Pumping...Rent or Buy?

kak521 · January 2011

I am a first time mom and have finally made a decision and I am going to give breastfeeding/pumping a try instead of straight formula.

My insurance does not cover pump rental/purchase so this will be all me. They rent from the hospital for $60 every 4 weeks and $30 for every two weeks.

Anyone have suggestions as to what the pros v. cons are to renting over buying? If buying what are standard prices for ones that really work and can you recommend any? I am open to all recommendations. Thanks!

LoveyFNR · January 2011

If you are planning to pump for a long time then it is totally worth purchasing your own.

My son is near 10 weeks old now and I have pumped since he was 5 days old. My pump was $270.00. Had I decided to rent a pump (which are similar to your costs) I would have already spent $150 renting. I plan on pumping until he's nearly a year. In the long run it is way more worth it to just buy a good pump.

That being said, wait until your milk comes in and then rent a pump for two weeks. Some women can't pump and it would be a shame to waste $300 and not be able to pump enough to make it worth it since you can't return a pump after buying it.

AJBMD915 · January 2011

Having tried both sides, I'd recommend renting if you're basing it solely on the pump. Really, you have to do the math though if it's a financial decision too. How long are you going to pump for? By the time your LO gets to be a year, you won't really need to pump much since LO will probably be eating 3 meals a day at that point. My DD was eating 3 meals with us and nursing 4 times a day (when she woke up, nap, bedtime and once in the middle of the night).

So if you're going to be breastfeeding and just pumping to have a stash when you're away from her, you wouldn't need to have a pump from that point on. Your total would be $780. That's a lot of money. You can buy the top Medela pump, Pump In Style for $279.

There is a vast difference in the strength of the hospital pump vs the pump in style. I rented the hospital Medela Symphony for the first 2 months with DD, it was amazing! I could get 7-8 oz in about 10-15 min. I bought a Medela Swing (step down from the PIS, was $150) and it took me at least 30 min to get 2-3 oz. I would not buy the Swing. I tried my SIL's PIS when I had surgery last year to keep up my supply and it did work much better than mine, but still nowhere near as well as the hospital.

So, if money is no object and you don't have to lug the thing to work to pump, I'd go with the hospital pump.

If you're looking for the smarter money route, I'd go with the Medela Pump In Style.

pugsgum · January 2011

I really don't know much about renting. I bought my medela pump in style about 4 yrs ago and used for a good year and a half. It definitely cost less than renting at that rate would cost. Plus, I will be using it again this time around. I ma just getting some new tubes/bottles, etc. I guess the hospital sterilizes everything for you. It might be good to try renting different models..? I think having the pump definitely lengthened how long I breastfed for. It was very liberating and I found it to be a very good investment. Good Luck!

Pennilyn Novus · January 2011

It depends on how much you plan to use the pump, honestly. There are different kinds: manual and electric. The manual is probably a good place to start, though if you are able to keep pumping, you might want to invest in an electric pump, otherwise your hand will probably fall off from working the manual pump.

I would not buy a more expensive, electric model until you know if you will continue to breast feed. A good pump is a lot of money to spend if you end up only using it for three weeks. However, if you discover that breastfeeding/pumping works for you, with as much as it costs to rent monthly at your hospital, it would be more cost effective to buy one than rent. If you breast feed for only 4 months @ $60 a month, that's pretty much the price of a good electric pump.

Here's an article I found from a mom who has been there that might help you out: https://parentingsquad.com/electric-breast-pump-versus-manual-breast-pump-which-should-you-choose

Hope this helps you!

azzyberry · January 2011

If your planning on pumping/nursing for a long time, the expense of renting will end up being way more than the cost of buying one. Plus if your planning on having more than one child, it definitely makes sense to buy one so that you have one for your future children as well.

I bought a Lasinoh Double Electric Pump when I had my DS for about $150. It worked great and I never had any problems. I will be using it again for this one as well.

mom2case · January 2011

You can also buy a used pump from Craigslist for $50 sometimes, and buy all new parts for it for an additional $25 to $50 (I've heard dif. amounts from other people but haven't researched it myself). Medela is pretty expensive, but some other brands work well for some people. I'm thinking of getting the playtex pump which is only $150 instead of $300.

kabarbanel · January 2011

azzyberry:

If your planning on pumping/nursing for a long time, the expense of renting will end up being way more than the cost of buying one. Plus if your planning on having more than one child, it definitely makes sense to buy one so that you have one for your future children as well.

I bought a Lasinoh Double Electric Pump when I had my DS for about $150. It worked great and I never had any problems. I will be using it again for this one as well.

This. I have the Medela Pump in Style Advance.

Hotomale · January 2011

It also depends if you're going to be pumping at work. The hospital pumps are bigger and great to rent if you are at home all day, but you can't really be carrying those around work.

robinsonmi · January 2011

I was fortunate enough to find a Medula Pump in Style used on Craig's list for $150... I WAS able to sanitize the internal diaphragm by taking it apart and I bought new tubes and "nipple suckers" (whatever those things are called lol). The gal also included a ton of extra 5 oz and 8 oz bottles but I bought new nipples as well. I've read several posts anti-used but I found a way to clean the inside so I'm not that worried. I plan on exclusively breast-feeding for a year and will be working full time so I needed a good pump that I could tote to work.

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