The Ardo Alyssa is a pump with some truly revolutionary and awesome features, but there are some significant downsides to it as well. Here is an upfront Ardo Alyssa review.
This is a guest post from Dani, @to.the.pump.and.back on Instagram! She’s an exclusive pumper in Australia, and has tons of great reviews and tips on her account, so make sure to follow her.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click a link and take action, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I love! More info here.
What is the Ardo Alyssa?
The Ardo Alyssa is a double electric pump with a closed system, which is really the main reason why it can be classified as hospital grade. Hospital-grade classification seems to have nothing to do with the power or capacity of a pump.
I have found mmHg (suction power) can be a good indicator of how powerful a motor and sufficient a pump can be for a wider range of exclusive pumpers, and I don’t believe the Alyssa has a strong enough mmHg for that range.
The Alyssa could be a great option for occasional or less frequent pumpers. It could also work reasonably well for those who use more gentle suction.
What features does the Ardo Alyssa have?
Here are some of the features of this breast pump:
- The Memory Plus function tracks the changes in modes, cycles, vacuum, and timings throughout your pump, and if you click the memory save option it will save all these little alterations and timings for your next pumping session.
- Alyssa has an app that connects to and controls the breast pump from your phone via Bluetooth called MyArdo. Through the app, you can turn on the pump, use the Memory Plus setting, change the mode, cycle and vacuum settings.
- The touchpad on the front of the Alyssa is well lit and clear. It is very user friendly in this way, as changes to the cycle and vacuum are plain to see.
- It also has an automated power pumping feature which you can initiate through the app and the touchpad. It is the first pump to have this feature. This could be great for occasional pumpers if they need help increasing their supply.
- The Alyssa has been designed for the suction power (mmHg) to not decrease when you double pump. (Bear in mind the mmHg is quite low to start with.)
- While chunky and weighty, it is a reasonably small and portable size with padded feet for stabilization.
- It has a rechargeable battery, USB connector and plug, and clear battery charge indicators.
Are there any cons to the Ardo Alyssa?
Below are some of the disadvantages to this pump.
1. Limited breast shield sizes
The Ardo breast shields/flanges come between 22-36mm.
Some staff are pushing for the creation of more sizes, as the main flange is not detachable.
Ardo doesn’t really love the idea of you using different third party parts with their pump, although I had to do this as I use 15mm flanges. I did trial their parts first.
Hacking the pump with other parts (such as my Maymom parts) voids the warranty of the pump. (Be wary – apparently this is true for many breast pumps, but worth it to use the right flange size in my opinion.)
2. Suction strength
The pump left behind between 40mL-80mL (1.5-2.5oz) in my breasts each time I used it.
I tried imitating the settings of other pumps that work well for me to no avail.
In one trial session, I used a pump I trust on one side and the Alyssa on the other for my standard pumping time. When I put the pump I trust on both sides after I’d finished my session for an extra 5 minutes in case of a lack of drainage, I quickly had another letdown from the Alyssa side.
3. Cycle settings
The cycle settings are quite low for those who need faster cycles.
In stimulation mode, the cycles range from 72-107 cycles per minute (but stimulation mode is very soft suction with this pump) and in expression 20-50 cycles per minute.
4. Lack of clip
It doesn’t have a clip or capacity for a strap for portability. (You could attach a Cellet clip as many do with other pumps.)
5. Touchpad sensitivity
The touchpad is not very sensitive, so I would often have to change settings or use the power button with the MyArdo on my phone as the buttons wouldn’t respond well.
It is visually clear and uses bars to indicate increase or decrease in cycle or vacuum as opposed to numbers. (This could be preferred by some. Personally, I prefer some numbers and some visuals.)
What’s in the box?
The Alyssa comes with the following:
- The pump itself, with two sets of tubing and tube connectors to attach to the pump.
- Very detailed manuals and instructions, which is fantastic to have on hand with a new pump.
- Two narrow neck bottles and stands, as well as lids and sealing discs for these bottles/storage pods. The narrow neck of the bottles means you could use Medela bottles with Ardo pump parts if you need larger bottles. Thus, you could use Ardo bottles with Medela parts if you wanted to use them with another setup.
- Backflow protectors.
- Valves (duckbill valves that are very small), along with two spare valves.
- Breast shields – my pump came with 26mm shields and 22mm breast shield inserts that go on top of the attached 26mm shield to narrow it. They are like putting one breast shield over the top of another, different from Maymom inserts. The 26mm shields are not detachable.
- A power adapter and USB cable to recharge.
