Spectra Review

Before I got a pump, I scoured the Internet for reviews and other information I can get about pumps in general and about the different brands and models of pumps out there. To pay it forward, I would like to contribute to the pool of resources available online.


What I love about Spectra in general:

• Cheaper than other brands, their hospital grade pump is still cheaper than those of other brands that are NOT hospital grade
• All the pumps use a closed system which means there are no backflows I wrote about this here a few months back.
• Quiet motor
• Great reviews online
• Easy to assemble
• Great service via BabyMamaPH
• Spare parts are easy to purchase online with one day delivery
• Cheap bottle system
• Cheap milk bags
• Cheap nipples
• All the parts are made in Korea

 What I hate about Spectra in general:

• Storage bottles are terrible. For some reason, the locking disc becomes loose. 
• Threading of the bottle to the flange sometimes become loose. We have associated it to temperature. When bottles tend to be warm, it seems to be more loose. We have tried so many experiments. At first I blamed the flange but now I am down to just the Spectra bottles. Avent works with the pump but it does not screw on completely which made me not use Avent for pumping. I have seen others use Avent though and they seem to be happy with the setup.
• Threading of the bottle to the nipple becomes loose sometimes. How many times has my baby had an unplanned milk bath because of this. Again, when the bottle gets heated, the lock becomes loose causing spillage. 
• Wide neck bottles only come in pink.

As you can see, most of my problems stem from the bottles. I could have opted not to get them because as I have said, Avent wide neck bottles work with the pump but the bottles were cheaper and they were supposed to work perfectly with the pump. I have also read one comment online complaining about the threading so it is just not me.

To date I have been able to use the following pumps:

Spectra S2 
I love this pump because it has helped me build my milk supply without giving me much pain. Initially, there will be some discomfort because you have to find the best vacuum and cycle settings. Vacuum is the suction strength and the cycle is the frequency of suction. This feature helped a lot when my nipples were cracked from my baby's incorrect latch. It also has a massage function that mimics the way the baby sucks. This is meant to encourage your body to give more milk. What I found to be most effective is to first use the usual vacuum and cycle I am accustomed to. When I feel my milk slowing down, I use the massage function until I see more milk come in again. I then switch back to the usual vacuum and cycle. I can experience multiple milk let downs this way. Another milk booster is the silicon massager that can be bought separately. This also makes the pumping process more comfortable as the silicon massager is soft.

What I love about Spectra S2:

• Hospital Grade
• Quiet
• Cheaper than other known brands
• Dual Electric
• Less parts to assemble
• Parts work with the Spectra 9+ and Spectra Wideneck Manual Pump
• Gentle
• Settings for Vacuum and Cycle
• Auto shut off after 30 minutes
• Can be used 12 times a day (according to BabyMamaPH)
• Nice design
• Multiple awards
• Backlight
• Easy to use
• Works well with the silicon massager

What I do not like about Spectra S2:

• Its weight: 3lbs

Spectra S1
I do not have this pump but the only difference between Spectra S2 and Spectra S1 is that S1 is battery operated. I was told by a friend that Spectra S1 can be used while charging. My friend used this pump for 2 years and it is still working perfectly. She only had to get the battery replaced because it would not charge anymore. 

Spectra 9+
We eventually decided to get the Spectra 9+ two months after I got back from work. The Spectra S2 was very bulky to carry plus I worry I might damage it in transit. The deciding point was when I was asked to travel for two days and I could not bring my Spectra S2 for fear that I might damage it during the flight. I had to make do with a manual pump during which time, my milk supply declined. Also, I ended up spending twice the usual time pumping.

We figured it will be great to have the Spectra S9 because this means that I can now pump in the car because it is battery operated. Rather than finding a way to make the Spectra S2 work with our car charger, this is a safer way to go.

What I love about Spectra 9+:

• Very light, less than 1 pound
• Very small, it fits into my tote bag
• Quiet
• Backlight
• Settings for Vacuum
• Battery operated
• Battery from my experience can last for 3 30 minute sessions
• Less parts to assemble
• Parts work with Spectra S2 and Spectra Wide Neck Manual Pump
• Auto shut off 
• Dual Electric Pump
• Massage Function
• Easy to use
• Works well with the silicon massager

What I do not like about Spectra 9+:

• Not as gentle as Spectra S2
• Does not have settings for Cycle
• Can only be used 5 times per day (according to BabyMamaPH)
• May not be used while charging (according to BabyMamaPH)
• Battery should not be drained (according to BabyMamaPH) 
• Must not be overcharged 

Spectra Wide Neck Manual Pump
We got this when I was 1 month post-partum. It dawned on us that if ever there was a power outage, I will be unable to pump. I tried hand expressing but I only get a little and it is very messy. I mean push comes to shove, if I need to do that again, I will but given a choice I'd rather not.

What I love about the Spectra Wide Neck Manual Pump:

• Very light
• Less parts to carry 
• Quiet
• Sturdy
• Less parts to assemble
• Easy to use
• Cheap

What I do not love about the Spectra Wide Neck Manual Pump:

• Silicon Massager does not work well with it or you have to get a bigger flange
• Not as gentle as the electric ones
• It takes twice the time to pump using this
• Can get messy
• One breast at a time
• No hands-free option

At the end of the day, the most important thing to ensure that the breast pump will not hurt is the flange size. I initially thought that the 28mm flange size will be perfect for me because that is the size that comes with the pump. I later on discovered that my size is 24mm. Here is the size guide from BabyMamaPH. I checked this before I got my pump but I thought feeding will increase the size of my nipple. It did but the change was not dramatic enough for me to change flange sizes.

