The Willow Pump Review

My Willow Pump Review

I’m so excited today to be finally sharing my review of the Willow Pump! For those that don’t know, the willow pump is new(er) on the market, and is the first wearable, mobile and tubeless/bottle-less pump!

Caslon(R) Tie Front Top • Caslon • $23.40–26.98
Cake Cotton Candy Seamless Nursing Bra • $45
Madewell 10-Inch High Waist Button Front Crop Skinny Jeans • Madewell • $135
Madewell 10-Inch High Waist Skinny Jeans • Madewell • $135

I first found out about the Willow at the end of my breastfeeding journey with my middle son and was so jealous of those who were currently pregnant and able to try the willow! Fast forward a year later, and I was pregnant again! I was looking forward to trying the Willow pump when I had my baby. I remembered how hard it was to manage my time and make time to pump when I was away from baby with only two kids (much less three!). I knew this pump could only help me, especially going into “zonal defense” of raising three boys under the age of 5.

Breastfeeding is probably one of the hardest (mentally & physically), but also the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. The bond I had with my sons through nursing was truly incredible. BUT the thing about breastfeeding that I dislike the most is …..

The pumping. The time it takes. The cleaning of the parts. The sound. Being tied down every couple hours.

Although I had gotten pretty good at multi tasking and figuring out how to be more efficient, I still hated pumping and dreaded it. Trying to juggle work, meetings, events for my older son…it was crazy, I feel like ½ the time I would have to pump in the car (using my ultimate favorite hands free Ollie Gray bra!)

Other times I would come home from being at work, or running an errand to find that the baby coulden’t wait and needed to be fed, regardless of how I tried to time it. This ultimately meant that the babysitter would be leaving me with an awake baby, needing to pump!  Trying to pump while being plugged into a wall with a  2 year old and a newborn is virtually impossible if you’re on your own. AND, yeah, sure you can pump while your kids sleep. But really?  Using your time while the kids are napping to pump is not really high on your list of things you want to do during that time!  

Imagine being able to live a life where you could make dinner while you pumped. Fold clothes. Hang up laundry. Put your makeup on. Blow dry your hair. Go for a walk.

You can.

Enter the Willow.

How does it work? You simply put it together (minimal parts), wait the initial 3-5 min stimulation phase, and you’re on your way once you hit expression (let down).

FREE TO DO ALL OF THE THINGS. Even lay down #winning.

I thought I would break down pros/cons of the Willow, if I like it better than my hospital grade, and my ultimate thoughts on the pump and whether it is worth getting.

Pros of the Willow Pump:

1.     It’s wireless. You can literally pump anywhere, anytime! Rejoice, mama’s! Go for a walk? Yes. Clean? Yes. Read a book to your toddler? Yes. Prepare a snack or meal? Yes. ANYTHING you want to do, you can do.

2.     Not many parts and easy to clean: I love this about it, its so easy to clean and no super small part to lose.

3.     The bags are easy, and take up less room: I like the bag for the purpose of storage in the fridge, also when traveling I could fit more in a cooler than I could with the bottles!

4.     It’s Quiet: Anyone else feel like their pump sings to them? Do you have to press mute if you’re on a conference call while pumping because yours is so loud? Not with the willow!

5.     It’s Smart: Willow has an awesome app that helps you keep track of how much you’re pumping, what phase you’re in, how much battery life is left as well as great support If you have issues.

6.     Customer Service: The customer service and support team is excellent if you have any issues. There are so many different avenues available for assistance whether its chat, text or phone. Also, there is support on the app.

7.     Battery life is really good: I took the pump with me to NYC for the day and didn’t have to charge it all day and I used it 4-5 times!

8.     Compact & Easy to Travel with: As I mentioned above, I travelled with this pump to NYC (as well as Florida) and It was such a relief to not have my huge hospital grade pump. I swear I have to have a bag JUST for my pump and bottles! The willow can fit this in my purse/backpack and its so compact and much more lightweight. LOVE.

9.     FREEDOM!!! Need I say more?!

Cons of the Willow pump:

1.     The learning curve is REAL. This took me a good 3-4 weeks to get the hang of and I am experienced with nursing and pumping. I could see if you are a new mom this could be hard to get at first. However, as I mentioned above, they do have good support and help via their app, phone, and text. Stick with it! Its worth it!

