I plan to breastfeed and everyone says I MUST get a electric breast pump...but they are expensive. Does anyone have any suggestions or know someone willing to sell their pump?
Thanks to everyone for all the feedback and suggestions! I really appreciate it. It looks like I will be checking with the hospital about renting one. :)
perhapse you could buy a second hand one or borrow from a friend that has one. Of couse you will want to get new tubes which depending on the brand run about $25. I know Craig's List usually has a few on there.
I have to agree with the rent one or go to the hospital some have a lactaing (spelling) area to try one out. I had one and never used it. It hurt like nobodys business. So everyone is different. Once Upon A Child sells second hand ones sometimes.
Hi! I rented one from the hospital pharmacy that I delivered at. It was great to have an electric one. I wound up pumping for 4 months - I totally don't recommend it for your own sanity! But moms do what we think is best don't we? I think other places might rent them too, it was better than purchasing one!
Are you going back to work after you have your baby? If you will be working full time, you'll probably want to get an electric because it's faster and easier than a manual. If you're going to be home then you can probably get by with a manual. However, I stay home and I preferred my single electric pump, a Medela Swing. It only pumps one side at a time, versus 2 sides like a double electric. It is a more affordable option for an electric pump, and much faster & easier to use than a manual. A lot of it is personal preference... you might want to try a manual first, if you like it, great, if not you can upgrade to an electric. If you think you'll need a double, you can always look into renting a pump. Your hospital may have a rental service. If you decide to borrow or buy a used pump, make sure you get new parts - like breast shield, valve, tubing, etc. I did a quick Google search for "Breast Pump Rental" and came up with a few links, so you might want to try that.
Hope that helps! Good luck & congratulations on your impending arrival!! :)
Ask your baby nurses, they gave me the name and number of people who rented them out, for a reasonable price. It's been 3 years, so I have forgotten their name.
I've heard you can rent them from hospitals. You might check into that. You also might try contacting the La Leche Leage. In case you haven't heard of them, they are a breastfeeding support program. They should certainly know the best places to look for one.
Jen
Hi-
I would definetly wait until after you have your baby. I desperately wanted to feed both my babies and neither one would. I did see some on craigslist.com. I have read you are not supposed to buy used ones because they found breastmilk in them even though I don't know how.
D.
K.,
It's been a while since I breastfed (my youngest is 12); however, I know it was available to rent the electric pumps back then. I would think that would still be available now. If I were you, I would check with the hospital you are delivering at for information. Also, while the electric pumps are nice, I couldn't afford even renting one back then. I used a hand pump and did just fine!
I never really needed the electric pump I bought. For one, my youngest never took bottles, no matter what I tried, so it was pointless to pump for her. For my oldest I found that my Avent Isis manual pump worked the best. I always got twice as much milk with my Isis than I did with the electric Medela Pump-In-Style that I had. Also, unless you're going back to work full time, you may not have a huge need to pump.
I would wait until you have the baby, you can rent one from the hospital, and see if breastfeeding actually works out for you and your baby. Then you can buy one, you can also rent different styles first to see what works best for you. Check out Craigslist.com, there is usually a few people selling them on there.
Definitely look into renting one at first and make sure the whole breastfeeding/pumping thing is for you. Next weigh your options: my sister rented (I think it was $1 per day) and only breastfed for about 3 mos. and only had 1 child. I have my own pump (Medela) but breastfed/pumped over a year per child and am about to have my third child, thus $300 was money well spent. Just my personal experience - the manual pump is about as comfortable as Chinese water torture! I had to do it for 1 day before my pump was sent and was MISERABLE I can't imagine doing it regularly once your nipples really get tender (the first couple of weeks or so). Can you register for an electric one so maybe a group of people can go in on buying one for you? Good luck and congratulations on your first born and choosing to breastfeed!!
