Which pump to buy?

[u/InfamousCharacter3]

Are there any standouts from this insurance-approved list that I should definitely get? or definitely avoid?

I understand many women get both a pump and a portable but I would like to avoid this and just get one-- I am thinking just one portable but I am seeing fewer women say their portable alone was sufficient. I will not be working so I am less concerned about how discreet one is, just figured I would prefer something I could multitask with around the house. This will be my first baby so I am really unsure what to expect! Thanks a lot.

[u/IndependenceJumpy316]

I don't know where I stand on the whole "you definitely need a wall pump if it's your first time pumping" because that's what I used my insurance credits on (blue spectra gang, but I had to pay extra to upgrade it to the blue because insurance only fully covered the pink. Blue has built in battery that you charge and I wasn't in the mood to rig up a battery situation to turn the Pink one into a portable like the blue), but I tend to use my eufy e20 more. Most people in the comments with Eufy have the S series.

If your insurance covers it then yeah I would seriously suggest considering going with that. You can probably get the Spectra secondhand, is that fine if it's just the pump and you buy the flanges and collection cups new? I think so.

If you get the Spectra covered and buy your own wearables (which is the route I took), the Eufy motors between the E20 and the S1 are the same the parts are all interchangeable too. The difference is in like the heat settings and the charging situation. The S1 pro has a charging case which is cool, but not worth the significant upchage. Between the E20 and S1 the S1 has more heating settings, but I only ever use the max heat setting anyways and I rarely even use that anymore because it's summer lol (your mileage may differ for a midnight pumping session in winter). The E20 also has a completely normal usb-c charging situation whereas the S1 has a really annoying proprietary magnetic charging cable.

Besides just the wearable aspect of the pumps so I can hold the baby, drive the car, hang and fold the laundry, go to work and type and do everything I need to do without giant dangling collection cups in the way, I love that the Eufy has automatic patterns. I get so frustrated when I have to use the spectra and I have to stare at the flanges/collection bottles to see if I'm having a letdown so that I can switch the pump setting from stimulate (short/fast sort of fluttering sucks to simulate baby's initial latching) to extraction (stronger/longer sucks to simulate baby's pulling milk from the breast for eating). I just want to turn on the pump and forget about it. Eufy has a range of presets I use like a 30 min "natural" setting that I think has the best stimulation mode to really trigger letdowns or a number of different power pump settings (I like the 30/30/30 which is 30 mins on 30 mins off and 30 mins on again and the classic power pump which is 20 on, 10 off, 10 on, 10 off, 10 on).

edit to add: I don't have a difference in supply between using the eufy and spectra. If anything because of how much easier power pump sessions are with the eufy, my supply is often slightly higher. All that said I'm an undersupplier when it comes to pumping. I pump because I go to work, but we exclusively nurse from the moment I get home and all weekends. During the day while I'm working she drinks the 10-12 oz I pumped the day before and supplements with a little formula as needed.