When I found out I was pregnant, there were a few products I knew I had to get my hands on, and the Elvie Pump was one of them. Having used it for now three months, I felt a review was overdue.
Before I get into it, it's worth noting that I ended up depending on the Elvie Pump a lot more than expected in the first few week's of Ezra's life (you can find out why here). For the first three weeks, I was feeding him expressed breastmilk via a bottle, so expressing good quantities of milk regularly was a top priority. I completed depended on the Elvie to help me feed my son.
The Elvie Pump is an all-in-one electric breast pump that sets itself apart from many of the others on the market for several reasons. Firstly it is small, silent, and wearable. Usually expressing milk can take a while - whether using a manual or electric pump - and, when you're dealing with a new baby that constantly demands your attention, even 10 minutes of being out of action is just too much. Because the Elvie pump is small, with no external cords or tubes, it can tuck inside your bra or nursing top and pump away, freeing up both hands to enable you to either look after the little one or just get your life admin done. Not only does the Elvie Pump free up your hands for help at home, it also lets you pump on the go. So far I've pumped driving a car, meeting a friend for coffee, and even going to the doctors! It also sits comfortably in your bra and, as it is incredibly lightweight, it stays perfectly in place to ensure there are no mishaps. There are two breast shields with different nipple sizes to choose from and an additional size can be purchased from Elvie if neither fit.
As for its expressing capability, the Elvie Pump expresses milk quickly and efficiently. On a typical morning - when my milk supply is at its highest - I can pump a full bottle's worth of milk in just 10 minutes. And, although said bottle only holds 150ml - which isn't that much when the babber starts demanding more - I just empty the expressed milk into a sterilised bottle or Tommee Tippee storage bag, and then reattach the pump to continue expressing. The Elvie Pump also charges in two hours via micro-USB, meaning you can pack in a load of expressing sessions if your baby is going through a growth spurt.
The Elvie Pump is made up of 11 parts that are quick and easy to wash, sterilise, and assemble. These include:
1 Hub
2 Bottles (5oz/150ml, BPA free)
1 Breast Shield (24mm)
1 Breast Shield (28mm)
2 Valves
2 Spouts
2 Seals
2 Storage Lids
2 Bra Adjusters
1 USB Charging Cable
1 Carry Bag
The pump has two modes, Stimulation and Expression, and it will automatically switch from Stimulation mode to Expression mode when it detects a let-down. In others words, this pump mimics the way in which babies feed on the boob. It also features seven intensity settings and pauses when full to avoid spillages. However that doesn't mean the Elvie Pump is spill-proof. On a few occasions I've had minor leaks from the pump and - word of warning - if I lean over whilst pumping, a massive leak is pretty guaranteed.
Impressively, the pump has an app counterpart that enables you to control it remotely, as well as keep track of how much has been expressed. As brilliant as this app sounds, I haven't found it hugely accurate when it comes to tracking milk volume. For example, the app may say I've only expressed 40mls but, after checking, I can see that the bottle is full. Although the tracking feature isn't perfect, the app did a perfect job at remotely controlling the pump, which is hugely beneficial when you're out and about and don't want to publicly fiddle with your boobs!
As much as I love and depend on the Elvie Pump, it does have its fair share of problems that drive me crazy from time to time. Sometimes it can make the most annoying knocking noise, completely ruining the pumps 'silent' selling point. I'm not sure what causes this noise but I feel like it happens after a day of heavy use. The pump can also randomly turn itself off, usually within the first few seconds of starting a pumping session. When it does this, it also draws out the nipple with more force than normal, causing quite a lot of pain. Finally, as previously mentioned, the Elvie Pump has the tendency to leak a little.
Problems aside, I would buy the Elvie Pump a million times over. I absolutely love it. I still use it several times a day and would recommend it to any woman that plans on breastfeeding, especially those who want to exclusively bottle-feed using expressed breast milk. It is very expensive, at £249 (currently £211.65 at John Lewis), however its benefits, as well as the amount of times you'll use it, make it well worth the hefty price tag.