What Stores Will Sell The Willow Breast Pump?

Pumping breast milk is a hassle. Whether you're using a manual or electronic device, at work or at home, pumping eats up valuable time. You're stuck holding the device up to your chest for upward of an hour, which means you can't do anything else. Even if you have one of those hands-free tops that connect to pumps, the bulkiness still ties you to one spot. That's why the Willow Smart Breast Pump is so revolutionary. The wireless device slips easily into your nursing bra, allowing you to go about your day. So when will the Willow Smart Breast Pump be sold in stores? Right now it's unclear.

The Willow Smart Breast Pump won't go on sale until spring of this year. Nursing parents will be able to purchase the hands-free pumping device through Willow's official website once it hits the market. But potential customers can sign up for Willow's email alerts now for news and updates, and to be the first to know when the smart breast pump is available. The Willow Smart Breast Pump is expected to retail at $429, CNET has reported.

Nursing parents who buy the Willow Smart Breast Pump will get a box that includes two white egg-shaped pumps, two protective rims, two Flextubes (Willow's trademarked name for the valve that carries breastmilk to bag), four 24-ounce donut-shaped milk bags, two cleaning brushes, two carrying bags, and one pump charger, along with instruction for use. Additional milk bags will cost 50 cents each.

The Willow Smart Breast Pump may come with a hefty price-tag, but it's a working parent's dream device. Its cordless design and small egg-like shape allows the revolutionary pump to fit easily into your nursing bra, so it can connect to your chest without the need for hands. Plus, it pumps quietly, which means you can walk around the office all day and express milk when you need to.

The pumping gadget also syncs with the Willow app, which tracks milk production, compares data from previous pumping sessions, and has an option to set reminders and alerts. And the Willow Smart Breast Pump passed regulatory muster — according to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the device for consumer use. Willow CEO Naomi Kellman told CNET:

We knew we could just reinvent the breast pump, we had to reimagine it ... Women want mobility and they want their hands back... The Willow cuts the cords and gets rid of dangling bottles for good.

If you're a new nursing parent, making sure you have enough milk stored can be stressful — especially if you don't have the time to spare to pump. The Willow Smart Breast Pump solves that problem. Although it's an expensive solution, it's still an important advancement in chestfeeding technology. Hopefully, though, the price-tag will eventually change.