Elvie Review

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So you’re looking for a pump?! I’m so excited to share with you my review on Elvie and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work with them on this partnership. Please note all opinions are my own. They were generous enough to gift me the double pump. As a NICU nurse, mom to now four, and working towards my IBCLC I have a passion for helping moms feed their babies, however that may be!

Let me start by saying that if you are a stay at home, never away from your baby, or feeding them on demand, there is absolutely no reason that you NEED a pump. I believe in our society today, that we are so pushed to get back to work, get out and about, and leave our babies that we think that we need a pump to start building a “freezer stash” not to mention, our world is so focused on numbers that we feel this unnecessary urge to know exactly how much milk we are getting or giving to our babes. That’s just not necessary and really causes a lot of stress on moms.

When you are feeding your baby, and as they grow, LOOK at YOUR baby! What are they telling you?? Do they come off your breast or bottle and act as if they want more? Do they come off your breast or bottle and are content? As time goes on, are they growing, gaining weight, looking healthy? Look at your babies mama! You know how they are doing, without knowing how much you’re giving them in ounces.

Soooo, if you are looking for a pump because you are exclusively pumping, or returning to work, or away from your babe at any time, Elvie Pump is truly a game changer. I have used Medella, and Spectra both in the past and Elvie has taken the hands free, cord free pump to a whole new level!

Reasons I love Elvie:

  • Hands Free

  • Cord Free

  • Easy to use

  • Silent

  • Responsive

Hands Free/Cord Free: Out of all the amazing features Elvie offers, above are my top reasons why I love it and would recommend it to moms if they are looking for something like this. It goes without saying, hands free and cord free are really the game changer here, in my opinion. There’s really nothing enjoyable about being stuck plugged into the wall while you pump, without any hands to use as you sit there and hold each bottle for 10-20 minutes or longer (unless you remember your hands free bra).

Not many moms I know, have a lot of time for that. This is by far the best two reasons to invest in Elvie. I can be doing anything around the house, helping the kids, cooking, cleaning, and be pumping at the same time. It takes multitasking to a whole new level! I like to wear my Elvie most in the morning chaos, while everyone needs something from me at the same time and we’re rushing to get ready and out the door! I can pump while doing it all and not have to worry about waking up early or finding time to sit down to get ‘er done!

Easy to Use: One thing that I love, which I didn’t know that I would, is that it’s synced with Elvie app. This is so helpful if you actually want to track your pumping sessions, how long each lasted, and how much volume you got at each time. (This could be huge if you are trying to see when your supply is at it’s highest or lowest or if you need to add in some sessions to get more volumes for your baby, etc.) The app is also nice, because it walks you through the set up and how to use it. It’s super user friendly.

Silent: With its revolutionary technology, Elvie is completely silent. So, in theory you could be at work and pump on the job. This might be appealing to health care workers who may not always get a break! The only con to this is that your breast just look extra huge and you’d have to accommodate your shirt for this!

Responsive: Another thing I love is its ability to detect your let-down which automatically switches the pump from stimulation to expression. (On other pumps, you have to press the button when you feel your let down start to happen, not a huge deal, but kinda cool!) It also detects when the containers are full, so if you get side tracked and forget to turn off your pump when you’re done, it will automatically do it for you! (Again, not a huge deal, but there’s been several times I’ve been pumping with my hand held pump, get distracted and then overflow milk everywhere because the bottles are too full)

Concerns:

When first sharing about Elvie Pump, the most common concern I received was if the suction actually worked, if it can be used with big breast, if it’s covered by insurance, and is it worth the investment?

  1. Does the suction work well enough? In my opinion yes. It’s no hospital grade pump, but no home pump is going to work like that. I would say the suction is comparable to Medella and Spectra, which is great because that means it actually works! However, I haven’t used it long enough to know if it starts to peter out towards the end of your pumping life (ie. a year or however long you would be pumping for) I know that personally my Medella started to not work as well after I used it for about a year, which is why I have gotten a new pump with each babe. So for only using Elvie for about a month, I can only speak on the suction as of now!

    • I will say that sometimes if not placed in properly the suction will not work, but that is user error and something you may experience like myself. I thought for a while that one of my pumps was broken, but after looking on their site for trouble shooting, they had a lot of information to help solve the problem.

