The Professional Verdict: Testing The Breasties
When choosing a pump, who do you trust? At Breastfriend, we put our wearable pump, The Breasties, to the ultimate test: a one-month trial by a professional.
Christine Houppermans, a qualified Lactation Consultant and first-time mother, spent four weeks rigorously testing The Breasties for comfort, output, mobility, and overall functionality. Her detailed findings, quoted below, confirm why this is fast becoming the top lactation consultant approved breast pump for New Zealand mums.
1. Comfort and Suction: Gentle Enough for Damaged Nipples
Christine’s personal experience highlights a critical pumping pain point: comfort, especially when dealing with injury. Despite needing to pump due to nipple damage and pain, she found The Breasties highly effective and gentle.
Christine explains,
“Suction on this pump, I find it very comfortable. The reason that I pump is because of nipple damage and pain from feeding.”
Comfort is often the make-or-break factor for mums pumping through injury or sensitivity. Her experience demonstrates that The Breasties provides the necessary hospital-strength suction (300mmHg) while remaining comfortable enough for sensitive skin and damaged nipples.
2. Hands-Free Mobility: Pumping While Parenting
The biggest advantage of a wearable pump is the freedom it restores. For an LC and mum of a newborn, the ability to continue parenting without being tethered to a wall is a "game-changer."
Christine notes,
“I've been able to walk around the house while pumping. I'm able to do chores like laundry and dishes while I've got the pumps going. But more importantly, I can cuddle my baby while I'm using the pump, which is for me the most important feature.”
This hands-free mobility means consistency, which is vital for maintaining supply:
“Being able to hold and care for my baby while I pump has meant that I've never missed a pumping session since starting to use the Breastie pump.”
3. Output and Letdowns: Matching Traditional Pump Volumes
A wearable pump must perform as well as its traditional, bulkier counterparts. Christine's objective testing confirmed that The Breasties delivers equivalent output.
She shares her professional observation on letdowns:
“With my traditional pump, I often have to use additional strategies such as using massage or changing the cycle speed to initiate another letdown. Whereas with The Breasties, I wasn't doing this, but I was still getting very similar output.”
The volumes speak for themselves:
“I was able to get similar volumes to what I get with my traditional pump (these results are individual to me) but I was pleasantly surprised of how effective the milk removal was with this pump.”
During one of her filmed demonstrations, she recorded 160ml, noting:
“I would expect to get anywhere between 150ml and maybe 180ml for an average pump. So, 160ml is right in that range.”
4. Essential Features Highlighted by a Professional
As an LC, Christine pays attention to features that truly impact the pumping experience. Her favourite unexpected feature was the nightlight:
“This pump also has a nightlight feature, which I love… I wouldn't purchase a pump without it. It can be used to help guide nipple placement during night pumping.”
5. Overall Verdict and Local Customer Service
After a full month of regular use, Christine summarised her findings clearly:
“My personal testing of this pump, I found it to be effective at removing milk, comfortable to wear and convenient to use.”
She also gave a powerful endorsement of Breastfriend's local, personal support:
“Buying a pump from an overseas brand or a baby chain, you're not going to get this level of customer service. Marie-Claire is easy to get in touch with if you have any issue and need any troubleshooting advice.”
For Christine, a Lactation Consultant who relies on effective tools, The Breasties has become:
“...an essential tool in my pumping journey."
Ready to Use the Pump a Professional Recommends?
The evidence is clear: when a Lactation Consultant chooses and recommends The Breasties, it confirms the pump's superior balance of comfort, mobility, and effective milk removal.
