My least favorite review is a poor review. My intention, as I’ve said in the past, is never to burn a company nor a product. My goal is and always will be to give YOU the most fair and dependable review possible. Our milk supply establishment is critical; there’s no “re-dos” or “try again next time”. When a pump fails us, our baby(ies) and our goals; well that’s a real problem. That’s why this review is going to be the second hardest review yet, Babyation holding the #1 spot. The reason why this review is so difficult isn’t only because the pump simply doesn’t work, it’s also because I genuinely loved the original Motif Luna. That’s why I had high hopes when I reached out for the Aura. I know this review isn’t going to sit well with everyone but as I’ve said- the demise of your supply should NOT be caused by a poor breast pump.
I’m going to do my best to not allow this review to get a rise out of me, but it’s hard not to take this personal. Why personal? Because there is no way in hell this pump went through any real life trial and if it did, the responses were not honest or helpful to better these pumps OR maybe they got constructive feedback but chose not to listen. These pumps not only feel like they’ve been made from run of the mill materials but they just don’t make sense- none of it.
Where do I start?
How about we work from the bottom up- starting with the containers. These 4 ounce containers are impossible to completely empty. With the true 90° angle your milk doesn’t have a chance of flowing out of the collection cup. It’s a very awkward design and not very well thought through.
The motor hubs, minimal buttons and mode options had me pretty stumped before reading the manual. I couldn’t figure out how to change modes on the pumps themselves, I downloaded the app on my iPhone and operated the hubs from there. I thought I had it all figured out until I realized I still “couldn’t change the modes” manually. That’s when I picked up the manual and read that levels 1-5 are stimulation mode and levels 6-12 are expression mode.
I’m not sure how I feel about this.
What if you need a lower suction strength in expression but can’t stand the “lowest level” of expression with these pumps. You’re kind of left struggling to figure out which combination works best for you. I suppose that can be said with all pumps, but this one especially is a bit weird.
Now for the flanges, here’s where my biggest beef with these pumps lie. As I explained in my Motif Aura Chit-Chat, it was no question these flanges were going to be trouble straight out of the box. They’re not flanges, they’re pancakes with holes in the middle. I just can’t wrap my head around this design. It doesn’t feel good on the nipple, it doesn’t incorporate the breast AT ALL and it smooshes your boob. Don’t be fooled by the silicone flange material, these interchangeable “flanges” are not silicone flanges; they’re inserts. They’re simply there to reduce the size 29mm plastic flange. This isn’t the problem, the problem is that these flanges don’t hug your breasts, they sit on your breast and only take in your nipple.
It’s called breastfeeding, breast pumping, not nipple feeding or nipple pumping. I have a heavy let down; that said the only milk I’m able to collect is that first let down. It is impossible for me achieve subsequent let downs with this pump. Unlike traditional flanges or even mobile cups that actually cup your breast and allow for movement on the entire areola and breast tissue the Auras only tug on the nipple itself. I will be the first to say you don’t want extra breast tissue pulled into your flanges but I do want my breast to play a part in milk expression. I do not want all the focus on the nipple itself, just like we wouldn’t while feeding baby at the breast. I find that around 10 minutes of using these pumps my nipples begin to hurt, I contribute this to the fact that only my nipple is continuously being worked on. If my nipple/areola/breast tissue had the ability to play a part in the movement of my nipple, I know it would soften the continuous blow to my nipples.
I feel like a broken record but I just can’t get behind these pumps. I would love to learn more about the concept behind this design. Who designed it and how many women ACTUALLY tested this product. Based off the unsolicited input I’ve received, no one is happy with their pumping experience with these mobiles.
