Meet the Willow “Go”

Bro do you even pump? With the birth of my second child, I’ve been able, much to the joy of my son’s doctors and nurses, provide him with home-grown breastmilk as his primary source of nutrition. (As long as exclusively pumping counts as breastfeeding, which incredibly, is something that’s up for debate).

Yes, breastmilk, that life-changing liquid gold that modern society and the American Academy of Pediatrics insists is the only way to properly feed an infant. Somehow fail to do this, for any variety of legitimate, valid reasons, and you’ve earned yourself disapproving tuts and side glances for at least your child’s first year. And how do I know? My firstborn was not so lucky, having been brought up on a diet of Kirkland’s Signature, so I was looking forward to this pregnancy to redeem myself for my prior “failures” as a woman and as a mother.

As a resident physician with only 6 weeks maternity leave, direct breastfeeding is simply not in the stars, necessitating a breast pump to use at work. After scouring my options I settled on the Willow Go, the newest release from the company that brought us one of the first mainstream wearable.

The Willow Go promised slightly better affordability, mobility, and a sleek new design. What could be better?

Dear reader, I’m here to tell you to either pony up an extra 100 for the Willow 3.0, or keep walking and save your money and your time for better use. Below are the problems I had (and have, as I can’t return the thing) with the Willow Go.

Problem #1: Spillage

Need to pick up your crying baby? Better think twice if he really needs to be held. Drop your badge on the floor at work? Just forget about it. It’’s gone. Move on. Why is because the Willow Go, despite its name, has a propensity to spill in a surprising number of everyday situations: Such as…

• Picking up the baby
• Getting clothes out of the wash
• Picking up a thrown pacifier from off the floor.
• Walking too vigorously.
• …etc etc

Any of the above may cause milk will come sloshing out of the hole at the top of the container like wine cooler in an Stanley tumbler at your first work social back from maternity leave. “Why have a hole there? ” any reasonable person may ask. Well the hole is for pouring, which makes sense, but what doesn’t add up is why the hole can’t be covered until you’re finished pumping, as it is with the reusable containers. Attempt to close the hole on your own with some tape, and suction problems (a smaller, second hole big enough for air but too small for notable spillage would have solved this problem, but I digress).

Problem #2: Short Battery Life

Original advertising for the Go touted an “all day battery life.” All I have to say to this, is that I wish I were at a workplace that let me leave as soon as the Willow Go ran out of battery… Which is about after 2 solid sessions of 25 minutes if you’re using the higher suction. While easily rechargeable with a slightly archaic Micro USB cord, which you have to provide your own plugin for, the Go will die after about 2-3 sessions depending on the suction strength you choose.

Problem #3: Poor Output

All of the above would be forgivable if the Willow Go performed like my Spectra when it came to output. Sadly, it does not, barely reaching 50% of my standard volume with a regular pump session. While I can deal with a little spilled milk and a short battery, I can’t work with minimal output, especially as an exact producer.

So there you have it, an unsolicited review and a cautionary tale that if a breast pump seems too good to be true, it probably is.