Well let’s start with this, I shared an unboxing first look and feel on these things and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have faith. I honestly thought the Motif Aura Glow mobile pump was going to preform, I really did. So for what it’s worth, Motif, I tried.
Let me break down why these missed the mark for me and why I’d suggest looking elsewhere while on the hunt for an effective mobile pump. I want to be fair here, there’s only so many ways you can design a mobile breast pump. We need them to fit into our bra without looking too obvious, that's the goal after all, amiright? So let’s start here, the body and shape is totally fine, holding 6 ounces in each cup. I can’t say a bad word about them because they’re basically just like other pump designs I’ve given promising reviews on. So I’m not going back on my word here in terms of size/shape, so where did they go wrong???
The motor.
I remember one of the first times I read up on the new Motif Aura Glow and their advertised innovative features. The motor on this pump offers a cluster feeding pattern and built-in lights to see into the bottom of the cup. Who remembers Lacta Lite? I hated those goofy things, but they are basically the first of its kind. Those silly things would sit on the flange tunnel and help make the centering of your nipple easier. Motif took this light and put it into the cup near the tunnel, then took this feature and slapped it into the name of the product. I mean, sure, it’s not a worthless feature; but you won’t find me reaching for a pump just because it has built in lights. Sorry, not sorry.
Buttons and functions
When I say I tried with this pump, I really did and unfortunately every time it was a miss. It was very rare that I'd have a successful pumping session. I can confidently say that the motor in this pump left behind half, or more, milk in my breast that should have been emptied at each session. I know this because I would pump follow each session with a trusted pump following the Glow session and pull a ton more milk.
One of the worst experiences above
10/22/25 last ditch effort to conclude my thoughts, hopeful for better results. Once again, not pleased with this outcome, since its usually this or worse
I found the pump to be quiet, yay, but super non stimulating. I have used pumps before which I felt weren’t doing much in the bra, then come to find a ton of milk expressed. In the case of the Motif Aura Glow, they don’t feel like much in the bra and the volume expressed is reflected in the cup. Each time I used this pump, I was trying to figure out which setting was best for me, and I failed to settle on anything. All the modes feel very much the same to me, no real variation in strength or cycle. I’m disappointed to follow up on my experience with this pump, but even more disappointed for those who have already claimed the Glow as your insurance-provided breast pump option. It’s a damn shame. Are there worse pumps out there? Yes, there are. But I’d still suggest looking into replacing the Glow with an alternate pump if you’re looking to use a pump exclusively.
Looking forward to the cluster feeding mode, expecting for this mode to be unlike anything else I have used considering it's a newer pump concept, again lackluster. The mode jumps between a hardly there feel stimulation like suction pattern, while staying in set level, switches to a more noticeable expression but really loses any effective stimulation to trigger milk let down while softly nibbling at the nipple. It's really unpleasant and didn't impress. I'm all business, I want a pump that is going to get to work and remove milk, not sit in my bra have me questioning if anything is going on inside my bra.
Another detail, maybe not significant but definitely annoying, are those solid duckbills. It’s not uncommon for me to look into the side of the cup to see if milk is expressing out of the duckbill, or filling it up. In this case, the duckbills are solid white so my first thought was, "oh, they’re full?" But then I remembered they’re white and that wasn’t my milk and I couldn’t tell what was going on inside of them, which annoyed me. An easy way to fix this would be ordering THESE duckbills to replace the solid white. Similarly to the solid duckbills, the flange tunnel is also solid. This is frustrating to me because I need to use my imagination to visualize what my nipple is doing in the tunnel. Again, oversight and miss, in my opinion, because they didn't have the right moms testing their product, if any testing was done at all.
I'm beginning to annoy myself but here is one more thing that I thought was promising but turned out to be a flop. This isn't a deal breaker but I think you should know it shouldn't be a selling point. These little pour spout plugs are useless. That's all, they're useless and dont stay put. They could have done a better job with the mold by adding a T like structure at the bottom that would hold the piece into place without creating a solid seal.
Last thing I'll mention that is just annoying, how is the volume markers wiping away so easily? I even had a mom in my Instgram DMs share how her cups were also wiping away.
Okay, let's end this on a positive note. The flanges are comfortable. Aside for the shape and size, these flanges are also Kristen approved. They remind me a lot of the Eufy flanges, which I love, minus the heating detail. They're thinner than the Eufy and share similar buttery soft feel. They do not stick and if you were to add a dab of coconut oil or pumping lubricant, they'd be that much better.
All in all, the Motif Aura Glow had me hoping for more, I really thought it was going to happen, too. The cups and over all design is okay, I can't bash the overall size and contour but this motor didn’t deliver. I’m sorry to be the bearer of this disappointing news.
