Our Favorite Breast Pumps

Note: We have only included the best pump manufacturers in our list and have purposely avoided any companies that also produce and sell baby formula. It is our opinion that any company that produces both breast pumps and formula is operating under and conflict of interests that may compromise the quality of their pumps.

1. Medela Pump In Style (advanced) - This has been our #1 breast pump for close to 2 years and it shows no signs of losing this position. A strong, reliable motor combined with an excellent reputation will help you feel you made a good purchase. Lately, we have only been hearing great things about both the shoulder bags style and the backpack. We currently rank the shoulder bag and the back pack the same. Even though more women prefer the back pack.

2. Ameda Purely Yours (backpack)- This pump has everything a mother needs to successfully breast pump. The Ameda Purely Yours model is the only FDA approved home breast pump. Recently, we have been hearing from women who indicate they don't get as much milk with the Purely Yours as they did from their Medela. We will watch this closely.

3. Ameda Purely Yours (carryall) - Again, this is a very good pump with the FDA approved anit-backup system.

4. Medela Breast Pump (original) - This pump has been the most popular home breast pump for many years. The new advanced version will likely take over this honored spot, but we can't ignore the reliability and reputation of the original Medela breast pump.

5. Whittlestone Breast Expressor - We have always had a sneaky feeling about this pump. It's revolutionary pumping system make this pump a winner with many mothers, but it has a weak vacuum which is not needed, but many women are used to it. We have been told that Whittlestone will be coming out with a new version that combines their Expressor system with a powerful pump/vacuum. NOTE: I tried to use the Whittlestone but I could never pump near as much as a conventional breast pump.

6. Whisper Wear - While this pump is much better that the second tier pumps (namely, those pumps that are made by formula companies or general equipment companies) - it does not seem to have the same strength as the above pumps. We hear lot's of complaints that the WhisperWear has little pumping strength. If you need to pump discreetly, this pump is likely your only choice. It ingeniously fits under the shirt and bra and can go unnoticed if people are not staring directly at you.

While there are many other home Medela breast pumpsavailable, we feel you should not venture outside of our little recommended list. These are the best breast pumps available.

Our true favorite home pump is the Medela Symphony - but at $1200, it is not really worth the extra money.