Mastering Manual Pumps: Top 10 Hand Pump Reviews!

[@laurashortill8623]

I’ve delivered at 2 different hospitals and both gave me a new Medela hand pump. It’s the only hand pump I’ve ever used and I’ve never had to buy another. The teeny tiny 2hite membrane is a pain but I think mine came with 2-3 extras. You do get a lot of control. You can twist the handle to make it more ergonomic. They are “handy” (har har) when your milk comes in and you get engorged and you still have no idea how to use your electric pump or it’s still in the box or you’re just too dang tired to deal with one in the middle of the night next to a sleepy infant. I got great output with the medela hand pump- and it was comfortable, albeit using what turned out to be the wrong flange size, because I had so much control. However, I have repetitive motion injuries /diffuse tendinitis in both hands, so even if I were at home full time and mostly just nursing, I’d probably still want an electric pump. I wish the medela had a dust cap like the Philips Avent because, yes, you do want to throw it on a bag and go and no you don’t want it to get junked up.

[@NewLittleLife]

Really good insight here Laura!

[@mamaberry]

I'd been planning to get the Lansinoh as my backup, but then I decided I might get the Breeze, so it would render the extra hand pump redundant. Thank you for featuring the RumbleTuff conversion kit! It's incredibly timely!

[@JustMe-fy7lq]

I recently tried Medela after many years of using Lansinoh, and love the Harmony! Its handle also rotates to any direction like the Ardo. It's now my favorite manual pump. I also recommend to all new moms to keep one as a backup for work, as inevitably there'll be a time that you'll need a backup!

[@elizabethmcghee6340]

For the Medela harmony, when you put on a duckbill, do you replace the entire yellow part?

[@AkiraYfan]

Thank you so much for mentioning the white ring that falls off of the Medela Harmony hand pump. I’ve been wondering all this time why I had a white silicone ring laying around and couldn’t figure out where it came from! I noticed that this pump only comes with size 24mm breast shield. I use a flange sizes 17 and 16 for my electric Spectra pump, so is it recommended to buy the smaller shield size for the hand pump? I noticed Medela doesn’t sell shield sizes smaller than 21, only third party brands do.

[@amy8071]

I am not remotely a frequent pumper, but use my Philips Avent manual on occasion! I really like the comfort silicone. It takes some work to get all the parts "sealed" correctly (I think they recommend doing it while they're still a little wet?), so it can feel like it has no suction unless you're sure it's assembled right. Once it is, a full press feels like a LOT!

[@NewLittleLife]

Thank you for this feedback on the Phillips Avent pump!

[@CarolinaSCraftsMakeupFood]

I don’t know if I was using it wrong but I could not get any significant suction with the ardo one. The Medela and Lansinoh worked similarly for me.

[@CorinaAvelar-xz4um]

I'm debating between getting a Dr brown, Phillips avent or an Evenflo breast pump

[@tinamonteiro3523]

I like the medela and lansinoh i use legendairy milk duckbill valaves with both. I bought the ardo manual because i heard it was great from r the hand an wrist. The suction is so terrible though. I used the LM duckbill and the suction still isnt that great. The tunnel is too short for how elastic my nipples are also. Every time I pump with it only get like an ounce or an ounce and a half, but with the Medela or the Lansinoh I usually can get closer to 5.

[@zeldanoid]

I feel like it’s ironic that this video released on the only day (so far) I forgot to bring my pump to work. Sadly, my hand pump was also at home so I just had to deal with it.

[@NewLittleLife]

Oh man! What are the odds.. should have released it yesterday 😅

[@Natasha-tu5qs]

Yay, you did a video on manual pumps! 😊 BTW I am curious if you have ever tested the suction strengths these pumps can achieve? Or is it just too variable to get meaningful data? Great video. Certainly chimes true with my own experience of often responding better to manual pumps than electric.

[@NewLittleLife]

I can certainly hook it up and see how high I can get it! Obviously a bit hard to tell individual settings since there are none.. but I can see how high I can get it! Sounds fun!

[@jeaneshauger6974]

What about the Ameda one hand manual pump? I used that one & loved it.

[@pragyagupta7930]

Same!!

[@Tinuke_Ajala]

I’m exclusively breastfeeding but will be returning to work. Is it okay to use a manual pump to empty after my baby eats at home (trying to build a stash) and use the electric while I’m at work?

[@breannagarcia-antolin2526]

Do you recommend using the elvie curve as a manual pump option?

[@NewLittleLife]

The elvie curve is a passive pump, it won’t be able to empty you like a manual pump will. Not quite the same thing!

