Willow Breast Pump
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5 Word Review: Remarkably convenient, SO expensive
A breast pump that is 100% cordless and completely hands-free?!? Is it too good to be true? I like to think of the Willow as “The Princess Diana of breast pumps”…she appeared to be accessible to the masses but… she’s crazy expensive!! They offer financing with ‘Affirm’ for $43/month. …BUT at the end of the day (once you have paid the full $500), you STILL have to pay $0.50 per boob per bag/session to use it. Let’s say you pump 4x/day, that’s $4 a day= an EXTRA $120 per month. I never personally could afford to try the pump (but would have been the first to sign up for beta testing!!), so I spoke to a few Willow-users who were not sponsored and purchased it themselves.
“I would absolutely recommend it for anymore willing to pay who has a role or career that doesn’t give them the time to schedule pumping sessions in a mother’s room. I would say it’s essential for teachers, clinicians, those working in an environment that can fluctuate. I have pumped in my car with complete ease to in a meeting while I was presenting, no one knew.
The other best part, is once you get the “flip” down after you remove the willows, the bags are leak free. Honestly I have lots of great things to say about the willow. Oh also, it’s more comfortable cause you can set the suction pressure, and on the lowest setting I still pumped more milk then I do with the medela!” (Thank you to my friend Nicole for sharing her thoughts!)
Unsponsored, Honest Review of Willow Breast Pump
CONS: The only other drawbacks I’ve heard about the pump is: (1) its hard to learn to use. A few different users told me there was a steep learning curve that took about a week for them to become proficient in using the pump. (2) When each pump is not plugged in, they are using battery, so you have to plan time to have each side plugged in to be able to use it/have it ready to go. You can purchase an extra charger for $29.99. (3) It’s not 100% discreet as advertised (your boob is a strange shape).
PROS: The benefits seem pretty obvious: you can pump completely cord and hands free. That means in traffic, at the office, while you are playing with your kid… the list goes on. The only caveat that I will add to that is that I personally don’t pump as much milk when I am stressed/doing other things. They offer great customer resources and have moms they employ that can help coach you on that steep learning curve. Also, you can (obviously) use it for multiple kids, so theoretically if you have 2 kids it would drop down to $250/kid (plus bags). Another big PRO is that the milk automatically pumps into bags, so you don’t have to do a ton of cleaning up afterwards.
One friend uses the Willow while she’s at work, then uses the medela her insurance gave her in the morning and at night to save money on bags.
