A mom’s review of the Spectra S1 breast pump

Looking for the right breast pump among so many options can be so difficult, especially if you’ve never had to deal with one before. The only breast pump I had any experience with was the Medela Symphony and that’s because it was what we lent out to new moms in the hospital. I thought that I wanted a Medela pump, but after reading so many mom reviews, I decided on the Spectra S1.

There are so many great things about this pump. Some of the features that are included in this pump are:

• Quiet hospital grade suction with different cycle settings

• Differentiate from expression and letdown (massage) mode

• Closed double pumping system

• Rechargeable battery

• Night light - super useful at night so you aren’t fiddling with your cellphone!

• Lightweight approx. 3 lbs

• Price: $200 (Can be covered by insurance!)

Why the cycles of letdown and expression are so great

I really like that this pump has both of these functions, my travel pump does not have this option. The different cycles are supposed to resemble how baby would be on your breast. The letdown cycle, controlled by the top middle button with 3 wavy lines, is locked in at 70 CPM, with 5 different suction levels. This is supposed to mimic the first time baby latches when they’re sucking fast to get the milk to release from the ducts. This normally takes about 2 minutes on average to happen, and you can help it along by massaging your breast in the beginning. The only thing that you have to keep in mind is that the pump does not automatically start on letdown, you have you press it once you turn it on.

The expression cycle is when the milk is steadily flowing and this is when baby will have a suck, pause, swallow motion. There are 5 speeds of 38, 42, 46, 50, and 54. It has 12 different suction levels as well. I would recommend starting at a slower cycle and lower suction speed when starting. Having a strong and fast suction does not always yield more milk, in fact, if you’re uncomfortable it may actually hinder your milk production. Another tip to make this easier on your nipples is to lube them up with nipple balm so they slide comfortably in the flanges.

A pump that suckles, not sucks

A small thing that I noticed was the vibration of the flanges when pumping. It’s actually kind of soothing to have a different sensation so it’s not just a straight suck from the pump. Spectra prides itself on it’s natural nursing technology which mimics a more natural feeding session that other standard pumps may not offer.

Closed Pumping system feature

The closed pumping system just means that as you’re pumping, the milk will never come into contact with the pumping motor. The Spectra has a good back flow system set up as well so the milk you’re pumping is going directly into the bottle or bag that you’re pumping to. Pretty much, the milk isn’t going to be exposed to unnecessary bacteria.

Spectra S1 with night light on

Stay at home pump or travel pump?

I definitely do not see myself traveling with this pump to work or anywhere else. The odd shape of the pump makes it a very awkward thing to pack in a tote bag. I did originally choose this pump so I could bring it to work without the worry of having the find an outlet in a private space just so I could use it. I do like that I can carry it anywhere in the house though.

If you had to only have one pump though, at least you know traveling with this pump, you’ll always get a good milk turnout. Plus it’s very easy to clean if you did have to travel with it!

What’s all included in the box?

• 1 Spectra S1 breast pump

• 4 Breast flanges (2 x 24 mm, 2 x 28 mm)

• 2 Tubes

• 2 Duckbill valves

• 2 Back-flow protectors

• 2 Spectra wide neck storage bottles

• 1 12-volt AC adapter

Breastfeeding: 3 weeks into our journey with Maverick

Breast is best. That’s what I’ve always learned as a nurse, and that’s what I’ve always believed. There is so much science to support why breast milk has a step up on formula since it’s pretty much an individualized recipe formulated just for your baby and their needs. When I’d give my breastfeeding patients education, everything I was saying seemed so easy to do. I wasn’t naive. I knew before having Maverick that breastfeeding was challenging for any mom, whether it was their first kid or their fifth kid. And after three weeks, I can see why my thoughts on Breast is Best changed to Fed is Best.

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

In the first week of Maverick’s life, we were still supplementing with formula because of him being jaundiced and my milk not coming in. There were nights where I told Sean to feed the baby formula if I was too tired to get up and breastfeed. Breastfeeding is taxing on your body. Every time I feed I have to eat something or I get dizzy. After feeds, I’m hit with such a hard headache that I have to take a gram of Tylenol every 8 hours just to be able to function or even sleep. And it seems like no matter how much water I drink (almost 96 ounces) a day I still feel dehydrated.

Week two came, and my milk finally came in (it sounds like it’s a package you’re anxiously waiting for from Amazon Prime…) I go back to working 12-hour shifts after maternity leave and I’m nervous about what it’s going to do to my supply especially when I’m more tired, more stressed, and more active. I’ve heard many women say that when they go back to work and when they start working out again that they notice a major drop in their supply. I’ve made it a priority to try and pump at least twice a day now. So far, I’ve been pretty lucky to stash 1-2 pouches in the freezer for my lil’ stash but I’ve noticed that my sleep takes a toll on my supply. Then there was a few days where I was taking antihistamines for PUPPPs and my supply dipped. Thankfully it came back when I stopped taking the meds.

