Canadian Things

courtneyqdk

Hi all,

I hope it's ok that I start this thread! We had one in the group I was in when pregnant with my son and it was really helpful for stuff like maternity leave and insurance. It was on that board that I found out some insurance plans will cover the cost of a breast pump! We have Sun Life and I was able to get a doctor's note stating I need one and got reimburse (up to a certain amount...maybe $250 or $300) when I submitted the note with the receipt. You have to make sure the date of the note is earlier than the date of purchase of the item, so it was a bit of a hassle to get the note while I was still pregnant so I could buy the pump I wanted during a Black Friday sale, but it worked out in the end. 

Anyway, I thought us northerners might like a place to discuss all things specific to Canadian residents. Any questions, ask away! Hope you're all having a great day - I have another Inclement Weather day at school so I get to catch up on stuff, woo-hoo! Joys of the North

joellelamb

@courtneyqdk this is great! Thank you for starting this thread

i don’t have anything to ask or offer right now but thankful for this because I’m sure I will later on.

knottief1883d6d99a6f1a8

Hey Canadian mommas!

I'm getting ahead of myself and looking at breast pumps. Really frustrated because of a lack of wearable pumps here in Canada. Any suggestions? I really want the Willow but would hate to cross the border to buy only for it to break and not be able to get parts here in Canada.

courtneyqdk

@knottief1883d6d99a6f1a8 I did not have a wearable one, but I did buy the medela freestyle on a Black Friday sale before I had my son, and I really loved it. It is super compact and easy to clean, transport, etc. I plan on using it again this time around for sure. Maybe someone else has some more insight on wearable ones in Canada! There is a hack to like hook your nursing bra around this one to make it hands free, but I never found it really comfortable to do that. 

I will say, I didn't use my pump very often but I still consider it an ESSENTIAL item for so many reasons. Just being able to pump a bottle to get a couple more hours of consecutive sleep in those early days is worth every penny. 

rubyrose_0919

I didn't use a wearable one but I LOVED the haakaa so much! I pumped a ton (like waaaaay more than I ever needed) just having it suctioned on the opposite breast while nursing.

Sorry I don't have more info on the type of pumps you are looking for!

sunshineandlemons

@rubyrose_0919 I second the haaka! It was so nice to be able to “save” that milk that I otherwise was just going to leak into a nursing pad until I switched sides.