2.     It’s pricy: This pump is not covered by health insurance. However, if you have a HSA/FSA, you can purchase the willow using that (this is what I did so it wasn’t out of pocket)

3.     Bags: The Willow 2.0 holds 5 oz, so if you’re an over supplier like me, it can be frustrating to have to stop and put a new bag in. Usually this only affects me in the mornings when I have more milk. The bags are also a little expensive and can only be used once.

4.     Stimulation/Expression: The stimulation setting is already set and you can’t change in manually. For those that don’t understand, this is the phase before your milk lets down. This is probably the most frustrating part for me and what I wish I could change. I find I need a lot of suction during stimulation and I can’t adjust the suction until I’m in the expression mode.

5.     Charging: You can only charge one side at a time. I really wish that you could charge two in one with the charger.

Other things to know:

1.     You can only buy their items online (bags, flanges, etc.) on their website.

2.     The flanges only come in two sizes!

3.     I’ve found the most important part of the learning curve is figuring out your alignment! Once you have that down pat, it should be smooth sailing.

4.    Your bra matters. They have a few different ones on their website that they recommend, but I love the Cake Maternity Bra and the Ollie Gray’s nursing/pumping bra!

So what pump do I like the best?

I find that I rotate and use both my Willow and my hospital grade for various reasons (as listed above). As most of you know, you get a pump through your insurance (hello, free!!) and regardless of whether or not you plan on using it, I would definitely get the hospital grade pump even if you think you only want to use the willow.

VERDICT:

All in all, I think the Willow pump is seriously the most amazing, incredible concept and feel so fortunate to be able to utilize one of these pumps! The fact that I can go for a walk, do household chores, drive, etc. while pumping makes me so much happier of a mom and less stressed. All in all, while the willow has some areas it can improve (which I’m sure they will- its only been out for a short time!), this pump is such an empowering tool for breastfeeding moms. Anything that makes #momlife and #nursinglife easier is a WIN in my book.

I definitely recommend this pump to anyone who feels they are going to be giving their baby a bottle 3-4 days a week. I still use my hospital grade pump at work because I’m usually sitting at a desk anyway, and its cheaper (no need to buy bags like with the willow) but I use my Willow on average once a day at home. I use it in instances where I need to do extra pumping session or if I’ve been out running errands. It allows me to not miss a beat taking care of my baby, older children, as well as do ALL OF THINGS we mamas do while still providing milk for my baby which I’m so grateful for!

Happy Pumping friends! Xo

Alex

** This post is not sponsored or affiliated with the Willow Pump. All thoughts & opinions are solely my own.

3 months old: Sleep, Favorites, & Routine

hiiiii friends!

Yesterday was a HUGE travel day but also was Sammy’s three month birthday! We celebrated by hopping on a plane (his first plane ride) down to florida!! I can’t even tell you HOW MUCH I was looking forward to this! I haven’t had a vacation since August and haven’t travelled at all because the end of pregnancy & newborn life! And while vacation with a little baby can be harder (especially with 2 other children) its still nice to be in the sun even if you aren’t in the comforts of your own home (which is hard with two littles!).

We were actually supposed to head down on Monday but our flight was delayed 3 hours (!!) and we woulden’t have departed until 9 pm! Yikes! We ended up calling and were able to change our flight free of charge to Tuesday late morning (THANK YOU SOUTHWEST you da real MVP!!) so…yeah. Bummer that we missed out on a 1/2 day of our vacation but #sorrynotsorry …I’m not feeling a 11:45 pm arrival in Orlando with a 3 month old, 2 year old and 4 year old! LOL. I’m so glad we switched our flight because everything went really smooth. No delays, landed early, and he pretty much nursed/slept the whole time. I may or may not have gotten a DVT during the plane ride because he was sleeping on me (lol) but at least he was well rested. He was awake for take off and landing, and slept in the car on the way to our place.

Three Months Old

SO, here we are. THREE months old. 12 weeks have come and gone and I still can’t believe it. We are out of the dreaded “fourth trimester” and the best is yet to come. This first 3 months definitely went by a lot faster than my time with my other two boys. Not sure if its because its my last, or because I have two others to look after….!! But anyway, I think I can officially say that Samson is by far the most laid back baby that we have had….evidenced by how he travelled yesterday. He just went with the flow and even last night adapted to the new place really well and slept good. My older two definitely were more sensitive to change so that has honestly been such a blessing! Of course, any baby is a lot of wok and he is by no means perfect & cries/gets fussy! But he is really a very placid, happy smiley baby most of the time. I guess you could say I “did my time” with my first because he was the complete opposite!!