Museum of Agriculture, El Paso, Texas during the poppy season

It’s been a rocky road

This journey has brought on many sleepless nights. Maverick likes to feed every 2-3 hours. It becomes tiring when 30 minutes of that is spent feeding him and another 20 minutes trying to put him down to sleep. It’s been hard on Sean and I because I become very frustrated at night when it’s hard to console Maverick after feeding. I’ve read so many stories from women who say trying to breastfeed made them feel so bad that it lead to PPD (postpartum depression). This worries me a lot since I already receive mental health treatment. And last night, my son broke me. For the past three weeks we’ve been running low on energy and last night I hit a wall. At 3 AM when my son wouldn’t fall asleep, I gave in and gave him to Sean. I didn’t ask for help, I gave up and made Sean take over. I cried myself to sleep because I didn’t know what else to do and I could feel my patience slipping. The last thing I want to do is let it get too far where I start to resent breastfeeding Maverick.

I’m really hoping that we can find our groove together as a unit so we can avoid that. It’s still a learning process for all of us, so if you have any recommendations or suggestions, we’re very open to them. We’re new to all of this. No matter how many babies I’ve taken care of at work, I definitely was not prepared to be a mom.

A halfway there scare & our trip to the hospital

  I was ecstatic to be over the halfway hump because you could start seeing my halfway bump.  It didn’t last for very long though before I was scared something was wrong.  At 21 weeks, I started having severe sharp right flank pain followed by diffuse abdominal pain.  I was able to withstand it for one day at home.  I went to work the next day thinking that it was just gas pain, constipation, or simply baby trying to make room in my small torso for it to grow.  I did the most mom thing a girl could do, and I went to Facebook for Facebook answers from women who had gone through pregnancy.  They all agreed that it could be gas or constipation, but many still said to go get checked out.

  I said I’d wait.  I’m a nurse, and if you don’t already know, we make the worst patients.  We often wait too long to be seen, and when we are seen, we demand our care to be nothing less than stellar.  As I was driving home from work that night, I barely made it home without tears in my eyes.  I barely lifted myself out of the car and into the house.  I thought a shower and Tylenol would make a difference.  I tried simethicone and docusate to see if it would help kickstart things.  I knew it would take a few hours before I felt any different, so I told my husband we’d try to make it through the night.

  I got out of the shower and couldn’t stand up straight.  I cried, and I cried hard. The pain had become so unbearable that I had my husband stop everything he was doing so we could go to the hospital.  I was running through all the things it could be, right lower quadrant pain, guarding, tenderness… Appendicitis? Cholecystitis?  Where were my organs anyway now that my uterus was an inch above my navel? Do these normal signs and symptoms still apply to a pregnant lady?!  (You can see how nurses think, I guess.  Our minds are basically our own WebMD.)

If you have anything in your gut telling you to go get checked to make sure baby is okay, GO GET CHECKED. Don’t try to be strong because that’s how you were before you got pregnant. You’re not just thinking about you anymore, you have to think about baby. Follow your intuition as a mother and be safe!

  When I got to the Labor & Delivery unit, I was seen by an OBGYN and general surgery.  They wanted to rule out the two things I thought it could be.  They admitted me for observation and further testing.   They tried to get an MRI on me, but I couldn’t stand the procedure due to the pain.  I was so afraid of what the outcome could be, especially since I’m pregnant.  The worst possible scenarios kept playing through my mind.  Until we came to a conclusion after seeing an ultrasound showing that I have hydronephrosis.  Totally normal in pregnancy around this time due to the growth of the uterus and displacement of the ureters.  Unluckily for me, I had a little sprinkle of kidney stones.

  I’ve had kidney stones before.  They’re awful.  There’s some belief that passing kidney stones is just as painful as giving birth, just not as rewarding at the end.  I spent four days in the hospital for pain management and hydration to try and flush out the stones.  Nothing.  Just sediment accompanied by a lot of pain.  I asked to be discharged because I didn’t want to do the invasive procedures they were talking about, especially with baby on board.  So I’ve been on convalescent leave and I’ve been struggling with managing pain at home.  Being on oral pain medications, I’ve had to maintain a very strict schedule so I don’t become overwhelmed with pain.  I thought that I could wean myself off of my discharge medications, and that was the worst idea.  I didn’t sleep and neither did my husband.  The pain is still hard to control.  I can’t walk very far without my right flank feeling like I’m being shanked from the inside.

  As long as there’s nothing else wrong with me, I’ll power through this for baby.  We’re exhausted all of the time.  My movements throughout the house are very short and always take the breath out of me.  As if pregnancy wasn’t already getting harder with my growing belly.  But hey, I’m just taking it one pain pill at a time.