How We Tested Breast Pumps

By Wendy Schmitz, Juliet Spurrier, MD, and Molly Bradac

We spend months testing breast pumps. Our testing is conducted at our in-house lab and with lactating parents to determine the efficiency of milk expression, comfort, ease of use, portability, and more.

breast pump - finding an efficient pump means more milk in less time. — Finding an efficient pump means more milk in less time.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Efficiency

For efficiency, we consider the ounces of milk expressed per minute pumped, using a bottle designed to simulate a breast. We record the amount of milk the pump can express in a 20-minutes. We take an average of three test results. We also assess lactating mothers' milk expression. We test the suction pressure using a pressure gauge to compare apples-to-apples on which pumps have the strongest suction.

Comfort

Comfort is somewhat subjective. The three factors we consider are the flange sizes, including what comes with the pump, and sizes you can buy. We consider what they are made of. A soft silicone edge vs a hard plastic flange that doesn't adapt to the breast. We also look at how much suction variability and modes it offers. Settings combine the suction's speed, pattern, and strength.

breast pump - easy to use means mindlessly being able to pump when your brain has... — Easy to use means mindlessly being able to pump when your brain has no more power in the early exhaustion days of babyhood.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use

We assessed each option for ease of use by evaluating its user interface and features. This would include things like intuitive icons and settings, visible screens to remember settings, timers, and minutes you've been pumping, etc.

breast pump - a portable pump can be useful for those who work away from home or... — A portable pump can be useful for those who work away from home or travel.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Portability

We assessed portability by measuring the weight and size of each pump, if it required an outlet, and how loud they were.

breast pump - keeping parts clean is super important to avoid tainting your... — Keeping parts clean is super important to avoid tainting your breastmilk.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Hygiene

We assessed how difficult the products were to keep clean, sterilize, and assemble at home and away.