  2. Are your breast too big? No, not at all! I believe that with the right bra to hold your breast up, you can easily use this pump like any other mama. I myself have very large breast after having a baby, and they get very engorged at times, and I can still use Elvie and have it work like it should.

  3. Does insurance cover it? Great question and one you would want to know if looking to invest. Elvie works with Durable Medical Equipment suppliers who partner with various insurance providers, so depending on your insurance carrier, it may be partially covered and something worth looking into. You can check a list of their partners HERE, but also follow up with your insurance carrier to be sure! I know from the past, my Medella was completely covered by my insurance (Preferred One) and my spectra was partially covered. You can also use your FSA/HSA funds to purchase Elvie, which is super nice and if you ever had troubles with your pump you can email them here at questions@elvie.com (As returns are not allowed, being it is an intimate product) Another option, would be to only buy one pump, rather then two, and that would be cheaper and you could use it while feeding your babe on the other breast.

  4. Is it worth the investment? Heres, the thing. I think that if you asked a variety of moms, you would get different answers but everyone would agree that it’s worth the convenience factor! Convenience is HUGE for all moms! Working moms, SAHMs, first time moms, moms to multiples…you can always use an extra set of hands, and Elvie pump gives that to you! In my personal opinion, this is a great pump for moms that are going to be pumping a lot. If you are not planning on pumping a ton, then looking into a pump that is covered fully by insurance or even a lower cost pump would probably be a better option for you.

What other moms are saying: Click on the picture below to enlarge and read comments

Thanks again for stopping by, I hope this review helped you out! Be sure to check out my other post on breast feeding and pumping, I’m working on a comparison blog between the Medella, Elvie, and Spectra pumps that will be coming very soon! A huge thank you to Elvie for partnering with me and gifting me Elvie so that I can share this review with you all! Be sure to

xoxo Mari

5 Tips for going back to work after baby

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Going back to work, whether you're ready or not, is always bittersweet. For some, you're excited to get back to your job where you can stimulate your brain again and feel like you're important and as though you are making a difference. For others, you are sad to be leaving your sweet baby and don't know how you can get through your day without them.

Going back to work for me is good. I enjoy what I do, I enjoy using my brain at a higher level other than singing mickey mouse clubhouse or playing legos all day, and I enjoy my co-workers. Yes, I do get sad when my maternity leave is nearing the end, but not really sad about going back to work as much as I am sad about my baby getting older, bigger, and not being my squishy newborn anymore.

If you didn't know, I work part time as a NICU nurse. That means I work 6 (12 hour) night shifts in a month. Of those shifts I work every third weekend, which makes me the most sad because that is when we are able to spend our most time as a complete family, but that's part of being a nurse and it is what it is. For me the balance between staying home most of the time, and working part of the time is just what I need to stay sane. I feel very fortunate to be able to do both, and as much as I'd love to be a SAHM (stay at home mom) I also love my job and feel incredibly grateful to care for such tiny humans in their most vulnerable time of life.

Now I've "gone back to work" three times now. I'd say each time gets easier, but again it's always bittersweet. There are a few things I've learned along the way to help make the transition easier and hopefully allow you to have a positive return back!

5 tips for going back to work after baby:

  1. Plan ahead. Get all of your stuff ready and packed the night before. Be sure you have all the correct supplies if you will be pumping at work. Order lactation supplements to help give you a boost, and get a pump free nursing bra so you can eat, scroll social media, and look through pics of your baby on your phone all while pumping your titties.

  2. Child Care. The last thing you want to do is worry about who is caring for your child while you're at work. Figure out who will watch your child whether it be a daycare center, home daycare, nanny, family member, or friend.. knowing who will be watching your child and having someone lined up will help put you at ease. Oh and maybe whomever is watching your babies will send you cute pics throughout the day.. BONUS!

  3. Milk Supply. Start your freezer stash EARLY. I've always started pumping once I got home from the hospital at least once/twice per day. Once in the morning and once in the evening to help build up my freezer stash for when I go back to work or for date nights! Stressing about your milk supply or not having enough when the time comes is the last thing you want to be doing, so building that freezer supply early on will help ease your stress and create a nice stash in your freezer.

