Look Ma! No Hands! The Freedom of Wearable Breast Pumps

Katie Larson |

Giving birth to a child is the most precious feeling, and new moms everywhere can’t help but revel in the fact that their bodies are finally theirs again. Although this feeling is amazing – and the idea that you can once again eat your favorite foods without getting sick is thrilling – novice moms may fail to realize that soon they’ll be spending hours on a couch or in a chair holding a powerful sucking machine several times a day. That sucking machine isn’t your child: It’s your breast pump. But what if you could get the benefits of breastfeeding without this idle time? Thanks to a new invention, moms can – in theory – get their freedom and mobility back when they purchase a wearable, cordless, and hands-free breast pump.

The most high-tech (and expensive) of this type of pump uses Bluetooth technology to detect when the mom is expressing milk. The Willow Wearable Breast Pump, retailing for $429, has teardrop-shaped cups that sit within a nursing bra. When it is time for the pumping to start, the pump senses the mom is about to express milk, turns on, works its magic, and stores the milk in a donut-shaped bag within the pumping unit. The best part? Moms no longer have to remain idle in a chair waiting for the pumping to finish because the Willow Breast Pump is cordless. The bag has a one-way valve that is guaranteed to be leak -free. And for all of the high tech moms concerned about milk supply, the pump also has an app that tracks when it is used, the duration of pumping time, and the amount pumped so supply will forever be tracked and logged.

Not everyone can afford the price tag associated with the luxury of being able to pump any where, any time like the Willow Breast Pump allows, but there are other more affordable options that slightly free up the nursing mom, such as the Freemie made by Medela. While less high-tech, the Freemie still appears to be more comfortable than a traditional breast pump. It retails between $75 and $170.