There’s a new player in the breast pump field! Meet the Spectra line of pumps. It’s not an Ameda and it’s not a Medela, but it’s still an awesome pump that can totally run with these big names.

S2
Above: The Spectra S2 breast pump.

When the Trikester was born, I picked an Ameda double electric, and although fine, the motor died on me (twice!) and I had to have replacements over-nighted from the manufacturer. With the arrival of baby #2, I was able to get another free breast pump, so in selecting one I decided to throw caution to the wind and choose something I’d never heard of, even though it had very few reviews (my options were limited to those offered by the durable medical equipment supplier preferred by my insurance company).

My choice? The Spectra S2. Spectra is relatively new to the US market. From what I can tell, they’re based in Australia (the YouTube reviews I could find sported that awesome Aussie accent). The S2 is a double electric, closed system. It’s billed as a “hospital grade” pump, which I’m assuming refers to quality of the motor (it’s rated for 1500 hours). It has a letdown mode and an expression mode – settings that mimic the change in a baby’s sucking pattern during a nursing session. My letdown is crazy immediate, so I can’t comment on how well that setting works – I just keep the pump in expression mode. Additionally, it allows you to change both the frequency and strength of the suction. The pump easily converts from a double to single – there’s a built in adapter that you use to cap over one of the tubing connectors.

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The stock valves on the collection kit that came with the pump were the duck-bill variety, but when I purchased a spare set from their web site to keep at work, I received the kind with the little rubber disk. The backflow preventers were also different – easier to assemble than what came with the pump, so if you have any reason to buy a second set of pump parts it might be a slight upgrade.

I’ve been using the pump for five months now, and I’m really happy with it. Here are the major pros and cons, if you’re interested in checking it out yourself.

Pros:

  • It has a built-in timer. This might not seem like a huge deal, but it’s so much easier than having to remember my phone every time I pump. It’s the feature I appreciate the most.
  • It has a nightlight. I haven’t used it a ton, but I was stuck pumping in a public bathroom recently, and the lights automatically shut off once they didn’t sense movement. I turned my pump light on, and it wasn’t quite so dark.
  • It’s a closed system so I don’t ever have to wash the tubing.
  • It’s relatively quiet, or at least more so than my previous pump. It’s still annoying enough to have to cover it with a pillow when we’re watching TV, but it’s an improvement.

Cons:

  • There’s no place to set down bottles once they’re attached to the pump. There’s a depression in the back of the pump to rest one bottle, but it’s not a snug fit, so when you set a bottle there it just tips over.
  • The S2 model needs to be plugged in. There are certain times I’d like to pump without electricity near-by. There’s a newer model out that’s identical to the S2, but it comes with a rechargeable battery pack.
  • It’s not a super popular pump (yet), so you can’t run to Target to purchase spare parts. Instead, you can buy what you’d need through their web site.

Spectra recently introduced a new model – it’s called the Spectra 9 – and it has the advantage of being completely portable – the motor and battery would fit in a large pocket. I don’t know if I’d choose this pump, as it appears less heavy duty, but as I was attempting to empty the dishwasher this morning AND pump simultaneously, I can definitely see some advantages to portability.

One last reason to love this company? They’re a little cheeky. You can buy both a breast pump that looks like an actual boob (it’s the Dew model), and an S2 from the Bling Collection — and I quote “You don’t have to be a start to pump like one.”

dew-pumpAbove: The Spectra Dew – gotta love how the design references its purpose. 

bling-collection

Above: The S2 all decked out in “genuine Swarovski crystals.”

Have you used a Spectra pump? What did you think? Do you mind taking risks on a less well-known brand when it’s a big purchase?