PumpEase Hands-Free Pumping Bra Review

PumpEase Hands Free Pumping Bra Review

I received this item at no cost to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

What do you do with your hands when you’re pumping? Are you holding the pump flanges in place against your breasts with your hands? Maybe you do the one arm across both flanges maneuver to hold them in place. That’s how I used to pump. At first I’d hold each flange in one hand and hold them up to my breasts for the duration of my pumping session. Then I decided I really needed at least one hand free (because how else would I skip the commercials while watching The Good Wife?). To have one hand free, I had to place the flanges with both hands and then carefully wiggle my arm across so my hand was on one flange and my arm was pressed against the other. It was, well, as awkward as it sounds. For the better part of six month, that was how I pumped. SIX MONTHS people! But that is no longer how I’m pumping. Ever since Mothers Choice Products sent me a PumpEase hands free pumping bra to review, I have been free. HANDS FREE while I’m pumping. It’s a miracle and I seriously cannot believe it took me six months to try a pumping bra. What was I thinking? If you’re a pumping mom or you’re pregnant and planning on pumping (even occasionally), you want to read what I have to say about PumpEase!

The Details:

PumpEase is a pumping bra. What that means is that it’s a special bra that holds the flanges of your breast pump onto your breasts for you, so you can be truly hands free while you’re pumping. Now this may not seem like a big deal if you haven’t started pumping yet, but let me assure you that you really want to be hands free when you’re pumping (for reasons I will get to). The PumpEase bra is made out of a blend of polyester and spandex micro fibre knit. It doesn’t sag out with repeated use, and it holds up well to washing. It’s breathable, wicks moisture away from the skin, and dries very quickly after washing. It has a hook and eye closure (much like what you’d find on any bra) in the front of the bra with three closure settings. The flange openings on the bra are “no stitch”. That means that it can easily fit any flange size without running the risk of busting the stitches when trying to wedge the flange through the openings on the bra. The PumpEase is available in sizes Small through X-Large and fits a range of bra sizes from 32AA to 48H (and beyond). PumpEase pumping bras are not only designed in Canada by a Mompreneur, but they are also made in Canada.

PumpEase Hands Free Pumping Bra Review

How it works:

The PumpEase pumping bra has changed my pumping life. Seriously. I thought it was easy enough to just hold pump flanges in place, but you know what? It’s so so much better not to have to do that at all. The PumpEase promises a hands free pumping experience, and it absolutely delivers. I’m going to go through the process of getting it on, wearing it while pumping, and getting it off with full bottles of milk attached, so you can get a good idea of how well thought out the design of the PumpEase really is. To start with, you can wear the PumpEase over your regular nursing bra, over a nursing tank, or over nothing at all. Whichever way is more comfortable for you, or whichever way suits the context of that particular pumping session. If you’re pumping in the morning when you’ve just hopped out of the shower, you can put it on before you put your daytime nursing bra on. The PumpEase doesn’t have that much support, but it’s enough to hold the flanges in place even when you are not wearing a nursing bra or tank under it. Maybe you’re going to be pumping at work? In that case, the PumpEase can easily be put on over your nursing bra or nursing tank (or both) after you’ve dropped the cups. There’s no need to take your nursing bra completely off before putting the PumpEase on. The vast majority of my pumping sessions happen when I’m going to bed, so I usually have my overnight nursing bra on when I put the PumpEase on.

PumpEase Hands Free Pumping Bra Review

Once you’ve pulled the PumpEase around your back, you’re going to secure the hook and eye closure in the front. I love that the closure is up front with this pumping bra. I can see what I’m doing, and know that it’s closed properly so it’s not going to fall or slide off mid pumping session. After closing the hook and eye closure, I put the pump flanges into the bra. I take the wide opening of the flange, and angle it through the flange openings on the PumpEase. I have done this successfully with my Ameda, Medela, and Avent pump flanges. The flange openings on the bra are reinforced on either side, so they stretch really nicely without popping any stitches. Once the flanges are through the flange openings, I can centre them over my nipples and begin pumping.

PumpEase Hands Free Pumping Bra Review

When you’re finished pumping, you have a couple of options for how to remove the PumpEase. First, I remove the pump’s tubing from the flanges. Then, I can angle the flange and bottle of milk to slip it back through the flange opening of the PumpEase, or if the bottles are particularly full, I can unscrew the bottles from the flange without taking the flanges out of the PumpEase. The latter is great when you don’t want to angle or tip a really full bottle of milk. Then you just unhook the hook and eye closure, and you’re done! If you happen to pump on one side while feeding baby on the other, and baby falls asleep, the hook and eye closure can be removed silently. Sleeping baby + silent removal of pumping bra = happy mom.

PumpEase Hands Free Pumping Bra Review
The PumpEase is on! I’m wearing it over my nursing bra and tank for demonstration purposes.

There are so many great things about being able to pump completely hands free with the PumpEase. First, I have two hands to actually get things done! One time I was pumping a bottle to leave for Petit Prince while I was typing up a blog post! I couldn’t have done that (or at least not nearly as efficiently) if I hadn’t been completely hands free. Who are we kidding? Sometimes I just want to be able to spend some time on my phone catching up on all the going ons on social media, and being hands free while pumping allows me to do just that. Hands free pumping with the PumpEase makes adjusting a pump flange really easy to do. Once that pump is going if you find that it’s not centred just right on one side, you can actually use both hands to make minor adjustments until everything is just the way you like it. Filled up a bottle with milk, but that breast isn’t emptied yet? No problem! With both hands free, you can remove a full bottle and replace it with an empty one without have to stop the pump! Not to mention having both hands free to make adjustments to the speed and suction of the pump itself. If that’s not enough to convince you, now you can actually massage your breasts while you’re pumping. Why would you want to do that? Because massaging the breast while pumping can yield up to 50% more milk in the same amount of time. How great is that?