How should you use the Ardo Alyssa?
Below are some basics on using this breast pump.
Connecting the app
You need to download the MyArdo app on your phone and connect it to the pump through Bluetooth. There are clear instructions in the manual.
There is a Bluetooth symbol that appears on the pump to signal it is ready to be paired/is paired.
Adjust modes
The Ardo Alyssa has two modes: letdown/stimulation mode and expression mode.
Stimulation mode is the 3 droplets symbol and you can change the vacuum and cycles for stimulation mode to suit your needs and initiate a letdown.
When you press the button with the droplets on it (3 on top, 2 underneath) it changes to expression mode, signaled by 2 droplets.
Adjust settings
You can change the cycle and vacuum for stimulation and expression modes. Changing the vacuum changes the strength of the suction/pull. Changing the cycle alters the frequency of the pulls from the pump. In stimulation mode, the cycles range from 72-107 cycles per minute and in expression 20-50 cycles per minute.
To alter the vacuum and cycles settings you use the plus and minus buttons above the labels. To toggle between stimulation and expression you press the button with the droplets at the bottom of the touchpad.
If you’d like to save a new Memory Plus session, press the ‘save’ icon, which looks like a floppy disc/the symbol on Microsoft Word.
To go into the automatic power pumping setting you press the button at the top right with 3 droplets increasing in size and an arrow above them.
The layout of the touchpad is mirrored quite closely in the MyArdo App. You can alter all these aspects in the MyArdo app and on the pump.
Battery life
The charge lasts for perhaps 3 to 4 pump sessions for me. My pump sessions are around 30 minutes.
The motor/suction power issue
In all honesty, I fiddled a lot with these settings and still could not find a way for it to drain my breasts properly, even when I tried hacking it with my Maymom 15mm flanges and Spectra-style pump parts.
Some people need stronger suctioon
Ardo lactation consultants state the Alyssa pump is designed to stimulate your natural ejection reflex, and that sucking milk out too strongly can damage the nipples. Many lactation consultants do not believe that strong suction is needed at all.
This to a degree is true. Stronger suction does not equal more milk. Some people respond better to softer suction or massage modes than any expression mode.
In contrast, there are some people who need to crank their Spectra pumps up to Level 12 vacuum (the highest setting) and some people who respond very well to that long pull of the Baby Buddha pump.
I have spoken to some IBCLCs who need this sort of power and lengthy pump sessions to respond well.
I agree that you should only put vacuum up to what’s comfortable for you. And stronger settings and certain powerful pumps will not be suitable for everyone.
What is needed for exclusive pumping?
However, it is my opinion that to exclusively pump you need a powerful motor with the suction power of over 300mmHg.
This is because it can be an indicator it has a lengthy motor life and the capacity to drain your breasts effectively, which is essential for exclusive pumping. If you don’t know what suction levels are comfortable for you, a pump over 300mmHg with a variety of settings and options can give you the flexibility of finding out what vacuum and cycles you respond best to.
This in no way means you need 300mmHg of suction power. It just means you have the ability to use higher levels of suction if it turns out you respond better to that. The fact that the Alyssa is less than this indicates to me this could be why it did not drain me effectively.
*Please note in regard to suction power/mmHg: In the US, the FDA apparently makes many pump companies to list their mmHg as less than 300 for some reason. For example, the Spectra S1 and S2 are listed as 270mmHg, whereas in Australia they are listed as 320mmHg. This is something to be aware of. I would also say be wary of a pump that does not openly advertise the mmHg.*
Ardo Alyssa: The bottom line
The Ardo Alyssa is a breast pump with phenomenal and revolutionary features that I wish more pumps had.
However, the fact is I don’t believe it is sufficient for exclusive pumping. If you are someone who knows you respond better to less powerful pumps like the Medela Freestyle Flex pump, and have exclusively pumped with pumps with a similar motor life/power, then it could work well for you.
Unfortunately, it was not the pump for me, but it could be for someone else. I definitely think it could be a great pump to help direct feeders increase supply with the ease of the power pumping setting and for more occasional or less frequent use.
If you do not know what kind of motor or suction you respond to best and have found yourself exclusively pumping, I would recommend choosing something with more power behind it.
I genuinely wish it could work better for me because the MyArdo app is so fantastic, user friendly and the Alyssa does have so many amazing features.
(Ready to get a new breast pump? Check out your eligibility through insurance here.)
Thanks to Dani for this great guest post – make sure to follow @to.the.pump.and.back on Instagram!
