Spectra S9 plus

The spectra s9 plus is my very first breast pump. I don't have much encounter with pumps so i didn't really know what to expect. One advice i did get from my friends is to get a double electric pump. More efficient they say. And most recommend the medela,which i find really expensive.

Being me, i start researching online and found many positive reviews on Specta. in fact, i read quite a number of reviews commenting that spectra is more efficient in emptying the breast. What's even better is its alot cheaper than medela. Hence, i zoomed in on a spectra. Who will say no cheap and good?

Decided on a s9 plus as its small and portable. Since i wanted to direct latch from the very beginning, i thought i will get a pump only for when I'm out and traveling, when I'm back to work, and for emergencies. Hence, portability is more important to me than durable hospital grade. I did get another hospital grade (s1) after i failed to latch cleo after 1 week cos i feel the s9 cannot tahan hardcore intensive pumping so i decide to get another one just in case. Review on the s1 in another post.

My S9+ has been my best friend since. It has followed me everywhere I go, and I love that its so compact and portable. One great thing about this pump is it's relatively quiet compared to some other brands. When I was in the nursing room back in my old office (where they have like 5 cubicles for different mummies), you can hear the VERY LOUD machine sound of some other breast pumps that other mummies are using.

Another thing I love about the S9+ is it's very easy to use. There's not much configuration involve (unlike the S1, which took me a while to figure out how to use it efficiently). For the S9+, there's basically 4 buttons: 1) On/Off 2)Massage (to encourage let down) 3 and 4) to increase or reduce the vacuum strength. In terms of efficiency in emptying the breast, i think it does a pretty good job.

2 things about the spectra though. As much as i love my spectra, there's 2 things that you should ditch after you get your package: the milk bottles, and the valves.

The milk bottles feels really low quality and flimsy. It could be me, but i hate it. Replace with any wide-neck bottles from Philips Avent, Pigeon, Autumnz, whatever.

Another one is the valve (this pair of white silicone rubber that looks like a duck's beak. This thing is so fragile it tears easily. If you're abit rough in your washing, it tears. And any tiny tear will affect the effectiveness of the pump. If you feel that your pump feels strange and the pump feels weak, check your valve. One hack i found on the internet, which work great, is to replace it with a Medela Valves. If may look kinda costly at first compared to a Spectra valve, but trust me, its worth the money. It's ALOT more durable, and I've been using mine for more than 6 months now and still working! My previous spectra valve only last for like 3 weeks each!

I bought mine from Qoo10 from a Korean seller at around S$99 after using some coupons so it's really alot cheaper than retail here (the last I check is S$318). The cons of buying from Qoo10 is there won't be any warranty but for me, I'm willing to take the risk and I'm a super happy buyer with this purchase. :)

note: this is not a sponsored post. paid for this with my own $$. I'm just sharing my thoughts and feedback after using it. :)