Breastfeeding

Nursing is still going great. Baby boy eats every 2-3 hours, the engorgement (and most of my crazy oversupply) is finally gone, and I’m finally starting to leak (less). I think by now, after nursing my first for 13 months and second for 15 months, I’m used to the commitment of nursing. While it is super draining, I love it. I love the bond, I love the snuggles…and while I would love to start slashing macros and get “my body back” I remind myself this season in life is so short, and to soak it all in. I definitely struggled with this during the first year of my other two boys life, so I’m really focusing on that and just saying “breathe. It will be okay. It will get easier.” This will all come in good time. I guess this all comes with a bit of experience.

I pump when I’m away for work and I will be posting a review (I promise!!!) of the willow pump!! Unless I’m at work, I really try to plan my outings around feeding to minimize how much he gets the bottle (and how much I have to pump!).

I did have to go away for a work trip for one night and that was SO Hard but also so nice because I slept through the night! But he did great with the bottle while I was away and I have a freezer stash of milk so all was good.

Sleep & Routine

I still have Samson on a EASY schedule. Eat, Activity, Sleep, and then YOU time :) It seems to be working out. I don’t have set nap times, just awake time guidelines. Generally he lasts anywhere from 60 minutes to 80 minutes of awake time and then its time for a nap.

Sammy is a pretty good napper and I’m working on getting him consistently napping in the crib. Up until a week ago he was napping either in the swing or on the go (ie. in the stroller!) His naps are definitely shorter in the crib but he DOES go to sleep without any sleep associations. I do put him down fully awake and he puts himself to sleep which is literally amazing- i could never do this with my other two. It just goes to show you can raise them all the same way but honestly a lot of it is down to their tempermant!

I know his routine will evolve as he gets older and become more of a “schedule.” I always see it starts with a set bedtime and morning wake up becoming more consistent. I’ve definitely noticed that over the last month so if you’re a first time mom, this is the place to start- a set bedtime and wake time in the morning. Sammy seems to wake between 7-7:45 am and go to bed between the same time at night. Which brings me to nighttime sleep. The biggest topic when it comes to infants!

Currently he goes down for bed at about 7:30/7:45 and usually sleeps until 1 or 2 am. Then he goes back to sleep until about 6 am where he eats and goes back to sleep until 7 am or so. So, he is a pretty good sleeper. Could be better, could be worse!

I do think having a bedtime routine helps but isnt the be all-end all. His bedtime routine is still the same that I discussed last month where I play a lullaby, bath (if no bath just lotion/massage) put pjs on, and nurse. Then I swaddle and put the white noise on and feed the other side, and lay down in crib. I have tried a few times to have him sleep with his arms out at night (unswaddled) and it was a complete disaster so I’ll try again in a few weeks!

I’m hoping I completely miss the 4 month sleep regression because a majority of the time he puts himself to sleep. Here’s hoping…

Milestones

Samson is babbling and cooing even more, smiling 24/7, and lifts his head up really well during tummy time (which he hates!!). He can roll to his side sometimes…but is nowhere near rolling completely over. He has definitely discovered his hands (they are constantly in his mouth) and the dreaded drooling has begun. Luckily he only spits up every now and again!

Loves…

Being held
milk
his bouncy chair
His fischer price mat
sitting in his swing
smiling
going for walks
the jolly jumper

Hates

Car rides
tummy time
being unswaddled
loud noises

Here are a few of our 3 month favorites for baby:

Baby Boy loves his bouncer || Play gym || Car Seat cover- great for nap time in the stroller and shielding from wind/sun! || Kick Piano Gym! || Finally figured out how to use this wrap! LOVE it. || Great sound machine and super portable for travel! || I have loved this swing for all 3 kids! || Jolly jumper-awesome for burning off some baby energy! || Nice & Warm car seat cover, easy to put on/take off. A must if you live in a cooler climate! || Freshly picked moccs! SO CUTE. Loved these for seb & now for sammy! || PB crib || THE BEST stroller ever || stroller system for the stroller and a britax car seat || Baby Tub || I LOVE these joggers from H & M || My diaper bag-people don’t even know its a diaper bag. I get so many compliments on it! || Fave baby wash/products || Cute jumpsuit for baby || 2 pack jumpsuits || Slub jersey shorts || Cotton pants || How adorable is this whale onesie set || Baby Einstein toy || First faves from Gap- I love their line ||Star onesie || My boppy = my life the first year!! || Drooling starts about now- these bibs are the best || Got this sun hat for my little bub! || Best toy ever for babies! || Sammy loves to lounge in his Dock-a-Tot! Love the buffalo plaid on this one || Best little UGG booties for baby :)

