When I was pregnant with my son, I knew I would need to purchase a high quality, double electric breast pump. I would return to work when my son was just 9 weeks old, yet I wanted him to be exclusively breastfed for much longer. I did my research and weighed my options, and eventually landed on my choice: The Playtex Embrace.
First of all, let me say that I am thrilled with my decision to purchase this pump. The Playtex Embrace has worked wonderfully for me and I highly recommend it. I considered many factors when purchasing it, however there was no way to know for sure if my decision would be a good one. After using it I was relieved to know that it was money well spent.
The Playtex Embrace is a comfortable breast pump to use. As a first time mom I was nervous about a mechanical device squeezing my nipples over and over. Admittedly the first few times were quite weird. After getting the hang of it, however, it was quite comfortable. It does not hurt at all and did not damage my breasts in anyway.
The Embrace is a very organized and compact breast pump. The entire pump fits neatly into a black carrying bag. The bag is discreet and quite stylish. No one ever has to know you are carrying a breast pump around. The components are easy to assemble, and simple to wash. A great feature of the product is that you can pump directly into Playtex bottle liners. While this is undoubtedly an attempt to make extra money by Playtex, the convenience of pumping directly into the liners is quite nice. There is less to clean, and less transferring of milk, which means less risk of spillage. You can also freeze your breastmilk right in the bottle liners. This makes storage of your breastmilk much easier and made sending frozen bottles of breastmilk to daycare easier.
The Embrace is not loud and offers variable speeds for pumping. These different speeds are particularly helpful for getting your milk to “let-down” when you first start pumping. There is also an area for you to place a picture of your baby inside the breast pump bag which also will help with let-down.
Another reason I chose the Embrace initially was the price. Compared to other top breast pump brands available, the Playtex Embrace cost about $100 or more less than the competition. You can buy the Playtex Embrace breast pump, which comes with all of the components you need as well as some extra bottle liners and storage rings, for about $200. You will need to purchase additional liners and storage rings if you plan to freeze a lot of your breastmilk.
I successfully pumped with the Playtex Embrace breast pump at least three times a day for about 3 months. After that I still used it twice a day, then once a day until I finally weaned my son. It lasted through all of that use, and I plan to keep it around for any additional children. It was well worth the money and is a great product. If you are looking for a double electric breast pump, the Playtex Embrace is a great choice.
