Internet Moms Love the Pumpables Genie Advanced Portable Breast Pump, So I Put It to the Test
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Breastfeeding: It’s full of highs and lows, isn’t it? On the one hand, I love the time I get to spend bonding with my baby; on the other, it means I have something to plan around every. single. time. I want to leave my house alone. And don’t even get me started on pumping. (Exclusive pumpers, I salute you. The bottle washing alone…could never be me!)
About that pumping: I’m fortunate that I can work from home 95 percent of the time, but on the few days a month that I do head to the office, I have to lug my full-size breast pump—the Spectra S1, a workhorse that I love but that also weighs three pounds and is the size of a bowling ball—along with me. I’ve wasted hours perusing the internet for a bag that will comfortably fit the pump and my work essentials without also screaming “I’M PUMPING!!!” to everyone on my public transit commute.
So when I read about the Pumpables Genie Advanced Portable Breast Pump ($180 $162 with code PUREWOW), I was intrigued. Internet moms were raving about this portable pump that’s the size of an iPhone. Could it change my life? OK, not quite, but it is saving some of my sanity. Here’s my review.
Pumpables Genie Advanced Breast Pump
Not to be confused with a wearable breast pump, which sits in your bra and is basically hands free, the Pumpables Genie Advanced is a portable breast pump, meaning it’s smaller and more travel-friendly than a full-size “hospital grade” pump, but it still has a motor and separate flanges and cups that require a pumping bra if you want to go hands-free. The cordless motor is about the size of three decks of cards stacked—it fits in the palm of my hand—and it weighs about half a pound. There’s a backlit digital screen with a timer and buttons to toggle between modes and suction levels, plus a side power button and program button to save your settings. The rechargeable battery has a life of three hours and takes four and half to recharge from empty, according to Pumpables.
When you buy the Genie Advanced, you have the option to also purchase Pumpables’ flanges, called the Liquid Shield Kit. They’re different than any breast pump shields I’ve seen—instead of a hard plastic, they’re made of a soft silicone piece with an attached duckbill flange that fits inside a larger plastic shell. Then there’s a standard backflow protector, bottles and tubing to attach to the motor. The kit also comes with protective caps for the shields and two bottle stands to prevent tipping, since the assembled setup is quite top-heavy. Also included are bottle caps, wide-to-narrow bottle neck adapters and two bottle nipples—whew. It’s a lot of parts. But the Pumpables team is on call if you need help figuring out your flange size—you can choose from 15mm to 29mm, and they recommend measuring your nips with their free printable tool for the best fit. (ICYMI, finding the right flange size is essential to comfortable pumping and effective milk removal.)
But FYI, the Genie Advanced is compatible with basically any other closed-system breast pump shield setup, so you can opt out of purchasing this kit if you just want the motor for $150.
My Review
Setting Up
The Genie Advanced comes fully charged and ready to use, aside from sterilizing the necessary Liquid Kit parts. Assembling the shields is a little different than other pumps, since the silicone piece needs to click into the plastic outer shield. It was a little strange at first and I thought I was going to rip the silicone, but I got used to it after a few tries. The whole setup took me less than 20 minutes.
Getting the Milk Out
After assembling the flanges and getting situated in my designated home pumping spot (aka my comfiest chair with the best view of the TV), I turned on the pump.
The Genie Advanced has one letdown mode and three expression modes, plus ten suction strength levels. Used to my Spectra, I had to fiddle with the settings a bit to find my groove. I was worried that I wouldn’t love the difference, but I’ve since found a go-to that’s comfortable and effective for me.
A lot of Internet moms claim the Genie Advanced feels as powerful as their Spectra pumps—with a suction level that the brand says can reach up to 330 mmHg, that is stronger than the Spectra’s max 270 mmHg. And yeah, I can say that while the feel of the Genie Advanced isn’t identical to the Spectra, it’s comparable. I haven’t had any issues with the pump being strong enough—in fact, I’ve never gone above a level four on the suction.
All in all, I’ve found I can spend 20 minutes at the pump—the same amount I would with my Spectra—and get the same output as usual.
The “Liquid” Flanges
Not for nothing, the Genie Advanced is very comfortable, and that’s all thanks to those silicone flanges. To me, they felt less cold and sterile on my boobs, and the soft edges didn’t dig in or leave red marks when I was done pumping. Instead of yanking on your nipples like most pumps, they work by compressing—according to the brand, this is supposed to mimic the way your baby would use their mouth if you were nursing.
I was curious if the flanges affected my milk output at all, so I also tried using the Genie Advanced with my regular Spectra flanges, and I noticed no difference. I did, however, think that the suction of the Genie Advanced was more comfortable using the Liquid Kit than not, so I think it’s worth spending the extra $30.
The biggest reason I wanted to test the Genie Advanced was to see if it could improve my pumping experience at work, and boy has it lived up to my expectations. I can pack it into my regular work tote and it takes up a fraction of the space, so I can kill my back with a copy of Dune and my 40-ounce emotional support water bottle instead of a pump. (Priorities, people!) And since it’s as effective for me as my full-size pump, I’m not worried about compromising my milk supply for the sake of convenience.
One thing about the Genie Advanced that my regular pump doesn’t offer is the option to save your preferred settings, so you basically turn on your pump and put it out of your mind while you pump instead of having to adjust manually throughout a session.
I also think the pump is pretty quiet—it’s not silent by any means, but I’ve never had to crank up the volume on my nightly Degrassi viewing sessions to drown out the motor. And so far, I’ve found the battery life satisfactory. I never pump for more than 20 minutes at a time, so the three-hour life is more than plenty for a day in the office. (Even better, the pump comes with multiple travel plug adapters, so you could take this pump on a trip to Italy or Japan without worrying about blowing a fuse.)
My biggest gripe with the Genie Advanced—and this isn’t the brand or the pump’s fault—is that it’s not covered by all insurances, including mine. Pumpables has a list of suppliers you can get the pump through, but you’ll have to check with your own insurance to see if you can get it for free or at a lower cost. At $180, it’s not the most expensive pump on the market…but anything to make motherhood easier, amiright?
My only other complaint is that with the Liquid Shield Kit, there are a lot of parts to wash, with a lot of cracks and crevices. Pumpables doesn’t recommend dishwashing the pieces, so you’ll have to wash them by hand. I found the silicone flanges tricky to get clean with a standard bottle brush. The kit itself is kind of bulky, too, so that part still takes up a fair amount of real estate in my bag.
Would I recommend the Pumpables Genie Advanced? Yep. In my own experience, it’s as powerful and effective as the popular Spectra breast pump, at a much more convenient size. The Liquid Shield Kit is really comfy, but it’ll come down to personal preference if you like it or not. It sucks that not all insurance plans cover the pump, but if you’re able to swing it, it’s a convenient machine for commuting and travel. (Psst: Use the code PUREWOW at checkout for ten percent off.)
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