Breast Pump - When to Purchase

apetruck · June 2015

Hi Ladies,
I am curious when you ordered your breast pump. Before or after the birth? My mom was thinking I should wait since I will be on maternity leave and may not need to pump for awhile, but I am the kind of person who likes to be prepared for any situation. Should I order it ahead of time? I am planning on getting the Medela Free Style with my HSA.

Thank you!

ChristyM87 · June 2015

My midwife told me to try to get it before the baby comes because if anything happens and I have difficulty breastfeeding in the first few days and need to pump I don't want to be running out and getting one or waiting for one to be delivered. Even though I don't plan on pumping for the first month, I will follow her advice and try to get one in the next few weeks

babydoll1008 · June 2015

I already got one too. I had difficulty breast feeding last time around so being prepared ahead of time is the best thing to do in my opinion.

SnarkasaurusRex · June 2015

My insurance lets me order the pump 30 days before my due date. I plan on doing that to make sure that I have it ahead of time in case I have any issues with breast feeding and need to pump.

rainbowBOOM · June 2015

Base it on your insurance. No reason not to get it off the list now if insurance allows. I received mine Monday. And I was glad to be able to take my time getting to know the gadgets and what I may need accessory wise to pair with it.

Also, even being on maternity leave you'll prob want to begin a stock pile.

Miz_Liz · June 2015

OP, check with your insurance first - you may not need to use any of your HSA as they may just cover it outright. Last time, mine did with a prescription, which EVERY Dr (OB, Hospital, Pedi, etc.) will give you after baby is born if you ask them.

gotdiesel2007 · June 2015

I bought mine months ago but breast pumps aren't covered by my insurance so I waited for a good sale.

KAR8706 · June 2015

I got mine last week, due 7/27

Knottie99627423 · June 2015

I am pretty confident that the new health care regulations require that nearly all health insurance plans cover the cost of a new pump. I thought it was all of them but not so if @gotdiesel2007 didn't have hers covered. I can't get mine until 10 days before my due date but I processed all of the paperwork already so they just have to send it out.

lilweenie · June 2015

I would order soon. I ordered mine last month and am so glad I have it just in case I need it for any reason.

kmhefner01 · June 2015

Get it before baby comes. When my milk came in my baby couldn't eat enough to ease the pain of my full breast. I had to pump just for comfort.

gotdiesel2007 · June 2015

@Knottie99627423 Tricare (military insurance) is/was exempt from those changes, this is their policy. I also know some other plans were grandfathered in.

katedewberry · June 2015

That is horrible and a disgrace that Tricare specifically excludes that. What a shame.

apetruck · June 2015

Thanks everyone. I will definitely be getting it before. My insurance covers one manual hand pump, but I wanted the electric version.

aresee · June 2015

@gotdiesel2007 That wording makes me want to punch someone: "when used for reasons of personal convenience."

manda82585 · June 2015

If you can get it before baby, that's the way to go. Like others said, if you have latch issues you may need to pump and also, while you are on leave, you will probably want to work up a milk stash so you have extra in case you need to leave baby with anyone for any amount of time.

gotdiesel2007 · June 2015

They are suppose to be changing the policy but who knows when it will be implemented, what type of pump it will cover or if it will even happen. For all we know it could be a hand pump. I called when they announced the possible change to see if I could get mine covered retroactively and was told yes as long as I bought from an approved retailer and had a receipt. However, there is no list of approved retailers. Big help.

https://www.armytimes.com/article/20140605/BENEFITS06/306050074/Tricare-coverage-breastfeeding-gear-likely-expand

mirrenrue · June 2015

I got my medela when I was 32 weeks, I plan on pumping as soon as I'm home from hospital. Plus I'm taking the breast pump to the hospital so the lactation consultant can teach me how to use it properly. Being over prepared never hurt anyone.

blukats · June 2015

I got mine a couple days ago. Just a heads to any mamas with united health care, if your OB writes you a prescription for your breast pump you can take it to any target pharmacy and get it same day, instead of waiting for shipping.

nicole052012 · June 2015

I ordered mine a few weeks ago thinking I wouldn't get it until this month (my insurance quotes 30 days before due date), but it came like three days later! I found it helpful, since I could take it out and make sure it works and that the nipple shields are the right size (they weren't, so I ordered smaller ones), etc.