I hope this will help you in searching for the best pump for you.

Motherhood According to a Neophyte

I was asked to give a talk on Motherhood at an event. Here was my talk.

I am a neophyte mother as I have only been a part of the sisterhood of mothers for a little over four months so when I was asked to share about motherhood, I felt ill-equipped, much like how I felt when I found out I was pregnant. I was excited but at the same time, I was uncertain if I will be good enough. I also knew that just like when I learned I was pregnant, I needed to be ready when the time came.  

And the time has come.

PUSHING

By this, I just do not mean the huffing and the puffing in the delivery room. I also do not mean pushing around the stroller although these are all part of the job description. I mean really pushing the limits of one’s physical strength, stamina and sanity. You see, while babies look seemingly vulnerable and helpless, they are also a perceptive bunch. They always know you can do more. If you have stayed up until 4 in the morning, the baby would know you can do at least 3 more hours. If you have sung a couple of lines, the baby would know you can do a Broadway production number with matching shimmies. On my baby’s second month, I was trying to build my stash of breastmilk, raise your hand if this is too much information, I will pretend not to see you because then I would have nothing to say anymore, I wanted to rejoice because I pumped enough milk plus some extra. The baby would know you can still do more and would demand more milk. I have a renewed sense of appreciation and respect for cows. Milk production is hard work.

The magic of motherhood is that it provides you that extra strength, stamina, and sanity to always go the extra milk, I mean, mile. My baby has taught me that the limits I have defined are limits that I can defy.

BOUNCING

Fellow mothers would probably know what I mean by bouncing. Giving birth makes you bounce in places you never have. I hated it at first but now I know I just have to accept it. I mean bouncing from a sad place to a happy place and then back to a sad place. When I gave birth, I did not huff and puff like other mothers. I was told by many mothers I interviewed that CS gave you the least pain. They forgot to tell me they meant during the delivery. They forgot to tell me that the day following the operation they will take you off the morphine and then the pain sneaks up on you like a holdupper so upset he decided to slash you instead of your bag. I had to bounce back right away though because my baby needed me. Also I needed to walk to the bathroom but more than that I had to attend to my baby who had to be exposed to billy lights because of his jaundice. I sat on a stool so low so the baby continues to get his phototherapy as he latched. Or tried to. This part is too much information so I will leave it as that. Sitting down hurt and standing up with a baby was probably painful as well but at that time, I only thought about how bad I felt that my baby is being baked under the lights.

Motherhood has been a series of peaks and troughs. My baby has given me the opportunity to emerge as a hero every time I bleed, feel pain, because I know I need to overcome everything  for him. 

LOSING

Motherhood has taught me that it is about losing oneself in so many ways. First I lost my collarbone, then I lost sleep, time for myself, and then my mind, my memory, at one point, I could not even remember my phone number. I lose my things, no thanks to the anesthesia I got. The one thing I would not mind losing, is the one thing that I cannot seem to lose, my weight. Seriously though, motherhood made me understand what the true meaning of losing oneself is. My baby made me realize that my body is no longer just mine. What I do with myself is now my baby’s business as well. When I put myself at risk, I risk him and his future as well. In my book, it will always be baby, husband and then myself. Not because my book is a dictionary but because becoming a mother I have been entrusted another life. My baby 

knows this too and he makes sure that I do not forget this.

LISTENING

As a mother, developing an uncanny sense of hearing is a must. For some reason, you just learn how to listen to the baby and be able to interpret what it means. Nature has its way of teaching the mother to hear the baby’s cry no matter how deep her slumber. Also, it is impossible to ignore the cry of the baby, at least from my experience. Something from deep inside compels me, no matter how exhausted, to get up and care for the baby.

 It’s this or the baby develops an uncanny skill to train a mother to bend to his will. Either way, the system works.

GAINING

Aside from the weight, motherhood allowed me to gain a renewed appreciation for my own mother. I have read books, watched videos, attended seminars but all these did not prepare me enough for the challenge that is motherhood. I continuously learn from experience, from fellow mothers, and most of all from my baby. My baby continues to teach me how to be a mother to him.

CHANGING

As a mother, one does become an expert in changing diapers but more than wiping the baby’s bottom while keeping his restless hands and kicking feet from getting into his soiled diaper, a mother must struggle to handle change. My life changed when I learned I was pregnant. From that time to this day, it has been one change after another. I need to learn to adapt but at the same time, keep all these changes in my anesthesia-ridden brain. I know that the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, milk spit, cries will not be forever and one day, I will miss all these. Just four months ago, my baby was a newborn. In a while before I know it, he will become a toddler. If I let time do its thing, he will be a teenager before I know it. Hopefully, by then, all the years of mothering would prepare me for that.

Motherhood to a seasoned mother, cannot be summed up in a few minutes. I guess this is why they asked a greenhorn like me to share.

I do not know what purpose this may serve, perhaps it is a warning/inspiration to those who are planning to become mothers, a tribute to the mothers or an ode to those who have been around the block and back. For me, this was a reminder that motherhood is a celebration of love and life.