My Experience with Elvie Pump – A Full Review

As some of you may know, I was recently trying to decide between an Elvie and Willow pump. I figured I would need something that wouldn’t keep me tied down to an outlet while at home with two littles and something that would come in handy on busy work days. As a nurse, I can’t always just drop everything to pump, so I thought this would be a game changer for me.

The Pros:

Very portable, great concept – the pump itself is small enough and is pretty discrete. I personally can hear it “pump”, however I’ve asked people I’m standing next to and they’ve said they cannot hear anything. Nobody has noticed when I actually have it stuffed in my bra either, which is nice ha! If you’re wearing a tight-fitting top, it will could look like you stuffed your bra.

Good battery life – for being a rechargeable breast pump, it a) charges quickly and b) holds a charge well. I will usually pump for 10 minutes (15 if I lose track of time) and can get about 5 sessions before I’m at low battery.

Bluetooth connected to app – while there’s buttons on the pump itself, you don’t always want to be reaching inside your shirt to control. Within the Elvie app, you can connect your pumps via bluetooth and change modes (stimulation vs expression), intensity, start/stop pump, and monitor ounces pumped.

Automatically stops pumping once bottle is full – the pump will recognize when your bottle is full (at about 4.5-5oz) and will automatically stop and alert you via the app. This helps prevent the bottle from overflowing/leaking.

Great customer service – I recently started having issues with my pumps (more on that below) but their customer service was very responsive and immediately said they would send new parts for no charge at all. You can also chat with an expert regarding shield sizing, how to fit yourself properly, etc.

The Cons:

** I will preface this by saying some of these cons may be due to an issue with sterilizing and warping of parts **

• Leaks easily with movement – I have found that I cannot bend over or do too much moving without having some leaking if the bottles are getting full. I am not sure exactly where it is coming from, but the front of my bra will get wet with milk.
• Losing suction with let down or movement – I have also noticed that milk is getting up into the suction valve area. It will still “pump” but I feel it isn’t as strong. According to Elvie, this area needs to stay dry to maintain suction. The only way I could see this happening is if milk is spraying into the pinhole that meets the suction valve. I will sometimes have to take it apart, dry it off, then start again. Other times it will be completely fine! Obviously very frustrating and impossible to do at work.
• Not good with super tight-fitting tops – Since it does stick out a bit, it’s difficult to wear with clothes that are tighter-fitting and don’t stretch (ex: my scrub tops)
• Need snug bra to maintain correct placement/suction – I do feel you need to wear a snug-fitting bra to keep the pump in place, especially as it fills with milk. If you’re moving around too much, it can slide down causing you to lose suction/not have an efficient pumping session.
• Unable to correctly measure amount – if I’m sitting down and not moving much, the ounces pumped shown on the app is fairly accurate. If I start walking, move around (lean forward to back) or even pause/restart, the amount will get completely thrown off.

I noticed more leaking and suction loss after sterilizing more frequently due to increased use. My pumps were working great until then! I spoke with customer service about the issues I’ve been having. Per the FAQ on their website, it states the parts can be sterilized in microwave sterilizer, but for no more than 5 minutes. I use the Phillips Avent sterilizer and I haven’t had them in longer than 4 minutes. The Elvie expert stated women have been writing in with the same issues and they’re finding that the temps may get too high in the microwave, causing the parts to lose their or shape or fit (both plastic and silicone pieces). They look okay to me, but I don’t feel that everything fits together snugly or to create a great seal since I’ve been using my pump and sterilizing more often. They were quick to ship new parts, and it fixed a lot of issues I was having with things clicking in completely/creating a tighter seal.

With our first son, I only used the Medela Pump In Style. The suction does not get as strong as that pump and I’m able to pump more milk with my Medela vs my Elvie. Overall, I do feel that the Elvie is a much more convenient option. It’s perfect for busy times around the house, in the car, with patients/while charting, etc.

If you have any other questions that I didn’t answer or questions about the pump in general, please reach out in the comments below or contact me via the “let’s chat” page.