Your insurance probably covers it 100% (thanks, Obamacare!), so double check with them before using your HSA.

kmode13 · June 2015

I ordered mine last week (due July 15). One reason I ordered before birth is that wanted to make sure I could receive it and research anything else I might want. The Medela offered by my insurance is great (trust me, no complaints about a free pump!), but came with the bare-bones basic items (tubes, pump, etc). I wanted to be able to take a look at it and figure out what else I might need (does it fit in a bag I currently have? Should I get a bottle specific cooler? Bottles to pump into? etc).

rainbowBOOM · June 2015

I posted about this last week. But if anyone wants to order a super easy way, go through aeroflow, they do all the leg work with your insurance. It was so easy, I put in my insurance info, chose the model I wanted and they called me about 5 days later to say it was approved for free and on its way.

Knottie99627423 · June 2015

@gotdiesel2007: That is incredibly unfortunate. Shaking my head. Our service people should be supported. You can have my pump if you want! (I know you already got one but....)

gotdiesel2007 · June 2015

@Knottie99627423 thanks but we budgeted for the expense. This is out 3rd child and #2 using tricare so we were well informed of this policy before even getting pregnant.

oneblessedmess · June 2015

I ordered mine today through my insurance. I am 33w1d. They said it will take 7-10 business days from Friday to reach me so I didn't want to wait too long because who knows when this little one will decide to show up!

meb7889 · June 2015

I went through Targets breast pump program when I was just 20 weeks... Highly recommend going this route. All you do is call, give your insurance information and they deal with insurance. They send you an email with what options you have... My insurance fully covered some and then partially covered others but still made the price significantly more affordable. Once I knew which one I wanted, I reserved it and I received an email from target within 2 hours saying it was available for pickup. I'm the type of person to be prepared early on and I thought the process would be much longer, but honestly I had a pump in hand within a day of starting the process!

nalise88 · June 2015

My insurance wont send/approve my free breast pump until after my baby is born.

Natjune · June 2015

Got mine a few weeks ago. Like other posters said, check with your insurance company. My insurance covered the entire cost of the pump.

jtenkorang · June 2015

With my first born I got it ahead of time and took it with me to the hospital and the lactation consultant was able to look at it and explain everything to me while I was in the hospital. It was really nice to have around. And I could use it when needed because my first born is a really good sleeper so I had to pump at night sometimes due to her sleep schedule.

gotdiesel2007 · June 2015

@knottie99627423 just received this

https://m.military.com/daily-news/2015/06/05/new-tricare-policy-gives-free-breast-pumps.html?comp=700001075741&rank=2

hopefully I can get reimbursed or get a free one an return the one I have now.

Leahauc · June 2015

I just found out from Aeroflow that I have a grandfathered insurance plan so they will only cover a single manual pump, not even a partial amount of an electric pump. That def won't fly going back to work on 12 hour shifts, so we are now planning on going buy one off the shelf maybe a week before my due date. Thank god for completion coupons at least.

butterfly061583 · June 2015

I want to get it in advance but my health care plan won't allow me to order it until the baby is born.

melavalos · June 2015

I've had mine for a few months now, I just took a portion of my tax return and purchased tons of the essentials for baby I knew I would need so I wouldn't have to worry about it closer to my due date

shay092185 · June 2015

Get it before hand! With my insurance i had to have the baby before i could get the pump and i ended up going out and buying one cuz i couldn't wait after the baby came. My milk came in faster than the baby could drink and so i had to pump and breastfeed just for comfort.

Melis222 · June 2015

blukats said:
I got mine a couple days ago. Just a heads to any mamas with united health care, if your OB writes you a prescription for your breast pump you can take it to any target pharmacy and get it same day, instead of waiting for shipping.

Good to know! I have United Healthcare and I wasn't sure how to go about getting it. I found through the Medela website a number to call for Target.

xhochixx · June 2015

My insurance won't send me one until 30 days after my due date! So stupid, I have to be induced early because of some complications and they still won't send it earlier... I mean it is great that they cover it, but I'm going to need one a lot sooner than they will send one. Not sure what to do...

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