Medela valve/membrane question

rascus15

  For those who use a Medela breast pump, do you remove the membranes from the valves when you wash them or do you leave them attached? I have had different nurses tell me different things. One said to leave them attached because I could damage the membrane, one said to ensure they are clean we should seperate them.

Carmlvsjose

I separate them.

Lena122

I separate them so they get completely clean. I also don't want the membranes in the dishwasher.

RoosterWrangler

I separate for cleaning. So far they've held up fine.

SouthRNComfort

I separate them to clean and air dry.

Myaflowers

I always separated them. I never had a problem either.

mbafall09

I always separate them as well.

mommatotwo2

I always seperate. I have enough membranes to get through a week and I just put the dirty ones in a small container on the counter and then sterilize by boiling once a week. Everything else is seperated and put into the dishwasher.
Edit to add, I've never had a problem with them being damaged and have been using this method for 8 months.

rascus15

  Thank you.  We have been seperating to make sure they get clean.  One of them has started making a flapping sound from time to time and with me having such a fluctuation of milk, I wanted to make sure it wasn't anything I had done to damage the membrane.

eggmankate

Old post but---how much of an impact do dirty pump valves have on output? I have only recently begun separating them after my pump suction was getting low. I see a lot of dried up residue that I've tried scraping off. I know it's good to keep them clean to prevent mold, but can it also have an impact on output?

rm2013

rascus15 said:

  Thank you.  We have been seperating to make sure they get clean.  One of them has started making a flapping sound from time to time and with me having such a fluctuation of milk, I wanted to make sure it wasn't anything I had done to damage the membrane.

I also separate. But after reading this I have to ask, are you replacing the membranes frequently? If you're pumping 3+ times a day I would replace the membranes every 4-6 weeks.

rm2013

eggmankate said:

Old post but---how much of an impact do dirty pump valves have on output? I have only recently begun separating them after my pump suction was getting low. I see a lot of dried up residue that I've tried scraping off. I know it's good to keep them clean to prevent mold, but can it also have an impact on output?

For me, yes. And just for general ick factor I take everything apart and scrub it real good every day. For the little yellow part that the membrane connects to, and the piece that connects the horn to the collection bottle, I use a nipple brush to scrub all the inside surface.

eggmankate

rm2013 said:

Old post but---how much of an impact do dirty pump valves have on output? I have only recently begun separating them after my pump suction was getting low. I see a lot of dried up residue that I've tried scraping off. I know it's good to keep them clean to prevent mold, but can it also have an impact on output?

For me, yes. And just for general ick factor I take everything apart and scrub it real good every day. For the little yellow part that the membrane connects to, and the piece that connects the horn to the collection bottle, I use a nipple brush to scrub all the inside surface.

That's good to know. I was wasn't sure how to clean the yellow valve and connector since they're tiny spaces. I'll have to find a nipple brush or something small like that to clean it out.