PumpEase Hands Free Pumping Bra Review
Pump flanges are locked and loaded thanks to the PumpEase!

I love that the PumpEase fits a really wide range of bra sizes, but I do wish they made a size for those with really small band sizes. At the moment, the smallest band size that the PumpEase accommodates is a 32. My band size is a 30, but I’m “blessed” with a fairly large cup size. For me, a Medium PumpEase was the best fit, but I would have preferred it to be just a little more snug around. It absolutely functioned perfectly despite my smaller band size, so if you find yourself off the size chart on the small side I think the PumpEase will still work quite well for you.

Pros:

  • Made in Canada
  • Allows for truly hands free pumping
  • Flange openings are “no stitch”
  • Flange openings guaranteed to fit ALL flange sizes
  • Washes up well and dries quickly
  • Breathable and moisture wicking
  • Hook and eye closure at the front
  • Can be worn over any nursing bra/tank or by itself

Cons:

  • Size chart doesn’t include a size guideline for 28 and 30 band sizes

Final thoughts:

I wish I could sufficiently explain just how incredible it is to be able to pump completely hands free. The PumpEase pumping bra is a great solution to the two handed flange hold and the arm across the chest flange hold. It’s perfect for moms that work at home, or need to be able to continue working while pumping. It also allows for breast massage while pumping which can really help increase the yield from a pumping session (not to mention that it assists with better emptying of the breast). The PumpEase is a really well thought out design that is durable yet soft and comfortable to wear. I could never go back to pumping without it!

How would you like the WIN a PumpEase Pumping Bra for yourself? One lucky Canadian reader will win one PumpEase Pumping Bra from Mothers Choice Products. Just scroll down to the giveaway and get your entries in for a chance to win. This giveaway is open to Canadian residents, 18+, and closes on March 18th, 2016. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment.

Can’t wait for the giveaway to end? You can purchase a PumpEase pumping bra right HERE.

PumpEase Hands Free Pumping Bra Review

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21 Comments on “PumpEase Hands-Free Pumping Bra Review

  1. i love that it fits women with a wide range of breast sizes – no need to worry if it will “fit”!

  2. Wow! I love that it’s hands free! This would be great 🙂

  3. I would have loved it this worked for me but it did not. Even with wearing a nursing bra, when you drop the cups your breasts are no longer supported and the pumping bra doesn’t provide the support to keep them up in a position for pumping 🙁 So although most women may find it works well, I found that my 34H breasts were too heavy and saggy to use this effectively. Perhaps there is some way PumpEase could address this for larger chested women who need the support to position their breasts?

    • Hi Candice,

      Thanks for your feedback! It’s true that we’re all built differently and some breasts, especially larger breasts, need more support to pump. We’ve heard from larger chested mamas who loved their PumpEase even though it didn’t enable them to pump hands-free, because it did allow them to double pump. Without PumpEase they had to hold their breast up with one hand and hold their pump flange with the other hand, doubling their pumping time because they could only pump one breast at a time. With PumpEase, they were able to pump both breasts at the same time which we all know is better for their supply. Even though they weren’t pumping hands-free, PumpEase was still a time-saver and made pumping much easier, more productive and extra convenient for them.

      All the best,

      Wendy Armbruster Bell, CLE
      Founder and CEO
      Snugabell Mom & Baby Gear

  4. Omg now this is one neat bra! I never know something like this existed!

  5. I seriously need one of these. I pumped for 16 months with my first, and am now at 4 and a half months with my second. So need to be hands free!

  6. This product would be amazing and make my life so much easier. I would love to be hands free while pumping. This would also be great for when I go back to work as it would make pumping more discrete.

  7. I love that it is hands free and they actually have some cute prints too =]] I’m about to be a first time mom and I plan on breastfeeding, anything that makes it easier has two thumbs up from me =]]

  8. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I love that it’s hands free. Makes it so much easier.

  9. I also do the one-arm hold to keep one hand free to chug my water or dress my preschooler ( mommy life!). This sounds lovely. And I ❤ that it’s Canadian too

  10. Hands free to make life easier for us busy mommas. Canadian item is a plus!☺

  11. My husband bought me one last year (probably a cheapo since he is a cheapo) and it was okay, but I found it moved too much. I am glad you liked this one. If I am able to pump more this time I might have to look back at this and try this one.

  12. I seriously need one of these! Lol I have to pump for my son’s visitation with his dad and its brutal because I am a single mom and live alone with my son I feel like it’s such a waste of my time since I do have any hands free..I’m happy I read this blog post so now I can enter the givaway! :p

    Thanks for the great review!

  13. I’d love to have a hands free bra once I start pumping full time. After I’m done nursing my son I plan to pump for awhile to still provide milk for him and his sister and to hopefully donate.

  14. I love that it is hands free because I can still chart as a nurse while I am in the break room. Thanks so much for the chances to win.

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