Breast pump spare parts (confused)

Artsywife07

I have the Medela PIS and I was thinking about getting some spare parts at some point.  I've read some posts where people have said it's helpful to not have to wash all the parts every time.  But when people say "spare parts" what exactly does that mean?  I see this "breast pump accessory set" at BRU, but is that really what I need?  Or is it better to buy the parts individually?  Or maybe I don't need spare parts at all (I'll be working from home, which will make things easier).  But if anyone has a link to the correct spare parts, that would be great!

DucatiLeah

As I understand it, what you might want an extra set of is the stuff they have in the third picture. These are the pieces the milk actually touches and would need to be cleaned. The LC at our breastfeeding class said it's fine to put the parts in the fridge after you pump and just to clean them once a day instead of after every single pump session. That might help you decide if you need them or not. I might get an extra set depending on how things go with pumping at the office. At home I think I'll be fine. If one breaks, I can always just pump one boob at a time until I get the replacement parts (not ideal, but doable).

Klmorgan83

You'd want a second set of any parts that the milk would touch.  I've never used a Medela pump, so I'm not familiar with all their parts.  But like PP said it's perfectly ok to just put the part in the fridge between pumps and wash at the end of the day.

But if you're working from home I really don't see you needing a second set of parts.  I worked 3 days a week and just had one set and it was never an issue.  And if your baby will be home with you all day as well, I assume you'd just take a quick break to nurse and you actually wouldn't have to pump all that often, and you'd just need to do it occasionally to have a little bit of stash when you need it.  So if that's the case I wouldn't bother getting a second set at all.

SL2010

I have spare parts for breast shields, valves & membranes and containers. It is very handy to have extras so you don't have to clean after each pumping. And those microwave steam clean bags are great!

war_eagle

I used a pump at the hospital and got to bring home some spare parts which were great to have on hand.  I also did the fridge trick to cut down on having to wash everything each time.

melissar617

If you're wanting spare parts, I'd just get the breast shield/valve part. The rubber membrane (little white flappy part) would be good to have extras of also. They can come off pretty easily and go down the drain when you're washing it. You can use any standard bottle on it, so I wouldn't worry about getting extras of those.

seastar77

Silly me! I wish I'd thought of the fridge last time around - that would've really saved me time. I had to EP with DD, so I was pumping up to 10 times a day and had lots of extra parts, but just the breast shields/L shaped part they connect to/little yellow valve thing.

(Also, semi-PSA because I don't think this information gets shared often enough - make sure you have the right size shields (check with the LC at the hospital if you're not sure) because the standard 24mm they come with does not fit everyone. I suffered through a month of serious pain before I finally realized what the problem was, and that was even after asking the LC a few times for advice.)