The Best Pumping Bra and Other Tools to Help Make Pumping Less of a Chore
Pumping parents often multitask during sessions, and while there are now some great wearable breast pumps available, the right pumping bra can allow you to use most standard electric pumps hands-free. Unlike a nursing bra, which unclips to allow you to bring your baby to the breast without removing your bra, a pumping bra is designed to hold the shields of a breast pump tight to the chest.
We conducted 15 hours of research, which included interviewing two lactation consultants, considering 25 different pumping bras, and evaluating feedback from five women who spent over 20 hours using nine of the bras to pump a collective 350 ounces of milk. And after all that, we’ve concluded that the utilitarian Simple Wishes Hands Free Pumping Bra is the best bra for the task.
Top pick
This bra allows for more adjustment and customization, and it holds the pump equipment more securely to the breast than any other bra we’ve tried.
Fit and support are crucial to ensuring that a pumping bra does its job and doesn’t leave you crying over spilled milk. With its clever, multi-paneled construction, the bustier-style Simple Wishes bra is more adjustable than any other one we tried. And it also holds the pump’s breast shields — the funnel-like attachments that channel the milk into the bottles while you pump — more securely to your breasts. The Simple Wishes bra comes in three sizes, and it should fit sizes 30AA through 42D.
While wearing the Simple Wishes bra, you can’t simultaneously nurse and pump because the openings are too small to allow a baby to latch. But none of the bustier-style pumping bras we tried were really compatible with nursing.
If you’re looking for a pumping bra that lets you nurse and pump at the same time, we recommend you try the Momcozy Hands Free Pumping Bra. This is a great option if you’d prefer the convenience and comfort of a pumping bra that you can wear all day and nurse as well as pump in. We haven’t subjected it to the same level of comparison testing as the Simple Wishes bra. However, our breast-pump writer wore it with multiple pumps and found it to be a comfortable, effective option, with stretchy, seamless fabric and the support of a not-too-constricting sports bra. (This also means it can work well with a wearable pump.)
Staff pick
This bra functions as both a nursing and a pumping bra, with clip-down cups for breastfeeding and X-shaped cut-outs for holding pump shields and bottles in place.
The Momcozy Hands Free Pumping Bra won’t hold the pump’s shields as securely against your skin as the tighter, more-restrictive Simple Wishes bra we recommend. But many people may be happy trading that secure snugness for a looser, more comfortable fit.
You can also try making a DIY pumping bra by cutting holes in a sports bra (this will work only with detachable shields). Or you could try using a nursing bra, though that won’t be as supportive as the pumping bras we recommend.