Have a great Wednesday! xo

Alex

My review on: Ollie Gray Breastfeeding/Pumping Bra

In honor of World Breastfeeding week, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite, favorite bras that just came out a few months ago! Breastfeeding has been an incredible {and hard} but rewarding experience for my two boys and I! Please note that I am just trying to HELP other mama's who breastfeed and this is nothing against mother's that don't! Everyone is different and you have to do what is right for  you and your families! :) This bra has made my life a TON easier as a working mom and I just want to share my experience! 

Entering the world of breastfeeding and pumping can be overwhelming to say the least. You honestly never knew you could need so many accessories for something that everyone claims is "natural." 

I realized VERY quickly that it is tough to find good breastfeeding accessories- especially bras that have good support and aren't ones that your granny would wear!! Its amazing to me that up until this point, nobody had come up with a supportive bra that you could wear for pumping AND nursing. I swear that I must've ordered 5-8 bras {some serious trial and error} but none of them were ever supportive enough for my nursing chest! I ended up finding the bravado nursing bra on diapers.com. It was the most comfortable, supportive and un granny like bra that I could find. But I definitely didn't LOVE how it looked. I'm always coaching and being active and it just didn't feel super natural to wear a “regular bra" while running around. Also, whenever I needed to pump I would have to put a hands free bra on over it {I've always used the Lansinoh pink strapless one-the others were never tight enough and fell down}. It was just an unnecessary step and made pumping when you didn't have a lot of time (or privacy) difficult. I’ve never been the type to just wear a normal bra while breastfeeding and lift it up so my baby can eat- I just don't think its functional especially when you’re nursing 8-10 times a day for up to 6 months {and still up to 5 times a day still at 10 months old!} so I always liked to have nursing bras. 

As I was nearing the end of my second pregnancy I had accepted that I would be using the bras that I had used with Max's nursing. One day I saw on instagram a bra that was about to be released and it was created by a woman who used to design for lululemon {this got my attention right away}. I'm always game for some LULU! The bra could be used for pumping and nursing, AND was cute. I pre- ordered right away and honestly prayed that it would have enough support. When Seb was 7 months old, I finally got my bras! And omg, guys. I don't wear anything else! 

                                                               How cute is this packaging??

Functionality: 

I can 100 % nurse AND pump with this bra. All I have to do is easily slide the flasks in the bra and power on! YAS. Pumping in the car now becomes so. much. easier. If I’m traveling and wearing a looser/flowy top or dress, I can pump wherever. Nobody can even tell what I’m doing. It comes with a white cover which is also really great for those semi-public pumping sessions or car rides. It could also be used as a nursing cover in public. I haven’t generally nursed a lot in public, and when I do I don’t use a cover. I usually wear clothing that doesn’t reveal a lot and I want my baby to be comfortable, not stifled under some wrap. But if you did use a cover, this would be a great one to use. Thin, breathable and easy to get on and off. 

My only criticism of the functionality of the bra would be that there aren't two straps so when you go to nurse, sometimes the strap falls down and you're searching for them on your back as they've fallen down.  Especially when babies get more mobile as they're older, finding the strap when you're juggling the baby is kind of annoying! They did say that they were working on that for their next model though!

Support

The support I would rate is very good. I definitely would not go for a run or do anything super active in this bra, but it gives me (32dd) enough support if I'm going for a walk, coaching, or chasing the littles around.

Style/Comfort

So comfortable. The material is really breathable and I find that if I forget to wear nursing pads {{the bra obviously still gets wet }} it holds the moisture so much better than a regular bra. Same thing goes for sweat! Really easy to wash and dry and of course there's no wires which is ideal for breastfeeding. Style wise it comes in your basic neutral colors (black, white, nude) and a couple of fun patterns so they cover all of your bases! 

All in all, this is the bra to get if you are starting your nursing journey or you are still searching for a great nursing bra and you pump as well. Their price point is pretty competitive (around $60) to what you would pay for any other decent nursing bra. Trust me, it is worth the $. Love this bra and company!  Thank you Ollie grays! #lifesaver.

To purchase: www.olliegraybras.com

Nurse on mamas! xo

Alex

On the Clock: 2 Months Postpartum

On. the. clock. 

