breast pump: rent or buy?

DandT1206 · August 2012

just curious what most MoMs did. I intend to breastfeed and pump. Of course, I have no idea now how my body or the babies will react to this process, so I'm not sure what to do? Do you think it's worth buying a pump or renting one from the hospital at first? thanks!

Jen0204 · August 2012

I would rent at first and then see if you can switch to one that you buy. A hospital pump is different from a regular pump in that a regular pump is only supposed to get milk from your breasts and a hospital pump is supposed to help stimulate your production in addition to getting milk. The extra oomph from the hospital pump in the beginning could really help your supply.

ETA - renting will also allow you to make sure everything works out as planned. I planned on EBF and pumping and never got up a good supply. I would have been PISSED if I dropped a couple of hundred dollars on a pump and then never got up my supply enough to make pumping worthwhile. Hopefully everything works out perfectly for you, but if not then you won't have spent that money.

srbmvp · August 2012

I think it really depends on a lot of factors... if your babies come early and are in the NICU, you will definitely need a hospital grade pump. Or, they could come at term but still have latching problems or trouble removing milk effectively.

It might be worth it to have a pump ready to rent, in case you need it, and then you could always switch to one that you buy after you know how things are going.

Have you read Mothering Multiples? It has sooo much awesome info about breastfeeding twins, especially if they are preemies.

leapgirl8 · August 2012

We bought one. No-brainer for us because our insurance automatically covers it if you have twins, and we knew we could resell it if we couldn't use it for some reason.

hayleydeee · August 2012

I found a brand new double electric Medela on craigslist for $50. Then I just bought all new tubing and plastic parts from the manufacturer. It's worth keeping your eye out!

trish3905 · August 2012

We rented one for the first month or two, until I was confident that EBFing was working out. Then, we bought one. My insurance did not cover it - having full-term twins didn't qualify...

DandT1206 · August 2012

thanks! that's a good point. I need to call my insurance company first. If not, I guess I'll start out with renting.

aprilsarahjune · August 2012

I rented for approximately 10 months and paid out of pocket. Given a chance to do it over again (especially since we are expecting baby number 3), we should have bought a nice used hospital grade pump. DH started looking on Ebay a few months into paying for the rental, but I kept hesitating because I wasn't sure how long I would want the hospital pump. Yep - I wanted it for as long as I could keep it. This time around I will be forced to use my noisy little pump while at work, when I could have had a nice hospital pump in my bottom desk drawer, making almost no noise. ::regret::

keg · August 2012

I highly recommend renting in the beginning. Depending on when your babies are born, you may be pumping exclusively at the beginning and could really benefit from a hospital grade pump. I would also say that I bet a larger % of multiple moms decide to quit BFing early on also. I had preemies that didn't get BFing for quite a few weeks plus supply issues, so BFing was always a struggle. I wound up renting a pump for a couple mounths. Then I bought a hospital grade pump from ebay for about what a "personal" Medela PIS or similar would cost. Since hospital grade pumps are designed for multiple people, I felt fine getting one used. It turns out it was newer and quieter than the pump I rented (same model)!

hlsgarcia · August 2012

Jen0204:

I would rent at first and then see if you can switch to one that you buy. A hospital pump is different from a regular pump in that a regular pump is only supposed to get milk from your breasts and a hospital pump is supposed to help stimulate your production in addition to getting milk. The extra oomph from the hospital pump in the beginning could really help your supply.

ETA - renting will also allow you to make sure everything works out as planned. I planned on EBF and pumping and never got up a good supply. I would have been PISSED if I dropped a couple of hundred dollars on a pump and then never got up my supply enough to make pumping worthwhile. Hopefully everything works out perfectly for you, but if not then you won't have spent that money.

All of this! GL

LadyNikon · August 2012

I brought mine for my singleton. They sadly don't rent them here. They give you a hand pump for free. efffffthat..

ColleenS629 · August 2012

I have a PISA but hated it when I was EPing for one of my twins. I ordered a used hospital grade pump- the Ameda Elite- for what it would have cost me to rent it for about 5 months.

MuseumMaven · August 2012

I agree to rent one. I used a rental at the beginning, but once I established my supply I basically never pumped again. I would have been annoyed if I had dropped a few hundred dollars only to have kids that refused the bottle.

Also, it is not recommended to buy used breast pumps - only the hospital-grade rentals are safe for use by more than one person.

ShopperKristi · August 2012

Ladynikon:
I brought mine for my singleton. They sadly don't rent them here. They give you a hand pump for free. efffffthat..

This made me lol. My insurance also said they would cover a manual pump...in January. Awesome, you mean the one I can get brand new for $20? I thought my carpel tunnel was bad now!! Thanks!! Haha.

My guys are in the NICU and I use the hospital grade pump here and rented one at home too. The LC's here recommended renting to build supply and if bfing is going well after a month or so recommended the Medela PISA. If I end up EPing I will continue to rent for maximum supply.

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