Hi all, I've been shopping around for breast pumps and kind of going crazy with all the factors. I narrowed my top choices down to the Spectra S1 and Spectra Gold. The price difference I was seeing on Aeroflow was a factor, but also the S1 is portable due to its rechargeable battery, and the Gold is not portable but it's key feature seems to be dual Motors to compensate for a "slacker boob." Since this is my first pregnancy, I have no idea if I have a slacker boob. So between that unknown and the cost difference, I've been thinking I should just get the s1. Well, it turns out there isn't as much of a cost difference as I thought.

I'm sure this varies widely by insurance company (and plan usage/OOP max), store and state, but thought I'd share for others overwhelmed by all the factors with buying a breast pump. Basically, stopping into my local medical supply store was really helpful and saved me money.

I know a lot of people here have recommended Aeroflow.com to order a breast pump and it was great for them. So I started there, and entered my insurance so the price I was seeing reflected what my insurance would cover.

My insurance company gave my a printout of local stores and online retailers they work with. I assumed the prices would be comparable, but they weren't. So, if you've narrowed it down to a few models and price is a factor, I recommend calling or stopping into local stores. It may not be as convenient, but the prices were very different for me and made my top choice much more attainable.

These were the prices I got after my insurance was taken into consideration: Aeroflow Spectra S1: $95 Local store Spectra S1: $92 Aeroflow Spectra Gold: $190 Local store Spectra Gold: $109

I will note my local store didn't stock the Gold (and didn't know about it), but they could order it. I left them my name and number and they called me within a couple of hours after talking with my insurance and their supplier.

Not only did this make my decision much easier, I personally prefer to support locally owned businesses whenever possible, so it was a double win for me.

I hope this helps!