This post was in partnership with Motif Medical but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board.
"I’m coming up on the one-year mark of breastfeeding my daughter, and as I look back on my breastfeeding journey, there is one thing I know for sure: the right pump makes all the difference. After two babies and two different pumps, I jumped at the opportunity to try the new Motif Luna breast pump. Why? It checks every box for what I look for in a breast pump: efficient, rechargeable/portable, quiet, and lightweight.
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On top of everything else, the Luna is also covered by insurance, meaning you don’t pay for it out-of-pocket. Pumps are surprisingly pricey, so getting such a high-quality one through your insurer will save some major cash.
What should you look for in a breast pump?
Let’s talk about efficiency because this is the Luna’s best feature, in my opinion. First of all, five out of six moms report getting more milk in less time with the Luna pump. Yes, you read that correctly: more milk in less time for almost every mom using the Luna. I don’t know about you, but that type of efficiency is the number one thing I look for in a pump.
If you’re new to pumping, it may come as a surprise to you that not all pumps are created equal. Some pumps are able to extract more milk than others. Generally, this has to do with the suction the pump creates. The Motif Luna breast pump is a hospital-strength pump, which in everyday language means that it has strong suction—comparable to ones used in hospital settings.
Before the words “strong suction” conjure up nightmares in your head about cracks and bleeding, let me reassure you that I experienced none of the above with the Luna. While the suction is strong enough to get more milk out in less time, it’s also gentle enough not to cause any discomfort.
Why is an effective pump so important?
Extra time is an oxymoron when you’re a mom, so getting a pump that does the trick in a timely fashion is key to a reasonably enjoyable pumping experience. While pumping probably isn’t at the top of the list of anyone’s favorite things to do, a good pump truly does make a big difference.
With my first baby, my pump never quite got enough milk for a full feeding, which was frustrating. Ultimately, I stopped breastfeeding sooner than I would have liked because it was just too time-consuming to keep pumping for the amount I was getting.
While the suction is strong enough to get more milk out in less time, it’s also gentle enough not to cause any discomfort.
This was not even close to the case with the Luna—a quick 15-minute pump session with it was well worth my time.
There’s a reason that 90 percent of moms prefer the Luna over their current pump, and it’s not just about the milk output–although that is a huge perk. The Luna doesn’t sacrifice the other necessities either.
The Motif Luna breast pump is battery-powered and rechargeable, so you’re not chained to an outlet while you’re pumping. Again, if you’re new to pumping, you might be wondering why you’d want to move around while you pump anyway. There are actually a lot of reasons. Whether you just want to get up and make yourself a cup of coffee while you pump, or you have any road trips in your future plans, a pump that’s battery-powered and thus, portable, is a game-changer. I have pumped on a number of road trips (as the passenger, of course), and have never regretted having a portable pump.
What makes the Luna so different?
Another thing moms new to pumping are often surprised by (raising my hand here) is how loud pumps can be. The Luna is extremely quiet–by far the quietest pump I’ve ever used. If you’re pumping while your baby is sleeping, the Luna is the last thing that would wake her up. I even had to pump on a few conference calls while working from home, and while I was muted most of the time, I had no worries that my colleagues could hear the pump when I spoke.
Before the world hit pause on things like commuting to the office and going on trips, I had the luxury (ha!) of toting my pump around all over the place. Believe me when I say that having a small and lightweight pump like the Luna will make your pumping experience better. It sounds kind of silly, I know; how much can a pump really weigh? Not much if you’re just carrying it around for a few minutes, but if you’re lugging it through an airport or around town on a girls’ trip, every pound matters.
The Luna clocked in at just about a pound lighter than my former pump, and its sleek, compact design made it much easier to fit inside my tote.
There’s a reason that 90 percent of moms prefer the Luna over their current pump, and it’s not just about the milk output–although that is a huge perk.
Plus, the Luna is a closed-system pump. What does that mean, exactly? It means there is a barrier that prevents your milk from getting inside the tubing when you pump, making it more hygienic for your baby, as the milk goes straight from your breast to the bottle. You also won’t need to spend time cleaning and drying any tubing, and you’re less likely to need to replace it since no milk can get inside it.
Why do you need a good pump if you are nursing?
I pumped primarily to add to my freezer stash, which can feel really overwhelming, especially when you’re first getting started. I simplified it by committing to pumping once a day–either in between the morning breastfeeding sessions or first thing in the morning while I nursed my baby on the other side.
I wanted to store up a stash to give me peace of mind and flexibility when things don’t go as planned. Because let’s be honest, do things ever go as planned?
By the time my baby was 10 weeks old, I had more than enough milk stored up to leave my daughter with my mom, who watched the baby while I spent a long weekend at a friend’s wedding. When I went back to work after a four-month maternity leave, it wasn’t a big deal if I had to skip a pumping session occasionally because of back-to-back meetings. By six months, when I went on a week-long business trip, once again, I had no worries about any breast milk shortages while I was gone.
I know what pump I’ll be recommending to all my new mom friends going forward.
This post was in partnership with Motif Medical but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board.