Are breastpumps available for use for nurses?

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A dumb question for you. :) I'm thinking about selling my breastpump because I ended up staying home with DD for a year and didn't need to pump when I came back to work. I hope to eventually have another child and was wondering if the hospitals have hospital grade pumps set up for employees? I've heard of this before (you provide your own tubing etc), but I'm wondering if that is typical or not. I'd hate to sell my pump and then end up needing to buy one again later on. But if I can use one for free at work in the future (I'm a student), I want to sell it while it's still worth something! Thanks!

So are you saying that people shouldn't rent pumps, either? The tubing and diaphragm detach on my pump. I'd just hate to have it sit in my closet only to find that in 5 years it no longer works or isn't the best anymore. I would only need it for work. I'm very into 'attachment parenting' and don't leave DD unless I have to (basically just for work because I have no choice but to work), so I wouldn't be leaving a new baby for a night out or anything like that. Even when I was hospitalized for 3 days when she was 3mos I still didn't need to use it. ;) If rented pumps shouldn't really be shared, either, then I guess I will just keep it.

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

Rented pumps are fine to share, provided each person has their own accessory kit. (tubing, flanges, collection bottles, valves, membranes, etc.) Rental pumps are a closed system. The milk does not go into the machine at all. It all stayes in the accessory parts. These include Medela Lactina plus/select, (around $700-800 new)Medela classic, Medella Symphony(around $1800 New).

What kind of pump do you have? A medela Pump in Style/Pump in style advanced has detachable tubing and detachable other parts, but the milk can still get in the motor since it is an open system. The next time it is run, milk particles can get mixed into the new milk. Thats why you do not want to share them. Unfortunatly breastpumps can not be returned to the store where they were purchased, even if unopened. If you still have the receipt, you can contact the manufacturer and tell them you are unhappy with the pump (find it painful or unable to express milk with such pump) and maybe can get a refund. I don't know if you would feel comfortable doing that. If you never used it, I don't see a problem with trying to sell it on Ebay or whereever.

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

Rented pumps are fine to share, provided each person has their own accessory kit. (tubing, flanges, collection bottles, valves, membranes, etc.) Rental pumps are a closed system. The milk does not go into the machine at all. It all stayes in the accessory parts. These include Medela Lactina plus/select, (around $700-800 new)Medela classic, Medella Symphony(around $1800 New).

What kind of pump do you have? A medela Pump in Style/Pump in style advanced has detachable tubing and detachable other parts, but the milk can still get in the motor since it is an open system. The next time it is run, milk particles can get mixed into the new milk. Thats why you do not want to share them. Unfortunatly breastpumps can not be returned to the store where they were purchased, even if unopened. If you still have the receipt, you can contact the manufacturer and tell them you are unhappy with the pump (find it painful or unable to express milk with such pump) and maybe can get a refund. I don't know if you would feel comfortable doing that. If you never used it, I don't see a problem with trying to sell it on Ebay or whereever.

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Specializes in OB, lactation.
The FDA does not regulate the resale of these pumps, but they do consider them a single user medical device. Below is an article by Nancy Mohrbacher about this:

Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC

www.artofbreastfeeding.com

From: LEAVEN, Vol. 40 No. 3, June-July 2004, pp. 54-55.

This is a good article, and even though it's fairly recent, it is a little dated because some of the regular consumer purchase pumps are now closed systems (Playtex Embrace, Purely Yours, Whisper Wear). As far as I know the Pump in Style is still an open system and as such should not be used by more than one person.

(As the author also wrote) But another issue I have seen raised with resell of any of these grade of pumps is that they are really not manufactured to stand up to rigorous, multiple person use that a rental grade pump is (they are not "industrial strength" LOL). For the buyer, it's a gamble because you may not know how much of its "life" is already used up.

(I have no interest/affiliation with this company) Here's a link comparing some of the common purchase pumps:

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/breastpumps_compare.htm

Info changes fast sometimes!! :)

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I've stayed home with all 3 of my kids and I've nursed them all. I have a pump and I would encourage you to keep it (even if you don't go back to work).... I still use mine for weekend get-a-ways, when we go on vacation, or even if my baby is sleeping and I'm ready to explode.

And now that I'm considering weaning... I may need it just to relieve myself if I get engorged.

Anyway, I'd keep it until you are done nursing and done having babies... HTH's

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Check with some of the facilities you are considering working in. We have an employee pump room that is for hosp. EMPLOYEES ONLY. We have OB, ER, Lab, Resp, and other staff nurses who use the pump room.

The patients use pumps that are taken into their room.

I rented a hospital grade pump while on maternity leave to stock up, but did not pump at home once I started working.

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