Spectra VS Medela Breast Pumps
Ladies not sure what breast pump is the best? You are in luck, today I am sharing the difference between two of the most popular breast pumps!
The biggest question that I think a lot of moms that are either about to have their baby or have a newborn is what breast pump should they get? Should they snag the Medela or the Spectra? Those two seem to be the two that everyone is chatting about. When I had King I was lucky enough to get a hand-me-down Medela pump. That thing was a trooper and made it through my Aunts 3 kids and then half way through King, I had to buy a new one part of the way through but man I love my Medela pump. I exclusively pumped for 12 months with King and hauled that thing everywhere. When I started thinking about pumps with Lettie girl the Spectra was the new thing that everyone was talking about. My insurance covers a breast pump so I thought what the heck I’ll give it a try and see how it compares to my ride or die Medela pump. I nurse Lettie primarily, but still needed a really strong pump to prevent me from getting mastitis (I am super prone to it so I need strong suction power to really clear my milk out). I have used the Spectra for three months now and feel like I can give it a good review on how I feel about it. Below I will compare my thoughts on the two pumps, what I love about them, and what the cons are!
|| MEDELA PUMP IN STYLE ||
Parts are super accessible and you can buy it anywhere
I love that when I needed something part wise I could run to Target or Walmart and they had everything. I never was in a bind finding new parts or parts that broke.
Strong Suction Power
This machine can SUCK. Holy cow. It let’s you change the settings of the suction power for when you are actually pumping (not on expression mode). I always have pumped at the strongest setting so I don’t get mastitis and it is amazing.
Small & Square Shape Making It Convenient to Pack
This fits into any pump bag which makes it super easy to haul around.
Pump Single or Double
You can pump both sides at once if you need to with the Medela or if you need to only pump off one side you can put the cap on it and just do one.
Hospital grade
This is really important to me in looking for a pump.
Super Loud
I swear this pump talks to me, sometimes it changes what it says ha, but it always is saying something. Maybe I was delirious from spending too much time with it or maybe we spent so much time together that we became best friends…I’ll never know.
Open System
This is my biggest con to this pump. I wish it was a closed system. Having an open system allows the milk to be able to back up into the pump and it can mold, etc.
|| SPECTRA S2 ||
Quiet
This pump is seriously a dream. It is so quiet that Zach won’t even know I am pumping if he isn’t right next to me. I love that at the beginning if I needed to pump in the night it was quiet enough to not wake anyone up!
Timer & Night Light
I love the timer feature on this pump. I love knowing exactly how long I have pumped for without trying to manage it on my own because let’s be honest I would always forget. The night light on it is also super handy for those middle of the night pump sessions.
Can change the speed & strength of your suction
The Spectra allows you to change the suction not only during the regular pumping but also during the expression phase. It also lets you change to different speeds/programs of how fast it is sucking which is awesome because everyone is different and expresses their milk differently.
Hospital Grade
This pump is also hospital grade!
Closed System
I think this is the thing that really sells me on this pump. It is a closed system so milk can not back flow. This keeps things so much more sanitary and really puts my mind to ease knowing that there won’t be mold or things growing in my pump.
Saves Settings
Whatever settings you pumped to last pump it will start with when you pump again. I love that I just turn it on and it is ready to go right how I left it. No changing things, finding the right settings, etc.
Weird Shape
This pump is in the most bizarre shape, I really don’t know what they were thinking when they designed it. It doesn’t fit into very many pump bags and is really awkward to try to pack to take it with you places…
Parts aren’t easily found
Parts for the Spectra aren’t easily found at Target or Walmart. I have ordered extra parts and had to snag them on Amazon which isn’t a huge deal but if you were in a bind you wouldn’t be able to get what you needed quickly.
All in all I would pick the Medela if I was exclusively pumping for the sole reason that you can find parts anywhere you need them and that it is really easy to take with you wherever you are going. Where I am nursing Lettie this time and using my pump just to keep a stock pile of milk and to prevent mastitis I would hands down go with the Spectra because it isn’t my life line to feeding my baby. I love the fact that the Spectra is a closed system and has the timer and night light, but the fact that it isn’t easy to take places and you can’t find parts quickly if you really need them would make me nervous if it was my life line to giving my baby breast milk. All in all I think you need to decide what is best for you, your circumstance, and fits your needs the best!
Great comparion! I’m also a mom of 2 (4 yr old and 3 month old baby), and used the Medela Pump-In-Style with the first and now Spectra S2. Just wanted to share some feedback from my lactation consultant on the newer Pump-in-Styles. Right after baby was born, I mentioned to her that I’d chosen the Spectra over Medela. She thought it was a wise choice, and shared that the quality of the Medelas seems to have dropped. She’s had a number of clients complain recently about the Pump-in-Style. After watching it work, she suspects that Medela may be using cheaper parts now for the motor, etc. She wonders whether the surge in the Medela’s popularity/demand has impacted quality control. I don’t have personal experience with a new one (mine worked fine in 2014-2015) but since you’re comparing an older model Medela with the Spectra, thought I’d pass along this feedback.
P.S. I haul Spectra in a Miss Fong diaper bag (Fawn Design knock-off). The rounded shape works well with it, and I have plenty of space for everything. I also see Sarah Wells pumping bags photographed a lot with the Spectra.