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Spectra vs Medela Breast Pumps

Emily Larsen

Spectra vs Medela Breast Pumps

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A breast pump has become a staple baby item for moms because of the convenience it provides in nursing.

 A breast pump allows a nursing mother to pump and store breast milk for their baby to continue nursing when they are away from the littles for extended periods. Also, a breast pump allows a baby to continue feeding even when the mother has indulged in an alcoholic drink, once in a while.

Medela and Spectra are the two companies that manufacture the best breast pumps in the market. Besides helping breastfeeding mums to pump the milk, Medela and Spectra breast pumps induce lactation, increase milk supply, assist in maintaining the milk supply when nursing-at-the breast or when a mother suffers a health issue.

The Medela breast pumps offer all the likely needs of a breastfeeding mom. The breast pumps initiate breastfeeding  for prematurely-born babies (the hospital-grade breast pump Symphony), expressing milk, and exclusive breast milk pumping

Besides, almost all Medela breast pumps have 2-Phase Expression technology that mimics a baby’s natural sucking rhythms, enabling moms to express a lot of milk in a short period.

The Spectra breast pumps, on the other hand, provide smooth breast milk pumping because of their natural nursing technology.

Natural nursing technology enables efficient and comfortable pumping by combining gentle vibration and soothing suckling action to stimulate milk production naturally.

Medela Pump In Style With Maxflow ™  Breast Pump and the Spectra S2 Plus is the most popular Medela and Spectra breast pumps, respectively.

Most moms find it hard to choose between the two breast pumps because of their almost similar features. 

But which one is the best for your breastfeeding journey?

This review of the Medela Pump In Style with Maxlow Breast Pump and the Spectra S2 Plus will discuss the features, the similarities, the differences, the pros, and the cons of each breast pump to help you make an informed choice for your best pumping experience.

Brief review of Medela Pump In Style with Maxflow Breast Pump

The Medela Pump In Style with Maxfllo is a 16-piece, double electric, and portable Medela breast pump. The pump is best for moms who pump severally during the day because of its trusted performance in easy and fast breast milk expression and storage.

The breast pump, available on Amazon, comes with 21 mm PersonalFit Flex ™ breast shields, 24 mm PersonalFit Flex ™ breast shields5 oz (150 ml) bottles with lids, PersonalFit Flex ™ Connectors with membranes, complete tubing, a battery pack, and power adapter that enhances a fast and comfort breast milk pumping.

The breast pump also comes with 5 oz (150 ml) bottles with lids, a cooler, a cooling element, and a microfiber bag that allows you to store the expressed milk at the right temperature and in a germ-free environment.

This video shows how to use the Pump In Style with Maxflow breast pump.

Features

  • Has hospital Performance. The breast pump’s MaxFlow technology (inspired by the Symphony hospital-grade breast pump) ensures its high efficiency.
  • Simple Controls. The breast pump has pre-programmed speed and vacuum settings, facilitating easy pumping through its 2-phase expression technology that mimics a baby’s natural sucking rhythms.
  • Portability. The breast pump comes with everything a nursing mom needs to pump when  at home or away, including the battery pack, cooling accessories, a stylish pump bag, and storage bottles with lids. The breast pump also weighs one pound and measures 13.14 x 6.13 x 9.08 inches, its compactness facilitating its portability.
  • Breastshields. The breast pump has 2 sizes of oval-shaped, PersonalFit Flex breast shields with soft rims for increased comfort, yielding milk pumping.
  • Easy Cleaning and Assembling. The breast pump has few parts to clean and assemble, making it easy to use. The pump has redesigned connectors with large openings  and intuitive push-button controls with nine adjustable vacuum levels for easy cleaning.

Pros

  • The breast pump’s comfortable breast shields increases milk volume by 11.8%
  • The breast pump enables fast milk expression because of its MaxFlow technology that creates vacuum and micro-vibrations.
  • The breast pump prevents milk spillage because of its fitting breast shields. 
  • The breast pump is portable, allowing a nursing mother to pump milk wherever she is.
  • The breast pump is easy to use because of its easy assembling and pre-programmed speed and vacuum settings.
  • The breast pump with a lidded bottles, a cooling element, and cooler bag that allows you to store your expressed milk at the right temperature when far away from home.
  • The breast pump does not require extra suction phases because of its 2-Phase Expression Technology that mimics a baby’s natural sucking rhythm.
  • The breast pump is safe for you and your baby because it is BPA-free.
  • The breast pump has an extra battery pack that enables you to pump even when you are away from power.
  • The breast pump allows you to pump hands-free with the Easy Expression ™ Bustier. 

Cons

  • You can only use pump parts and accessories specific for the Medela Pump In Style with Maxflo. Otherwise, you risk causing irreversible damage to the breast pump.
  • You cannot customize pump settings because they come pre-programmed.
  • It does not come with batteries.
  • The breast pump has some noise despite it being the quietest Medela pump.

Brief Review of Spectra S2 Plus

Spectra S2 Plus is a premier double electric breast pump that is designed to bring comfort and confidence to every moment of nursing with its superior features of  natural nursing technology and storage.

Spectra S2 Plus, available on Amazon, provides the best pumping environment because of its quiet motor technology that stimulates the natural suckling of a baby through its adjustable suction levels. The breast pump has backflow protection that keeps your breast milk safe from harmful bacteria.

