Mamas who plan to BF

mrslovebug

Are you buying a pump or renting from the hospital?  My coworkers said I should NOT buy one until I know how my LOs will respond.  They also said it works out to be less money and better quality if you rent one from the hospital instead of buying one.

Thoughts?

ALY1981

I hope to BF up to 9 months to a year, so I feel like it would be cheaper for me to purchase/register for one rather than rent, though I am not sure of the pricing at the hospital.  I should do my research

newsbaby

I too am scared of buying one and then the whole idea of it not working at all. I didn't know you could rent one. I guess I will look into it when the time comes - thanks! I wonder how long you can rent it before you have to return it though.

AlissaCell701

I am Going to rent one at least for the first 2 months. Cause as u said, I don't know how it is going to go so 60$ a month to rent is worth it to me. Then I can go out and buy a pump. At my brestfeedign class this is also what they rec. I Did get all of my own attachmets and stuff though for the pump!'

laura&dan05

I didn't buy a pump until after dd was born and bfing was well established. I know there are some circumstances where you'd need one early (if your LO was in the NICU and you needed to pump) but I didn't have any reason to pump for the first month.

If you do buy one in advance DON'T open the box.  Once the box is open you can't return it.  It made sense after while for us to just buy one.  I think the cost of renting one would have added up since I ended up bfing dd for a year (but I never looked into the cost at my hospital).  The Madela PISA is what I ended up getting since it came highly recommended from my bfing friends.  It's easy to use and easy to transport (I traveled with it many times).  I also found that the pump was an eligible item with my flex spending account which was really nice.

schoolsoutbride

One month of rental was like $50, and I knew I was committed to BFing.  I rented at first b/c I needed a stronger pump, but when I actually bought the pump I found them to be the same. Actually, I think I liked my pump better.  If you want to BF, i'd just get the pump.

caden

I didn't register or buy one in advance b/c I'd rather rent a hospital grade one for a month or two while I sort out the whole BFing thing, then buy one if I need it.

I ended up getting used pumps from 2 close friends anyway.

Temp893722312503334

A friend of mine offered to give me hers.  Used ones are ok right?  Its pretty old as her youngest in four. Do you think that matters?  I may try hers for awhile and then once I know that i am dedicated to it, buy my own. 

If it goes well, I plan to feed up to 1 year so renting will be too expensive. 

schoolsoutbride

You're generally not supposed to get used ones. The medela ones are not a closed system, and as it's a bodily fluid, technically not safe.  The Amedela purely yours is a closed system, but other than the hospital grade pumps (thousands of dollars), most are not.

BUT, if it's from a friend, I probably wouldn't worry as much about it.  Replace the tubing and all that for sure.

GenRN45

we're determined to use breastmilk for a year. Renting doesn't make sense for me. Ours will be purchased prior to baby. Once breast feeding is established, we'll be able to start pumping, so DH and the GMs will be able to feed as well.

BRSaugust20

I plan on renting.  I can rent a hospital grade pump for $165 for 5 months, if I don't need it the full 5 months I can return it for a pro-rated refund.  If I use it for longer, I can renew for less than 5 month, etc.

I am going back to work so really wanted a hospital grade pump to minimize my pumping time at work and be as efficient as I can when I do pump.

nikinikinine

I heard from other multiples mommies that the hospital pumps are more industrial and get more milk than the home pumps so I plan on renting at first and seeing how things go and if they go well and I'm happy BF'ing then I will consider purchasing a heavy duty pump down the line. I haven't priced it out but I'm thinking it may still be easier/cheaper to rent.

ladychicago

just chiming in with another option if you guys are curious...    i had the same dilemma, and decided to buy a manual pump (which is around $25-30) at first.   if BFing was a success, then i could decide if we had a need/want for a fancier pump.

i bought the lansinoh manual pump after reading a LOT of reviews (look it up on amazon for a ton of feedback), and i love it.   we're firmly established with BFing now, and i still don't think i'll splurge for a fancy pump.   my manual works just fine for me.   of course, I SAH and I only pump for a surplus supply in the freezer.   if you're going back to work and plan on pumping at work, a big fancy pump is definitely the way to go.    

dtwmco

Remember that there are also insurance plans that will cover a pump for various reasons.

My pump (Medela PISA) was no cost to me at all, and I got it right at the hospital!

shipoopiisforme

i am renting one and love it. i also have a pisa for when i am not at home and it's good but the suction is definitely not as strong.

emhaywood0918

After doing a lot of research I plan on renting one at first from the hospital to make sure that they respond to breastfeeding.  I am going to put one on my registry so that if I do end up buying one, I can get the 10% off of it.  I don't forsee anyone buying an item that expensive for a shower gift.  I too had heard that the hospital grade pumps are stronger for multiples and I really hope to breast feed!