AVENT Natural Comfort Manual Review

Philips is a very large company with a subset of breast pumps as well as other products available.

Efficiency

Once the pump is lined up correctly on your breast, it expresses a good amount of milk in a reasonable time. We did notice a slight drawback to its efficiency: the rubber inlay. Many moms appreciate this rubber inlay on the breast flange for comfort, but when it comes to efficiency, it has a couple of problems. Mainly, it leaves less room for your breast, which can cause your breast to be pulled sideways if it is not lined up properly. This often takes a couple of tries to correct.

Comfort

This pump's comfort is disappointing due to the rubber inlay. While for some moms, it seems this is an aide to make pumping more comfortable, for others it seems to make pumping very uncomfortable. It's difficult to recommend this pump when there is such a split opinion on comfort, but it wasn't comfortable for us. It was the same problem we encountered with the AVENT Comfort Double Electric Pump in that if your breasts aren't lined up correctly, it creates what one of our testers called a “tittie twister event,” which, trust us, no mom wants! We found it more comfortable to take the rubber inlay out and pump with just the plastic flange. Of course, this all depends on breast size, nipple size, etc…

Ease of use

All manual pumps are very easy to use, except for the work they require from your hand. This pump requires you to empty each breast separately while using your opposing hand to operate the pumping lever. We found the lever on this pump to be a little more labor-intensive than the Medela Manual pump. It's the lever angle that is a little harsher, which requires a little more work from your hand.

Portability

All the manual pumps are very portable and can fit easily in your purse or a carry-on bag for a flight. However, it doesn't come with a tote bag or insulated bag to store your milk in. It does come with one extra bottle, so you can store up to 10 ounces of milk in a refrigerator without needing any other storage solutions for expressed milk.

Hygiene

This pump received a pretty low score for hygiene. It was difficult to pull each section apart and clean all the crevasses completely without finding dried up milk on the next pumping session. This is mainly due to the rubber inlay that creates the suction on the pump adapter.

Acoustics

This pump scored great on acoustics. All manual pumps are virtually silent, baring the sound of the lever actually moving to pump. This pump scored just behind the Medela Harmony Manual in the manual pump section for acoustics. It is a great, discrete way to pump, especially if you are on a plane or in a public place that does not offer much privacy.

Conclusion

This is a good, portable, easy to use manual pump. It would be sufficient for your needs if you don't pump that often or are planning a trip or a date night. As stated, the rubber inlays in the breast flanges can be either a positive or a negative, as some moms seem to love them but we found them to be uncomfortable and to decrease our efficiency.

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