Willow Breast Pump

 This a product that I wanted to love. I definitely can't say I'm head over heels for this breast pump.  Let's start with what I do like. I do like the convenience of the Willow pump. I chose to get this pump through my insurance for my second child because I exclusively pumped for my first child. I told my husband if I was going to have to exclusively pump with our second child I needed a breast pump I needed to be able to move around. This pump definitely allows you to get things done while you pump. Not being attached to a wall is a very exciting feature.  I didn't have to exclusively pump with baby #2 but I did pump occasionally to build a freezer stash for my baby. I was able to pump and eat breakfast with my oldest daughter. This was fantastic. I also really liked that the app told me how much milk I was pumping. Since you can't see how much you are pumping while you are using this pump, this is a helpful feature. This feature was very accurate when I first started using the pump. For some reason, it is not very accurate when I use it now.  I like that this pump can fit into pretty much any bra. Not having to have a specific bra is a major benefit. I like that there are only a few parts to clean and that you have the option to pump directly into a bag. Cleaning pump parts and bottles takes up so much extra time. Limiting those parts is a major upside. 

Now for the things I didn't like. One thing I didn't like is that this pump can be difficult to place.  It can also be a little painful when the pump is not placed correctly. In other pumps that I have used, you can see exactly where you need to place the pump. The Willow pump doesn't allow you to see where you are putting it and in order to adjust you have to break the seal and move the pump. Another issue is that if you are pumping into a bag and you adjust the pump without pausing the pump, the bag with fill with air.  This pump doesn't feel like it totally empties your breast, probably because it only has a capacity of 4 oz per side. If you were exclusively pumping with this pump, you would only be able to pump 8 oz at a time vs 12 oz at a time with my Spectra 2.  I just don't get as much milk when I use this pump.  This pump is also not very discreet. I couldn't pump in public without it being very obvious that something is going on.  Another negative is that it only comes with one charger so you can't charge your pumps at the same time. 

There is a lot of upside to this pump, but there definitely are some negatives.  I paid over $350 with insurance for this pump.  I also had to purchase the reusable pump parts separately for $50.  If I knew then what I know now, I probably wouldn't spend over $400 on this pump. I definitely do use it but I don't think I used it enough to justify the $400.