BabyBuddha Pump Review

Oct 9

I breastfed exclusively for 4 months, then I went back to work…and had to start pumping. I dreaded that day and the anxiety over pumping at work and especially getting enough milk took over me like something fierce.

I did my research on pumps early on in pregnancy and settled on the Spectra 2, which is a great pump! At the time, it was the strongest pump on the market and had raving reviews. Last spring the BabyBuddha was released and I had to know what it was all about – I was so drawn to it, initially, because of its size and portability. Then I heard it is even stronger and more effective than the Spectra.

Baby Buddha Pump Vs. Spectra 2 Pump

I have now used both the Spectra 2 and BabyBuddha and feel like I can give you guys an honest review. This post will mostly be about the BabyBuddha because you can find reviews on Spectra ALL OVER the internet. I will be comparing the two because they’re the only two pumps I know!

BabyBuddha is a hands free, portable, hospital grade breast pump that is officially (currently) the strongest pump on the market.

Product Overview

Type: Built in rechargeable battery (no need to keep plugged in when pumping)
Single/Double: Double
Suction levels: 9
Stimulation levels: 5
Breast flange diameter: 24 mm (32, 28 mm. Hackable with other pump parts)
Breast Pump dimension: 2”x5”x1.5”
Best deal available: HERE , on pre-order with coupon code BALKANINA20

PLEASE NOTE – when you search BabyBuddha on Amazon – it comes up with a rectangle shaped pump outlined in blue – THIS IS NOT THE BABY BUDDHA I am talking about.

Highlights

1. Hospital Grade with max suction of 320 mmhg compared to 300 mmgh on the Spectra 2. This is incredible, especially for power pumping mom and those prone to clogged milk ducts – WE NEED all the power!

2. FDA approved!

3. Affordable: I cannot believe this crazy powerful, tiny pump is so affordable (Spectra 2 is $159). It retails for $189.99 and you can get an additional 20% off with CODE: BALKANINA20 (for 2 weeks only, so shop fast). Making your total about: $152

4. Portable & Convenient: It is literally the size of a smart phone (shorter even than an IPHONE plus). It hangs from a lanyard and is very discreet, even fits in most pockets! This makes it hands free which is perfect for working mamas! No need to plug it in while pumping. One charge will hold for about an hour which could last 2-4 pumping sessions (4 in my case).

5. Simplicity: There is a power button and a rollerball/button. Once the pump is on there’s a blue LED light which makes it nice to see if you are in a darker room. The rollerball/button in one allows for adjusting your suction and allows flipping back and forth to/from expression mode to/from stimulation mode.

6. Hackable & Universal: You can hack this pump with tons of other systems. The other day I worked back to back 12 hour shifts so instead of being efficient and washing my pump parts, I just hacked (aka simply attached the tube, not complicated at all) my Baby Buddha with my Spectra system – works just as great!! (hackable with Medela, Spectra, Freemie and more)

7. Perfect for building supply: Again because it is so powerful it empties the breast more efficiently and if you follow the rule of “pumping 5-10 minutes” after milk stops flowing you can increase your supply (supply and demand type stuff – ask the pros on this, I’m just a mama user who has learned slowly).

8. Clog Buster: Clogged ducts I can speak on because I get them all the time. With my Spectra 2, I was still getting clogs while pumping at work because the bottom line is NO pump can replace a baby’s suckling. But with my Baby Buddha in combination with my Lavie Lactation massager I get 50%-90% less clogs.

9. Unique Suction: The pump begins in stimulation mode and then once you get the initial let down you can switch it to suction mode. HOWEVER, I recently learned from Elisabeth (Once Ounce at a Time) that she does this backwards and has had great outcome with it (she begins in suction mode then slips to stimulation mode during let down)…I will try this and report back.

10. Closed System: Back flow protectors are part of the kit which makes this a closed system pump – meaning that your milk will never get in contact with the pump motor. This is not only super hygienic; it is also easy to share with other users (as long as they each have their own collection kit)

11. Customer Service & Lifetime warranty: I read a million review (okay maybe not that many) but I found that everyone was so happy with the customer service. It sounds like the company would do anything to make this a good experience. I actually had to call Spectra because my suction cover split in half and they basically said too bad so sad, you’ve had the pump for more than 3 months there is nothing we can do. Although I could still use the pump fine, I was so annoyed that a malfunction on their pump couldn’t be fixed by them.

Personal Experience

Because of its suction strength BabyBuddha has been known to reduce pumping time by up to 30% and increase milk flow by up to 30% (I am living proof for this). Example; with Spectra I was pumping about 4-5 oz total in 10-15 minutes and with my Baby Buddha I am pumping 4.5-5.5 total oz in 5-8 minutes. This is a GAME CHANGER for me. I am in ER nurse and most days I cannot take a break let alone pump every 3 hours. So when I do go to pump I need it to be efficient and quick because I have sick patients to take care of!
I personally saw better results in lower settings. In the beginning I was like, this isn’t bad at all, so I increased the suction but my body didn’t respond well. So I just keep my suction between 1-2 and even get more milk this way.
The settings are not parallel with other pumps. For example, your level 6 on Spectra is not level 6 on BabyBuddha. BabyBuddha is much more powerful, therefore it is probably better to keep it on the lower settings.

Considerations

1. Chargeable…NOT plugged in: I personally think this is a highlight but I could see how some would not like it because they would need to remember to charge the pump between uses, especially if you’re someone who has lengthy pump sessions. I personally only pump for 10-15 minutes at a time and don’t have to recharge my BabyBuddha in the entire 12 hours I am at work. PRO –TIP: BabyBuddha charges via USB chord so if you left its charger at home, just grab someone’s android cell phone charger and plug it into your computer at work or even in the USB port in your car.

2. Touchy rollerball/power button: I have accidently hit the power button because or rolled the rollerball when moving the pump around. But this is such a minor issue for me, I just have to be aware of my hands and even if I do shut it off, it turns back on quickly and gets the job done.

3. Lacking vibration: One thing I did notice is that the BabyBuddha lacks the vibration that the Spectra 2 offers. I never thought much of it before until I started using the LaVie Massager for my clogs. It’s amazing what difference in output vibration can make. Basically with vibration the pumping mimics a baby’s suckling even MORE so. This was not a deal breaker for me because (see all the reasons above)… Something funny I did before using the LaVie was I put the actual pump in between my breasts in the pumping bra which added that “vibration.” So I suppose that is an option too, not sure how sanitary but it works-HA!

4. “Too powerful:” This is not my personal experience but it is something I commonly found when reading reviews. I took this into consideration and kept the suction power as low as possible and honestly have had ZERO issues, no pain, nothing. But I also use a nipple cream before all my sessions (I did this with Spectra as well), so I am not sure if that helps?

With this said I did find one mama who said she starts backwards (like I mentioned One Ounce at a Time said) until her nipples warmed up which prevented pain!

5. Brand new product: BabyBuddha is BRAND NEW. I couldn’t find many if any detailed user reviews. I took a risk with this pump.

I did find some SUPER helpful reviews and tips over at The Best Baby Stuff and One Ounce at time – So please check those ladies out if you have more questions on BabyBuddha.

I hope this will help you make a decision on if this pump is for you. I am so excited I found BabyBuddha, it has truly made working and pumping so much easier for me. Something so tiny and mighty gave relief to my anxiety and helps me provide for my baby, not only the bare minimum but even a little bit extra.

Baby Buddha was SO KIND and GENEROUS to give you guys a coupon code for 20% off by using BALKANIN20 – ENJOY!

Stay tuned for posts on my pumping essentials, what’s in my pumping/work bag and how I keep my milk supply efficient!