The breast pump is compact, weighing only three pounds and measuring 7.9 x 7.9 x 6.7 inches, is portable, enabling a nursing mother to express milk even when far from home.

Spectra S2 Plus comes with:

  • Two 24mm Spectra Breast Flanges
  • Two 28mm Spectra Breast Flanges
  • Two Spectra Tubing, two Spectra Duckbill valves
  • Two Spectra backflow protectors each with silicone membrane on the uppercase and lowercase.
  • Two Spectra Wide Neck Storage Bottles each with a nipple, cap, disc, and lid, 
  • And one Spectra 12 Volt AC Power Adapter.

The breast flanges, the power adapter, the tubings, the Duckbill valves, and backflow protectors facilitate easy breast milk expression, and the storage bottles allow you to preserve the expressed milk. 

Features

  • Natural Nursing Technology. Spectra S2 Plus electric breast pump uses a technology that mimics natural breastfeeding, facilitating comfort and maximum breast milk expression.
  • Single and Double Pumping. The breast pump supports both single and double electric pumping, serving your need of either exclusive pumping or expressing when breastfeeding.
  • Personalized Settings. The breast pump allows you to adjust its settings to your preferences, including the suction levels, the two-phase cycling, time, and the massage mood.
  • Night Light. The  night light allows you to pump milk at any time.
  • Auto-time with Display, providing you with visibility to set the breast pump to your liking.

Pros

  • Spectra 2 Plus is portable, making it possible for you to pump breast milk even when far from home.
  • The breast pump has both single and double pump capabilities, allowing you to express milk at your preferred pace.
  • The breast pump prevents milk backflow through its backflow protectors that have silicone membranes and the duckbill valves.
  • The breast pump comes with wide neck storage bottles with nipples, cap, disc, and lid, providing you with a practical storage option for your expressed milk.
  • The breast pump has a night light that enables you to pump even in darkness.
  • The breast pump provides a comfortable pumping experience through its Natural Nursing Technology that provides a gentle vibration with a soothing suckling action.
  • The breast pump’s ultra-quiet motor increases the milk supply because of the soothing environment it creates.
  • The breast pump is safe for you and your baby because it is BPA/DEHP free.
  • Spectra S2 Plus values personalized pumping experience because its touch button and digital controls allows you to set the pumping program to your body’s most effective speed and rhythm.

Cons

  • The breast pump does not come with storage accessories such as a cooler and cooling bag.
  • The breast pump has limited portability because it does not support the use of external batteries.

Key similarities

Medela Pump In Style with MaxFlow breast pump and the Spectra S2 Plus breast pumps have key similarities in their features and functions.

The similarities include:

  • They are both double electric
  • Both use technology that facilitates their pumping efficiency. The medela breast pump uses the MaxFlow technology whose micro-vibrations increase breast milk expression. Spectra 2 Plus uses the Natural Nursing Technology that mimics a baby’s nursing, stimulating increased music supply.
  • Both breast pumps use a closed system with backflow protection.
  • The two breast pumps are comfortable to the breasts. The Medela breast pump has breast shields with soft rims and Spectra 2 Plus’s backflow protectors have silicone membranes.
  • They are both safe for you and baby because they are BPA free. Spectrum 2 Plus is also DEHP free.
  • The two breast pumps come with lidded storage bottles.
  • They both come with AC adapters.

Key differences

The two breast pumps, however, have some major differences, including:

  • The Medela Pump in Style with Maxflow comes with full milk storage accessories, including the bottles, the cooling bag, and a cooler. Spectra 2 Plus, however, comes with only the lidded bottles.
  • The Medela breast pump has pre-programmed controls, but Spectra 2 Plus has adjustable digital controls.
  • The Medela breast pump is more portable than the Spectra 2 Plus because it has an extra battery adapter that lacks in the Spectra 2 Plus.
  • Spectra 2 Plus has a night light that lacks in the Medela breast pump.
  • Spectra 2 Plus has a monitor screen for digital display, but the Medela Pump In Style with Maxflow lacks one.
  • The Medela breast pump is more lightweight than the Spectra 2 Plus, weighing one pounds only and the other one weighs three pounds.

Which one is best?

Medela Pump In Style with Maxflow breast pump and Spectra 2 Plus breast pump are both efficient and comfortable. 

Where you plan to pump, the number of times you need to express, and your primary pumping time should guide you on the best choice for you between the Pump In Style with Maxflow and  the Spectra 2 Plus.

The Pump In Style with MaxFlow breast pump is best for you if you plan to pump mostly away from, severally, and fast. The breast pump is very portable because it is compact, weighs 1 pound, and has a cute microfibre bag. Also, the Medela pump has storage accessories of  lidded bottles, a cooling element, and a cooler bag, allowing you to preserve your breast milk for extended periods away from home. Besides, the breast pump supports extra batteries, ensuring that you can still pump milk after the primary battery drains. Finally, the breast pump allows you to express milk fast through its double pumping and Maxflow technology that increases milk supply.

Spectrus 2 Plus breast pump is the most fitting for you if you are likely to pump at night. The breast pump has a night light that allows you visibility in darkness. The breast pump is also very quiet, ensuring that you can use it without waking up your sleeping baby. Finally, Spectra 2 Plus is double electric and has adjustable expression levels, enabling you to pump your breast milk as quickly as possible.

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