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Hey there! My name is Jessica. I love being a mom and sharing my experiences. I want to inspire moms to provide the best for their babies, and I believe breastfeeding is one way to do that! Check out my blog for inspiration!

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A Review of the Elvie Stride Electric Wearable Breast Pump

The Elvie Stride is a hands free, hospital-grade, electric breast pump made by the Elvie company. Elvie has several pump styles, and this is the first I have tried of their products. The pump cups are intended to be worn inside of your bra, and the pump conveniently attaches to your waistband for hands free use. I have read up on the several different types of pumps out there, including manual, hand-held electric styles and hands free electric. While I have obviously not tried every pump on the market, I have been very pleased with the Elvie Stride.

The Elvie Stride Pump

Do you already feel like your hands are constantly full with children, dirty diapers, baby clothes and toys? Does the idea of having to hold yet another thing in your hands make you want to go insane? If you feel this busy most days, then the Elvie Stride pump might be for you. Not a stay-at-home mom? Are you busy in the office juggling multiple tasks but need to pump for your little one who is waiting for you at home? This pump may also be for you! The hands free feature that comes with this pump has been a life changer for me. I am home with my boys these days and I would not change that for the world, but what mommy has time to sit and hold a pump to her boobs for 20 minutes when there are little tikes running, crawling, pooping and climbing all over your messy and child-proofed house? Here are a few things I like about the pump so far.

First of all, the color is super attractive (happens to be in the family of blues and greens, my favorite). The look of this pump is fun and colorful, and while that is not the most important thing, it helps me feel a bit more attractive when wearing it! The pump cup is comfortable and easy to put together and use. There is what I call a “spy hole” at the top of each cup that you can open and assess the placement of the cup, so it is accurately placed over your nipple. I don’t know about you, but I find it pretty painful when my nipple gets rubbed against a pump flange during pumping. I can help avoid this by using the spy holes! The cups are also super easy to take apart and clean, and are dishwasher safe. WHAT? That is definitely a game changer for mommies who have zero time! The pump itself is quiet when running (I know from personal experience!) and has a simple set of buttons. The power button for on and off, the plus and minus buttons for intensity levels, the start/pause button, and a button that shows you the expression/stimulation intensity when pressed. A light on the face of the pump shows you when the battery is charged and when it is about to die/needs to charge (based on the color). Finally, one of my favorite features of the pump itself is the hook that allows you to clip it onto your waist band. This is a simple feature that makes a huge difference. Along with the ability to place each cup into your bra, the waistband clip makes the Elvie Stride an outlier from other pumps because it provides the hands-free experience. Now, I get to sit and play with my boys while pumping. I get to fold laundry, do dishes, cook dinner, even change diapers, all while pumping. Heck, I could even go shopping if I really wanted to (with the appearance of boobs that have tripled in size, haha)! While my old pump required me to sit and hold each pump flange to each boob and wait, the Elvie Stride allows me to place, clip in and go. But wait. It gets even better.

There’s an APP for that?!

One of the coolest features about the Elvie Stride (and other pumps sold by Elvie) is that it can connect to a phone application via bluetooth. Why is that helpful? Because you can control the pump from your phone, adding to the hands free experience! Below are several features of the app that I love.

The home page lists simple and helpful things like when I last pumped, a straightforward way to contact support and guides for using the pump. The sizing and alignment guide pictured in the image above took me through a step by step tutorial on how to determine proper sizing and placement of the cups on my breasts. Each step was even more clear with the images provided. It also has a quick “connect my pump” button that starts the blue tooth connection process.

On the home page of the app is also this list of additional resources that you might find helpful. Elvie goes the extra mile to provide breast care tips, a user guide for the app, milk volume research and on the go tips. When I have questions regarding any of these topics I can visit my app versus spending time researching on the internet.

The application tracks each time you pump, providing the date and the time each pumping session took place. You also have the option to enter the number of ounces you pumped during each session.

Here is where you can enter the ounces you pumped, including the total, and what was produced by each breast. This might be helpful to refer to later when labeling and storing breastmilk, or watching for decreased milk volumes in one breast or the other. You can also look at how your milk volumes might be changing over time, or determine what time of day yields the best milk volumes.

Finally, this page allows you to remotely control your pumping experience. Whether it is simply starting and stopping your session, increasing or decreasing the intensity of the stimulation or expression phases, setting a timer for how long you want to pump, or viewing how much time has passed, it can all be done from here. Instead of having to take the pump off my waist band to control it, I can simply use the app!

Summing it up

The Elvie Stride has been a super impressive and useful resource for me, especially now that I have not one, but two boys to look after. The functionality of the pump itself is comfortable and simple to operate, and the application makes my life easier with the remote access. I am still waiting to see how the quality of the pump parts hold up over time, and how long it lasts me. I have noticed already the importance of keeping it very clean and washing it well after each use. It is especially important to let it dry fully before using it again. One thing to note is to never get water into the tubing, as this can get into the pump and cause it to malfunction or break. Be sure to separate the cups from the tubing before washing it. As with all pumps, Elvie highly recommends washing and boiling to sanitize the pump parts before the first use and washing consistently after each use. One thing that some mommies may not find the most convenient is the tubing that connects the cups to the pump. While it does not bother me, some moms might find it annoying having the tubing hanging out under their shirt. I have seen the Elvie pump, that is tube free and wearable. If you are financially able to afford this version, it may be worth a try. I was able to get the Elvie Stride with my insurance at a lower price, and besides the fact that it is hands free, that is why I chose it initially. The tubing and the price are the only qualities that appears to differentiate the Elvie Stride from the Elvie pump, but I have more research to do. The retail price for the Elvie Stride is 269.99, versus the Elvie pump which is 549.99. For me, the price was even lower for the Elvie Stride because part of it was covered. For me it is worth while to deal with the barely noticeable tubing and save a few hundred dollars.

I love using the Elvie Stride so far for my pumping needs. If you are looking for a new pump or are not happy with the one you are currently using, I recommend giving the Elvie Stride a try. Check with your insurance about coverage, as you may be able to receive discounts. I hope this review has been beneficial and useful for your decision making process.