  4. Treat Yo self. Buy yourself something new that you'll use at work and get you excited about going back. Kinda like back to school shopping lol but back to work shopping. As a nurse, I bought myself a new lunchbox (cool stuff) and a pair of new tennis shoes since I'm always on my feet. If you work a desk job, buy yourself a new planner or comfy clothes to wear or if you're a fitness instructor buy yourself a new work out outfit! And definitely treat yourself to a starbucks on the way into work because you DESERVE IT MAMA!

  5. Give yourself grace. You may be a little rusty at your job, you've got mom brain now (the never ending pregnancy brain lol) but don't let it get you discouraged. You will pick it back up in no time, and you can do this. Don't beat yourself up. It's okay to miss your baby and think of them often.. mom guilt is real and no one will understand until they become a mom themselves, but know that your baby is fine, you are a freaking rockstar, and you are the best mom to that baby there ever could be!

Now go show them who’s boss! You will do great, I know you will. Afterall, you’re raising a freaking human which is the toughest and most rewarding job there ever was!

XOXO Mari

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Four easy ways to boost your supply

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If you're looking for a more in depth read on breastfeeding, I wrote a long blog post about everything I could think of related to breastfeeding HERE.

Milk production in women is not all the same. Some women just don't have a great supply from the get go and some women are blessed with producing enough to feed a herd of cattle, but chances are if you're reading this than you've already crossed that hurdle and are doing what you can to nurture and feed your growing baby.

 It is important to know that you are DOING GREAT, you are feeding YOUR baby, and you should be damn PROUD for making it this far. I also want to say, don't get discouraged about what other women are doing, how much milk they are producing, or how their experience is going. Breastfeeding/pumping is not always easy. It may come easier for some moms and babies, but often times it may be a struggle to get started or maintain it and we need to be supportive. We are all just moms, trying to do our BEST for our babies and provide for them in every way that we can.

With that said, I think it can go without saying that it can be very discouraging to not produce "enough" milk and we can all use some helpful tips to try and help give our supply a boost every once in a while.

Here are F O U R easy ways to help boost your supply:

1. Supply and demand. If you don't know what I'm talking about, milk production works on a supply and demand basis. The more you stimulate/remove milk from your breast, the more milk you will signal your breast to make, meaning the more you breastfeed/pump the more you will produce. Easy as that. Adding an early morning pump session (when your supply is at its highest) or an evening pump session (when your supply is at its lowest) may also help.

2. Power pumping or "cluster pumping". In order to do this, you'll want to pump on and off in intervals for about an hour. Meaning, pump 10 minutes, rest 3, pump 15 minutes, rest 5, pump 10, rest 5.. you get the gist. This is simulating when a baby cluster feeds or goes through a growth spurt. They need more milk than what you are producing so they stay at the breast for longer periods of time, eating back to back to back hence why they call it "cluster feeding".

3. Supplements. It's undetermined if lactation supplements are effective or not. For me they seem to work. There are so many options out there now, teas, cookies, bars, smoothies, brownies.. basically anything with herbs containing fenugreek or alfalfa or ingredients such as flaxseed meal, oats, and brewers yeast seem to do the trick and help boost your supply as a natural lactation supplement. There are also many lactation pills that one can take.. I have personally not used any but I have heard great things about Legendairy Milk products.

4. Self Care. This goes without saying that when you are stressed, run down, or exhausted which most new moms are.. your body lags a bit. In a breastfeeding course I took a while back, the instructor (a certified lactation consultant and nurse) had said that nutrition doesn't play much of an effect on your supply, but just eating and drinking a "normal" healthy amount will maintain your supply. That means taking care of yourself. Eating good healthy foods (and occasionally giving into those breastfeeding cravings!) and drinking enough fluids throughout the day. Simply eat a balanced diet and maintain a normal fluid intake! By taking care of yourself you are also taking care of your baby!

Please note that I am not a lactation consultant, just a passionate breastfeeding mother and NICU nurse who wants nothing more than for you to be successful in your breastfeeding journey. If you are experiencing problems or have more questions, I recommend seeing a lactation consultant or specialist. If you have any other tricks or helpful suggestions that you have used to increase your supply, please leave them in the comments below for everyone to see!

Hope you enjoyed today's post, thanks for stopping by!

Much love, Mari