Best Breast Pump for Working Moms
What is the best breast pump for working moms? If you’re a breastfeeding mom headed back to work, it can be overwhelming to decide which pump to get. Traditional pump, wearable pump, portable pump?? More than one?? Working moms need something reliable, easy to use, and convenient to bring with them everyday. This post will dive into my top pump recommendations for working moms. Remember, there is no best pump for everyone! New Little Life has tons of videos, blog posts, and even a comprehensive program to help you find exactly what you need. So, read on and see if you can find something that will work for you!
(Breast pumps are changing all the time!
Check out my latest videos for the most up to date recommendations, like this one, here!)
Best Traditional Pump for Working Moms
The Spectra S1 is my number one recommendation for a traditional pump for working moms. It is a really solid breast pump. You know it is going to work, be convenient, and easy to find parts. The Spectra is so reliable! I recommend the Spectra S1 (the blue one) over the Spectra S2 (the pink one) because the S1 has a rechargeable battery. For example, you might think that’s not a big deal if you’re gonna be sitting at your desk with your pump it’s gonna be plugged in. But, you will be surprised at how often you’ll wish you could unplug from the wall and walk around for one second, or sit in a place not conveniently near an outlet etc.
Next, the Luna Motif is another great option for a traditional pump.* Insurance companies will likely cover an upgrade to the battery of this one cheaper than an upgrade of the battery to the Spectra. It is so similar to the Spectra and it’s often a cheaper upgrade from your insurance. There have been some recent (Sept 2022)changes to the Luna pump though which have made it a less desirable option.
And, the Super Genie from Pumpables is a really cool traditional pump as well. It’s a great size, has a lot of great features, and is overall a great workhorse pump. In my opinion, these are the best traditional pumps for working moms.
*As of October 2022, the Luna Motif is NOT the same as it was in this review! An updated video with the details can be found here

A Note about Finding the Right Pump for YOU as a WORKING MOM!
There’s not a perfect breast pump for everybody. It really depends on how much you’ll be pumping, what kind of pumping you’ll be using, where you’ll be pumping. For these reasons and more, my recommendations for working moms and stay-at-home moms are usually different!
New Little Life almost exclusively works with working moms now. My passion is combining breastfeeding and pumping. I want to help you know how to transition back to work and meet your breastfeeding/pumping goals. If that’s something that sounds interesting to you, I would love to chat more with you!
Something that we talk about in the New Little Life webinar is why you would want a wearable pump. We also try to answer questions like, can you use a wearable pump as your only pump? Is a wearable pump better as just a backup? While it’s true that a wearable pump probably won’t empty you as efficiently, as a working mom, a wearable pump can be super helpful because it might be the difference between skipping a pumping session or sticking to your schedule.
Wearable Pump Recommendation for Working Moms
Okay, onto the wearable pump recommendations. There are many new options for wearable pumps! Even in the last year a ton of new options hit the market. If you need a wearable pump, Willow and Elvie used to be the only options. Now, there’s a couple more.
The Willow Go is a new pump that I would recommend for a couple of reasons. It’s very similar to the original Willow as it’s all in the bra. It’s still discreet (as discreet as wearable pump can be!) The Willow Go doesn’t have some of the unique suction patterns that the original Willow does. It’s much more like a traditional pump. You can switch between the modes as needed. It has a larger storage capacity, which is really cool for a wearable pump! The Willow Go is less expensive and seems to have upgraded what users didn’t like with the original Willow.
Other Wearable Pump Options
Elvie has also come out with a less expensive version of their pump: the Elvie Stride. This pump is okay. It has tubing. It’s still technically a wearable pump, but it’s a little annoying for moms in the workplace to deal with tubing. A wearable pump without tubes that can let you pump discreetly probably would be my preference as a working mom.
Some of the cheaper wearable pumps like the BellaBaby on Amazon, or the MomCozy aren’t pumps that I would recommend. They just are a little hit or miss. Even the , which is a pretty good pump, probably isn’t the best for a working mom because it wouldn’t be as efficient at milk removal. If you have more questions about a specific wearable pump, schedule a one on one chat with our team, here! The best wearable breast pump for working moms all depends on your unique situation and budget!
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Best Portable Pump for Working Moms
First, the Genie Advanced from Pumpables is my top portable pump choice for working moms. Moms really love it! It has a really wide range of vacuum pressure and a few different cycle speed options for you. Though it is a little bit bigger, it is still portable!
Next, the Medela Freestyle Flex is a good portable option. It is very quiet and also rechargeable, which is awesome. It is a little expensive, and it’s not covered by all insurances.
Another interesting option is the Baby Buddha! It’s actually a little bit smaller than the Medela Freestyle Flex. The suction is quite powerful. The stimulation mode is kind of funky, it has a really long pull but then some weird patterns after that. The portability of this pump is great, though!
The Zomee Z2 is another good portable option. It has some unique options of suction patterns. This is nice because you can really personalize what works best for you.
Remember, my recommendation with portable pumps is to pair it with a traditional pump. Like wearable pumps, portable pumps may not empty you as fully as a traditional pump would. So, pump with your wearable or portable pump on your short breaks or discreetly while you’re still working. Then, on your lunch time pumping session, and/or when you’re back at home for the day, pump with a traditional pump.
If you have more questions about portable pumps, sign up for the working moms webinar!
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Honorable Mention
A manual pump is super helpful for a working mom. A manual pump is a great backup if you forgot your pump at home, if you didn’t pack your charger or if you forgot something like a cup or flange etc. It doesn’t really matter what kind of manual pump you get. Get one that has the same bottle style as your other pumps. For example, if your pump uses narrow mouth bottles, get the Medela manual pump. If your pump uses wide mouth bottles, get a Spectra manual pump. Matching bottle sizes will just save you the hassle of a bunch of different things cluttering up your life.
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There’s no one size fits all best breast pump for working moms! Hopefully, something on this list seemed like a good fit for you. Again, if you want more personalized advice, or to get your specific questions answered, join our webinar or pumping for working moms course!

Meet Allison Tolman, LPN, IBCLC!
She is the owner and founder of New Little Life, a company dedicated to providing objective information and support for pumping mothers. With 15+ years of experience in various pregnancy and postpartum fields including as an LPN, birth doula, childbirth educator, and IBCLC, her current research focuses on testing and exploring breast pumps to find the most practical way to help pumping mothers reach their goals as well as teaching lactation professionals to better understand the complex art of pumping.
She runs a long-term coaching program to support working mothers who are pumping.