pumping at the hospital

acbfreire · May 2012

Hi, was anyone else told to bring their own pump to the hospital? I went on the birthing center tour and they told me that since my pump is not Medela to bring it to the hospital, otherwise I would be charged for Medela parts for using the hospital pump.

I kind of sucks because it is a lot of stuff to take to the hospital, but I will bring it.

mylittlesunshine · May 2012

My milk didn't even come in until the first or second night home from the hospital with DD1. You might not even need it when you are there. Plus, you will want to establish as best supply as possible and baby will do a better job then any pump will.

lilredj · May 2012

I didn't even have a pump until after my LO was born, so I used the one the hospital had to offer. They do charge you, so if you don't want to be charged, I would take your own.

As far as PP, I was advised by the lactation nurse to pump to help with the milk supply. This way even if you were getting a little bit, thats a little more that your LO would be getting!

CaitlinJ22 · May 2012

I wouldnt worry about it. Most times the nurses dont remember to charge you for the parts anyway...my friend had a preemie and she was told my the nurse that it happens a lot that way.

You will be better off nursing often whlie in the hospital, baby is more efficient.

rissa_n · May 2012

mylittlesunshine:
My milk didn't even come in until the first or second night home from the hospital with DD1. You might not even need it when you are there. Plus, you will want to establish as best supply as possible and baby will do a better job then any pump will.

This exactly.

allisonmarie22 · May 2012

I don't understand why you would need it at all. It's very difficult, if not impossible, to pump colostrum and your milk won't come in for 3-5 days. I hand expressed colostrum in the hospital and it worked really well. They let me try the pump because I insisted, but it didn't work at all.

Sawyerplus1 · May 2012

rissa_n:
mylittlesunshine:
My milk didn't even come in until the first or second night home from the hospital with DD1. You might not even need it when you are there. Plus, you will want to establish as best supply as possible and baby will do a better job then any pump will.
This exactly.

I agree. And I'm not sure why you'd even need one. Let LO nurse as much as they want (if you plan to nurse). Pumping can be a pain at the best of times, never mind when all your producing is a bit of colostrum (which is all baby needs in those first days). And if you really need it during your stay, send DH home to grab it.

FWIW, DS had an awful time nursing and I hand expressed my colostrum for him while in the hospital and it worked fine

HuskerBabyB · May 2012

mylittlesunshine:
My milk didn't even come in until the first or second night home from the hospital with DD1. You might not even need it when you are there. Plus, you will want to establish as best supply as possible and baby will do a better job then any pump will.

This.

xtina05 · May 2012

Weird - my milk didn't even come in until 4 days after I had DS#1

cstw · May 2012

DD was unexpectedly in NICU and I pumped in the hospital w their pump starting when she was about 24 hours old. While my milk probably didn't come in for 2-3 days, I still pumped a lot of colostrom (or so I thought). Maybe 1 oz every few hours and I nursed her, too. So if you're concerned, why not just put it in the car and have someone go get it for you in the event you want it?

acbfreire · May 2012

AmyG*:
I do think it's highly unlikely you'll need a pump while at the hospital.

And if for some reason you need to pump, your insurance will cover the cost of the medela parts for using the hospital pump and you won't even notice it since it will be bundled into the whole hospital fees thing.

I would NOT worry about this and would leave your pump at home.

what kind of pump are you planning to use?

Lansinoh - Affinity

MrsC968 · May 2012

I had to use a shield because DD was so small she had difficulty latching. They gave me the shield and Medela pump parts because it is recommended to pump after each feeding on a shield. The cost of that stuff may be added into my hospital bill, but I have no idea. It works out for me though because I work at a university and my school has the Medela Symphony for moms to use so I needed the parts anyways (I bought a Lansinoh pump for home because it was a lot cheaper).

I wouldn't worry about bringing your pump with you. If you can breastfeed without a shield you probably won't need to pump anyways.

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