby feeding accessories for quite some time now, and the brand has earned respect as one of the leading choices among moms. This model is the one when you want smooth breast pumping in the budget. Its salient features are as follow:

• Portable as it comes in a bag, 
• Efficient suction, 
• Easy to clean
• readily available spare parts, 
• not too loud but a distinct pumping sound, 
• multiple flange size i.e., 24mm and 27mm
• comes with a cooler for practical breast milk storage

You would need a power outlet for this one. Also, it has open-system pumping so milk can flow back rarely. 

Moms No.5. Haaka Breast Pump:

This cute little thing is a one-piece model offering the simplest breast pumping possible for mothers. With just one squeeze, you can quickly begin the flow. When you are on the go, want to pump while feeding the baby or have an extra stash, this is the one for you. Plus, it’s just under $20, so cost should be least of your worries. However, if you are planning on exclusively breastfeed, you might want to go for other pumps.

Breastfeeding is an integral part of motherhood (if you plan on doing, obviously). The right pump can make things easy for you; it does not matter if you plan on exclusively breastfeed or just do supplemented pumping.