Working moms often spend little time at home, and this makes even the best rated breast pumps out there entirely useless if they are electric. This is because their clunky nature is often too difficult to adapt to the busy lifestyle of these working moms. Instead, a fast and convenient manual hand pump is the more reliable choice for these moms.
And this short breast pump comparison is going to show you the pros and cons of some of the best popular options of manual breast pumps out there.
Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump
The Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump here comes with one of the most convenient designs out there. This allows it to compete for the title of the best breast pump for working moms. There is very little to assemble with this breast pump. And because of this, the pump naturally lends itself to be moved around. On top of that, the low level of noise that it produces ensures the utmost level of privacy for you anywhere and at any time, whether at home or at work.
The pump comes pre-assembled straight out of the box, but please do remember to sterilize it with boiling water piece-by-piece for good hygiene practice. In case you forgot, then apart from the main pieces like the bottle and the breast shield you only need to remember that the pump has 3 more pieces. And they are the control valve, the handle and an O-shaped seal. The easiness to remember all these parts is truly what we mean by the pump having almost no issues to put together.
In addition to the mentioned above, the Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump is also reputed to its unsurpassed level of comfort. While other breast pumps are known to cause discomfort that makes users not willing to use them on a daily basis, it is certainly not the case with this Medela pump. Once again, it cannot be emphasized enough how this is the perfect answer to the “what is the best breast pump for working moms?” question.
Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump
A close contender to the Medela pump above in the competition for the best manual breast pump, the Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump is the next best alternative pump option for busy working moms. The secret of this breast pump is that it has mastered and successfully applied the technology of electric pumps into its manual breast pump design. And that is why this pump could achieve its current level of success when compared to other pump brands and models.
What this means is that this breast pump uniquely has the 2-phase pumping that is more commonly associated with electric pumps. And the effect of this is that this breast pump is one of the better manual pumps out there when it comes to expressing higher quality milk. This is because the 2-phase pumping technique allows pumps to stimulate and have an actual breastfeeding effect on the body of the nursing mom.
Because this pump is manual, you will have to manually switch between the phases by pressing on the handle unlike the automatic settings of electric pumps. Another big difference that this pump has over other pump models is that it comes packaged with 2 breast shields of different sizes. This subtle but significant difference completely ensures the privacy of moms with bigger breasts. And that is truly what makes this one of the top rated breast pumps.
Spectra Handy Plus Manual Breast Pump
A less impressive-looking option when compared to the above options, this Spectra Handy Plus Manual Breast Pump often has people fooled because of its rather simplistic looks. It does not help that Spectra is also a brand better known for its fantastic electric pumps. But this little fella is going to quickly show you why Spectra could easily be the best breast pump brand for manual pump options too, in addition to already being the best electric breast pump brand.
It would be just another among the hundreds of options of your typical silicone manual pumps, if you hastily glance over it. However, upon a closer inspection, you will notice that there are floral patterns carved onto the breast shield of this pump. In addition to making the pump look quite nicer, these patterns are actually meant to stimulate a comforting massage effect on the user. While this is not anywhere near a 2-phase pumping technique, it does help you relax and express a higher volume of milk.
The simplisticity mentioned above turns out to be a huge plus point , as it means the pump is easy to assemble and transportable enough to be considered the next best recommended breast pump. And while this breast pump is certainly not in the same league as the manual pumps above, with its quality it should not be too much of a surprise to see this pump being an option among the best breast pump reviews.
Philips AVENT Manual Comfort Breast Pump
While this is not particularly the best manual breast pump option, the Philips AVENT Manual Comfort Breast Pump is often popular enough to snatch a few top spots on the reviews of the best breast pumps. This is not to say this is not a good pump; in fact its popularity is partly because of it being a good option among portable breast pumps on the market. And this certainly makes it deserve the spot that it has rightfully earned.
This is among a few number of breast pumps out there that actually take your sitting posture into consideration for its design. Most other breast pumps need you to lean forward a little bit. While this might sound insignificant, you have to consider that working moms often struggle with back problems from their work. And prolonged leaning while pumping can seriously strain the back on top of the problems.
Instead, this pump cradles to your natural sitting position, letting you pump comfortably in your most natural bodily form. The fact that this is also highly affordable is another great boon to its popularity. If you have just recently become a nursing mom and are unsure of which pump to buy, then this popular breast pump is the best breast pump for new moms for being good overall while not being overly expensive.
CONCLUSION
While the comparison above appears to have a ranking, it is actually hard to tell which breast pump is the best - Top rated Breast Pump among them. There certainly are options that beat the others in terms of quality, but there are also options that beat those options in terms of price. It is best to know what you truly want to get your most ideal option among these different types of breast pumps.