Spectra Synergy Gold Portable Breast Pump

With insurance, the Spectra Synergy Gold Portable Breast Pump costs $50 to $255, depending on your plan. Plans add an upgrade fee for this pump. Check your coverage and we’ll tell you your exact cost before you order.

Spectra’s manual says a full charge, three bars, gives at least 2 hours of double pumping. Two bars is at least 1 hour 20 minutes and one bar at least 30 minutes. Charge it for at least 4 hours, and before you put it away for a while.

No. Both let you set each breast on its own, but the Portable is smaller, runs on a battery, has 12 suction levels and preset speeds. The plug-in Synergy Gold has 15 levels, speeds you set and a night light.

Up to 270 mmHg on each side, according to Spectra’s manual. Expression mode has 12 levels from 50 to 270 mmHg, and massage mode has 5 levels from 50 to 130 mmHg. Each breast’s level is set on its own. The Spectra S1 and S2 list 270 mmHg too, so the maximum is the same.

Spectra’s manual says the SG Portable is for home use by a single user, and its page doesn’t call it hospital grade. We don’t either. Spectra sells a separate multi-user hospital pump, the S3 Pro, for healthcare professionals.

Four steps, from Spectra’s Synergy Gold Portable manual. 1. Put the white silicone membrane into the lower case of the backflow protector, with its lip over the rim, then press the upper case on to seal it. 2. Press and twist a silicone valve into the flange. 3. Gently press and twist the backflow protector into the flange; its larger port goes into the flange. 4. Screw a bottle onto the flange, then twist the tubing into the backflow protector’s smaller port and the other end onto an air nozzle on the pump. To pump one side only, connect a single collection kit to either air nozzle.

Wash the flanges, valves, bottles, airtight caps and backflow protectors in warm soapy water after each use and air dry them on a clean paper towel. Never wash or sanitize the tubing, since milk never reaches it, and don’t pump with wet tubing. Spectra says the parts can go in the dishwasher on the top rack in a closed basket or mesh bag, air dried with no heat dry. Boil new parts for 3 to 5 minutes before first use, and silicone parts for no more than 2 minutes.

Spectra lists backflow protectors, tubing, flanges, duckbill valve sets and replacement kits on spectrababyusa.com, and an Authorized Dealers page. For timing, Spectra’s FAQ says that if you pump exclusively, replace duckbill valves every 2 to 4 weeks, backflow protectors every 2 months and flanges every 6 months. If you pump 1 to 3 times a day, that’s every 3 months for valves and every 6 months for backflow protectors. Call us if you’re not sure which part you need.

Two 24 mm and two 28 mm flanges. Measure across the base of your nipple, not the areola. Spectra’s chart: up to 16 mm use a 20 mm flange, up to 20 mm use 24, up to 24 mm use 28, and up to 28 mm use 32. Other sizes are sold separately. If you’re between sizes, call us and we’ll help you find yours.

Spectra doesn’t publish a decibel rating. Its page calls the pump ultra quiet for discreet sessions, and the touch screen has a mute mode for the beep.

Spectra doesn’t say whether you can lean back. Its manual tells you to sit in a comfortable chair, with a pillow for your lower back if you need one, and never to use the pump while sleeping or drowsy, or on an airplane.

Spectra’s own page and manual don’t list one, so we don’t promise it. If a night light matters to you, the plug-in Synergy Gold and the Spectra S1 Plus both have one.

Most health plans must cover a breast pump under federal rules, and we check your plan before anything ships. We get the prescription from your doctor and ship the Synergy Gold Portable to your door if it’s covered. Start your order through insurance and we’ll confirm it for your plan.