[@corina5592]

So many great tips! My medela freestyle flex gave out last week after 3 months. I've been using the medela harmony manual pump on one side and my haakaa on the other to help me get through until my replacement arrives. I found that Dr brown narrow neck bottles screw on nicely and use an 8 oz bottle for power pumping or high output pumps. I really like it, but not for every session as it is quite laborious. I've been experimenting by pulsing the expression lever a few times before completely releasing(the long draws do not get out as much milk as the pulsing does in my experience). For me personally, that has helped with efficiency and output...not drastically, but noticeably. Every drop counts!

[@manewnya]

Hi. I need help, please... My nipples are sore and I'm just way too tired so I decided to pump with haakaa while my partner is feeding our baby the milk that I saved in the fridge. But for some reason the milk was not coming out of my breasts. Just a tiny bit went out, not even half an ounce and that's it even though I did a nice massage before putting haakaa on. Please help me figure out why and how to fix it. I'll be very grateful.

[@NewLittleLife]

The Haakaa isn’t a pump that will empty on your breast. A manual pump like the ones here or an electric pump would be a better option for you!

[@missyyystacy]

Thank you for the review. I have the Lansinoh and all my bottles are spectra and Avent so I understand having a random bottle that doesn't fit your bottle nipples. I got it because I really found it at 6 bucks and needed a hand pump. But I love it it really helps with sore nipples because you can go with the flow 😂 BTW I wish you did a review on the Philips Avent Double electric breast pump the 2018 /2023 version is offered as an option from insurance but I think it's hard to find a video from moms/IBCLC review video.

[@NewLittleLife]

Ok I'll add that one to my list!

[@Csiga02]

I used the Philips double electric…RUN! Any other pump is better than that one.

[@missyyystacy]

@@Csiga02 hi, sorry to hear that. Unfortunately not everyone responds to the same pump the same way. I know I almost got this pump from insurance. But the few reviews I saw some moms had a good experience with this pump. I think the flanges are the main issue for negative results but it is still a possible pump to hack with other flanges. Did you hack it ? Or did you only use the original flanges ? Was a complete no ?

[@Csiga02]

Flanges were awful, they market as “one size fits all” which is not true. I got the pump before I had my first baby and knew nothing about pumping so went through raw nipples before realizing I needed flanges that actually fit. I ended up exclusively pumping for 18 months with a Spectra s2, Elvie OG and Medela Harmony. Kept (and hacked) the Avvent as a backup only for it to give me the ocasional error message whenever I tried to use it. Ended up giving away my other breastpumps once I finished pumping except for the Avent, that one I threw to the trash.

[@nms4521]

I cannot get a letdown from a manual pump. If I use a wearable on one side, I can use that to trigger a letdown but the manual pump alone cannot do it for me, even w lactation massagers. I have used the medela, Lansinoh, dr. Brown, avent, spectra, mam, and a couple others. The one i had the best luck with was Lansinoh but i still was not able to get a let down :(

[@KrissaLewandowski]

I love my Phillips hand pump and dislike the medela as its suction hurts

[@2994love]

Don’t get the Philips avent! It has really poor suction!

[@NewLittleLife]

Thank you for this feedback!

[@CoffeeSandwich]

I didn’t like it either!

[@tatianesilva4436]

yes horrible I'm very sorry

[@emily_2599]

Could you make a video about breastfeeding while baby is teething and when they have teeth? This is kind of a fear of mine that my feeding journey will end once my girl has teeth 😢

[@Natasha-tu5qs]

Oh that's sad. I guess you'll have figured out the answer yourself now. For the record, Im still breastfeeding a 2 year old with an almost full set of teeth. You just have to be firm with them, take them off the breast and tell them no biting if they ever do. Thankfully they get the message soon, it hasn't happened that many times to myself. Usually when they're done nursing and bored

[@emily_2599]

@@Natasha-tu5qs haha I did have to just figure it out for myself. She only bitten me “hard” 2 or 3 times but I do firmly tell her no biting when I can tell she’s about to. She’s starting to catch on now that I take it away when she bites. And like you said, it’s mainly when she’s done eating and just suckling. It was a little tough in the beginning, but I’m so glad I didn’t give up.

[@dorisolivera7034]

Amo mi medela harmony, obtengo lo mismo que mi bomba eléctrica en menos tiempo

[@jazminzayas2786]

Oof I saw that MAM pump instantly. That is the worst pump ever. Broke the plastic handle after only a few pumps.🤣 I got a Medela this time. Hope it's better

[@CoffeeSandwich]

I hate the cushions.