If I could sum up my life right now, it would be with those three words. Now that we have settled into somewhat of a routine and the recovery/getting to know your baby period is over, that is totally how I feel. Everything is a rush. Everything. I am either rushing to get to work because I waited to feed the baby, rushing to get home to feed the baby, or rushing after a meeting or training session to do every mom's favorite: pumping! {{note the sarcasm, please}}. Pumping in the car, pumping at work, pump, pump, pump! Its funny how easily you forget these days once you are finished having a newborn and breastfeeding! But I do know how fast it goes so I'm trying to embrace the chaos. 

Mentally I feel like I am in SO much of a better state than one month ago. I was so on the struggle bus wondering what the hell I had done to my life! You know its going to get better, but in the moment, those days seem so far away. Sleep helps. Healed incisions helps. Regaining human adult contact helps. BEING ACTIVE HELPS a gazillion times. Spaced out feedings helps. Baby's maturing helps. God is so good. 

Seb has settled into a GREAT sleeping pattern {{hopefully this doesn't jinx it}}...the last week or two he has given me a 5-7 hour stretch of sleep. Most of the time after the big stretch he is up every 90 mins or hour, which is tough, but I'm trying to be grateful for the long stretch. Two out of the last three nights he gave me 5-6 and then another 3! Amazing!

 I can attribute this to pure luck after my first {{devil child}} was up every 2-3 hours until he was 9 months and I have changed nothing about my approach. I swear.  The last two nights I have even been able to put him down after nursing him when he is awake and he actually put. himself. to. sleep. YOU GUYS. I swear that someone is going to jump out of the closet, and yell PUNKED! and Seb will start screaming ha.  I am praying that all this continues. 

Sebby is a super smiley and happy baby. After that first 6 weeks he has settled in and is pretty content most of the time unless he needs to eat. Yeah, lets talk about that. Little man can down 7-9 oz of breastmilk when fed the bottle! Outrageous! He clocked in wednesday at his 2 month check up at 15 lb 14 oz and 25.5 inches. I know Max was a big boy and in the 90th > percentile when he was a baby and it all seemed to even out when he got older so I would assume this guy will be the same!

Sebby's favorite things to do right now are nurse {{obviously}}, sit in his bouncy seat (which Max hated and I wondered why we bought it back then!), and play on his mat.

Max is a great big brother, but I am sure as you mommas know, you just cannot leave them in a room together. I'd be back to a family of three. ha. This time of year brings so much more meaning now that Max is starting to understand everything: Jesus, God, the manger, snow, santa, stockings, etc. Our trip to see Santa was absolutely traumatic. The second time we went we brought Sebby and he was a lot more calm which was great. I'm totally excited to see his face Christmas morning. 

The best part of the last two weeks would have to be my recovery. My incision healed up so much faster this time around after it opened up. It only took 2 weeks of steri strips and laying low. At 8 weeks and 4 days I was able to start some cardio on the elliptical and a few days later I hit up some accessory work in the gym.  It felt so dang good! On top of that, I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge on Dec 1st so I'm excited to have a plan and feel accountable to something bigger than myself. Two friends are also doing it with me so its an awesome support system. Because I'm nursing there are only certain supplements I can take so I am on a modified version (approved by my dr, of course). One of the best parts of the challenge is there isn't strict portion control. If you're eating the right things and moving--you will see results which is especially great for nursing mothers.  My personal approach is different this time around --I want to lose weight of course, but not at the cost of providing nutrition to my baby. I'm definitely eating a little more carbs than a year ago due to the demands of nursing and the importance of providing that for my baby. Happily I can report that I haven't seen a drop at all in my milk supply. I know my results may not be as dramatic as if I wasn't nursing but at the end of the day I have the rest of my life to get super lean, and I am lucky enough to have a. enough milk b. a good support system c. flexible work conditions to enable me to pump. SO...this is a gift I can give to my boy that will pay dividends for years to come.

Regardless, I am such a type A and goal oriented person that I can't wait to weigh in and do some measurements on Day 10! I'll be posting some meals and my progress throughout the next 2 weeks. Until then my goal is to get strength training 4 times a week (4 hours) and 3-4 days of cardio (20 mins each day for a max of 90 minutes). 5 hours a week. There's 168 hours in a week. Gotta Find a way to fit it in! 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

xo Alex

PS..I am obviously a big advocate of breastfeeding after nursing Max, but have tons of family/friends that formula fed for many reasons and I totally respect all of those reasons. I know how hard breastfeeding can be and as long as mommy and baby are happy..its all good :)