What to Look for in the Best Wearable Breast Pump

It’s 2025, and mums want breastfeeding tools that match the era we’re living in. Of course, we want important things like flexible working and equal pay, but we also want a blooming marvellous wearable breast pump to make breastfeeding a whole lot simpler, comfier, and discreet. It’s the little things too, you know?

The evolution of the breast pump has gone from manual pumping to simply switching it on inside your bra hands-free, dreamy! Step into breastfeeding with this guide in hand so you can confidently nurse your baby with the best wearable breast pump.

What Is a Wearable Breast Pump?

A wearable breast pump is different to a wireless breast pump. The entire device, including the flange, motor, and cup, is neatly worn inside your bra, and your milk is expressed into the cup. Compared to other wireless breast pumps, a wearable breast pump is truly hands-free. You can wear the pump and carry on with other daily activities until your pumping session has finished.

Obviously, the design and practicality of a wearable breast pump pique the interest of nursing mums because it’s ideal for multitasking and makes milk expression possible even in the most discreet environments, especially during postpartum recovery.

7 Must-Have Features in the Best Wearable Breast Pump

1. True Hands-Free Design

Wearable breast pumps do not have you sitting by a wall hooked up to the plug socket. The entire device is compact enough to fit inside your bra with no wires or external motors to plug in. Wearable breast pumps therefore, don’t need your hands holding the breast pump in place because your bra already supports it!

2. Quiet Motor for Discreet Pumping

Discreet pumping means you can express breast milk without the breast pump being seen or heard, if you don’t want to. A quiet motor is a popular feature for any breast pump, particularly a wearable breast pump, because the whole design is built around efficiently pumping discreetly. You can wear your breast pump literally anywhere. In the car, on the school run, and even at the office.

3. Hospital-Grade Suction Strength

Just because it’s a wearable breast pump doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your breast pump’s efficiency. Like a traditional hospital-grade breast pump, the suction strength needs to be strong enough to fully empty each breast helping you to meet the milk orders your baby puts in! The more milk you remove from the breast, the more milk it will produce.

Particularly if you’re buying a wireless breast pump to help increase your milk production, choose a wearable breast pump with a strong suction similar to hospital-grade breast pumps.

4. Leak-Proof & Comfortable Fit

Milk leaks are so uncool, and losing breast milk to a soggy t-shirt is even less cool. You won’t be stuffing tissues or muslin cloths in your bra to catch any milk leaks when you’re using the best wearable breast pump. These pumps have a secure fit breast flange that seals shut around the areola, meaning your breast milk has only one way to go - into the cup!

Look for models that offer multiple breast shield sizes to give you a custom fit and reassurance so you can pump with confidence.

5. Customizable Suction Modes

Having up to four customisable expression modes means you can find a comfortable suction strength and rhythm to get the best milk output. Start with the stimulation mode to mimic your baby’s sucking pattern and bring on your letdown. Then, you can transition into one of the other three expression modes to make your wearable breast pump work for you. Each expression mode will feel like a seamless transition to effectively empty the breast gently.

6. Easy Assembly & Cleaning

I think we can all agree on one thing: bottle cleaning never gets more thrilling… but we can make it easier for ourselves by choosing a wearable breast pump that has fewer parts to clean and assemble. When looking around for the best wearable breast pump, look at how it comes apart and clicks back together. You don’t want to be figuring that out with a hungry baby!

Ask yourself, can you clean it in the dishwasher? Does it have hard-to-reach bits that make cleaning a faff? Could you assemble it easily with your baby in tow? (Because let’s be honest, they will probably be in your arms waiting for the milk as you’re throwing it all back together!) 

7. Rechargeable with Long Battery Life

Rechargeable devices with a long battery life are a must-have for any wearable breast pump. Especially when you’re pumping on the go, the most recommended breast pump would be one with a long battery life that won’t cut out mid-pump. To pump efficiently, the battery life needs to be top-notch. A rechargeable device also makes it more cost-effective and environmentally friendly by ditching disposable batteries.

Take a screenshot of our checklist of features to look out for, to find the best wearable breast pump:

Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Wearable Breast Pump

Don’t be the mum that…

• Chooses style over suction strength

• Ignores fit and flange sizes

• Underestimates the cleaning complexity of the wearable breast pump parts

Sure, wearable breast pumps can look pretty, but they also need to work efficiently. If it doesn’t meet your expectations and causes unnecessary stress, you’re not going to use it. You’re going to wish you had bought the hands-free breast pump that actually expresses milk rather than dithers.

It’s also really important to note that using the wrong breast flange size can cause further complications and lessen breast milk production. If the breast flange size is wrong, you won’t be able to efficiently remove the milk, and this can affect your milk supply. Use our size guide to measure what breast flange size you need, if you need support with this.

Read more: Signs Your Breast Flange Size is Wrong - And How to Fix It

And one final thought…

Meet Bloome – The Future of Pumping Is Almost Here

Don’t settle for outdated tech. Bloome, our brand-new wearable breast pump, is designed to adapt to your life, not the other way around. Because breastfeeding is different for every mum, your tools should support you every step of the way.

We’ve poured innovation, comfort, and a whole lot of mum-wisdom into this launch. And trust us – it’s worth the wait.

Coming soon. Be the first to know when Bloome lands by signing up for updates, or catch a sneak peek over on Instagram.