Elvie Breast Pump Review

Before I gave birth to my third child, I read about the wonders of Elvie, the cordless breast pump. Although initially put off by its $500 USD price tag, the more I looked into it, the more this pump was WORTH IT. Here’s why….

If you haven’t pumped breast milk from your body multiple times a day for more than a year, you might not understand this but pumping is hard work. Besides the physical aspects, pumping is both logistically and emotionally challenging. Add the chaos of getting myself and kid(s) ready for the day and you’ll start to understand why anything that makes life easier is life changing.

1. Elvie is cordless. I repeat NO CORDS. In fact, it won’t work if it’s plugged in to charge. Pop the Elvie into your bra and your hands are once again free. I’ve driven, typed, done dishes and more while pumping milk. No more tied to a chair for 30+ minutes for me!
2. Elvie does not use bags; it has re-usable containers. I dump the milk into my old Medela bottles for refrigeration after or Medela freezer bags for my milk stash.
3. Elvie is quiet. I no longer have to feel self-conscious about being on a work call while pumping; nobody hears the pump. I can barely hear the pump!
4. Elvie can be controlled by an app. You don’t have to use the app, but I like that it keeps track of your daily output and time used.
5. The Elvie pumps work individually. I can have each pump on a different setting for maximum production.
6. The pump has built-in sensors so it knows when to change modes or to stop pumping due to full containers.
7. Elvie’s breast shields have guidelines on them to help you identify what size you need. Medela pumps come with drawings, but Elvie’s lines made me realize I had been using the wrong size for two years when pumping for my older kids. <face palm>

Full disclosure: After 2 weeks of using the Elvie 3x a day at work, its performance on one pump has dropped. I’m in contact with Elvie’s customer support to get the issue resolved. In the meantime, I keep the pumps fully charged, switch which side I use the underperforming pump, and use a Spectra S1 Plus at home and keep my old Medela Pump in Style in the car ready to go just in case.

Despite this one issue, I still find the Elvie to be awesome and worth it. I can’t compare it to the Willow pump since I’ve never used the Willow, but I didn’t want to pay for the Willow’s special bags.

Do you have either an Elvie or a Willow pump? If so, what do you think about it? Was it worth the cost?