Breast Pumps...did you buy or rent one?

I just came back from starting my registry at Babies R Us and the breast pumps sure are expensive. My friend said I should rent one but I have no idea. I'm completely overwhelmed by everything, so I wanted to know from you all which do you think is best, rent or buy?

I was given a Medela electric double pump ($300 valued) from the health dept in Oklahoma. I was a Medicaid/WIC recipient there and at the last appt before I moved, the nurse gave me a brand new one. I don't think that was standard practice.

I know that this time around, I am recieving WIC again and the breastfeeding support staff calls every once in a while to see if I'm good. Last call, they asked if I needed to rent or borrow one. If I were you, I would try your local WIC office or call La Leche League to inquire about what services they offer. A rep can even visit you in the hospital to help out.

As far as buying; be sure you are able to use the product without discomfort/trouble before buying. Maybe you could rent/borrow until you know your needs. That way you aren't unhappy with a product and stuck with it! 

Avent and Medela are good brands. I love my Medela and just ordered new tubing from them for this time around. Hope that helps.

I would love to get one for free like you did. I wonder if I qualify for WIC. I highly doubt it. I'm trying to get all I can for free or at a discount.

I rented for a month (around $75), then bought a Medela Pump in Style double electric breast pump off Craigslist for $50.  As long as you buy new tubing and bottles, it's perfectly safe and sanitary to buy used.

I bought the AVENT one and I loved it my son never latched on so I pumped everyday every feed for 6 months with no discomfort.

I personally wouldnt wanna buy used/rent but thats just me. Good Luck!

i bought a medela electric double.  i suggest you spend $ on a decent electric double pump now and you'll save $ in the long run because you won't have to buy (as much) formula.  you can get a decent one under $300.  it really is worth it.

I would recommend you wait until you know you can produce enough milk for pumping.  Not everyone can produce.  So the option would be to rent when you know you can produce.

Aside, just my experience: Personally, I love the Avent pump.  I had the manual Avent pumps and electric Medela (older model).  And I ended up using both of them.  You may think why I use the manual one, but it worked really well when I was at work and didn't want to plug in an electrical one (heavy and all).  The manual one was very strong and sometimes find it worked better than the electric one when my milk ducts were clogged. 

Well then I had my 2nd son and I used my old electric Medela and that just wasn't strong enough anymore.  I did use my manual again but my hands were getting tired so I borrowed my sister's Medela (Pump In Style) which was much stronger than mine.  But then I had to return it to her since she was expecting.  Anyways, I ended up ordering the Avent electrical one and I love it.  I think I like it over the Medela (PIS) because I use the Avent bottles (so less cleaning) and I like how the suction design cup it comes with.  I think it does help increase the milk supply.  Be ware, don't pump too much if you're nursing otherwise you'll feel engorged all the time and need to frequently pump. 

 

WIC's income guidelines are pretty high. They are nutritional support and not like Medicaid, so maybe in your area you will qualify. You should be able to search online for guidelines. Good luck!

I also agree with machatica and the others that the pumps can be purchased much cheaper. Also she said replacing tubing and bottles makes it safe. I agree with that.

Through Medela, I ordered new tubing at less than $5. The membranes and other parts can be purchsed at Babies R' Us or through them as well. You can use whatever bottle you want though. I bought a 3-pack of Gerber "most like Mom" bottles and that's all I needed. I didn't have to pump much or bottle feed. I was able to visit daycare at lunch to feed. This time school is an hour away though, so I will be pumping quite a bit.

I have the medela double pump.  I didn't buy it though; my sister gave it to me.  At least it was a family thing!!  It's heavy and cumbersome; so I don't think I can take it in to the city with my laptop.  I have a Medela manula pump if I decide to pump while at work and then can take the milk home with me.

But; if you are serious about pumping and breastfeeding;  I think you should explore medela.  it's certaily a good brand.  And, this may not be the only baby you have!!! 

I was able to use the pump in the maternity ward before I made my decision to buy a NEW Medela Pump in Style. My daughter was 6 weeks early and we ended up staying in hospital for 11 days after she was born. They had a medical grade Medela pump that nursing moms could use. Each mom was given their own set of tubing, cups, and bottles and since the pumps were medical grade it was safe to share. I was pumping every three hours for the first three weeks of her life because she was not able to nurse enough and often enough to keep my milk supply going without my pumping. The hospital Medela was a bit more powerful than the Pump in Style model, but both worked great. I also found it was easy and discrete to take to work or on trips.

I would rent or use one at the hospital/birthing center first, if possible. And get help from the lactation consultant if there is one available. Many L&D Nurses are consultants and can help a LOT in those first few days after birth. 

In my case, I paid $199 for the new pump. Rental was $41/month. I was still pumping regularly up to the 9th month. So I saved a lot of money by purchasing the pump. If you only pump for the first few months, it may be cheaper to rent for you. 

Good luck and congratulations!!

Used AVENT manual and found it good.... will you be having more than one child?? Might be good investment!!

I bought a pump.  It was great.  I don't remember what brand it is, but I don't need it anymore.  You are welcome to it.  All it needs is new tubing, easily found on the website for less than $20.  It has a double storage case.  Top half for the pump and tubing, the other holds the milk in little bottles that you can transfer in to bags.  If you want it just message me your address and I will sent it to you.

((((Hugs missechelle on behalf of nenewa.))))  

That was sooo sweet. I say what goes around comes around. I have been trying to give as much as possible to a friend who is pregnant with her first, and I find that I keep getting good karma in return from others. It just makes me feel good. I have a refinished crib coming her way if I can get off of Ivillage and C-C long enough to finish it. LOL!

 

Thanks.  I'm not using it might as well give it away.

Original Post by motivateme:

I would recommend you wait until you know you can produce enough milk for pumping.  Not everyone can produce.  So the option would be to rent when you know you can produce.

I agree- after both my cs I wasn't producing enough milk so it would've been a waste of money to buy beforehand.

I also loved the Avent manual with my second child! I'm actually purchasing it again with the whole kit for my 3rd child! It's about $50 and you can control all of it since it's manual.

I bought a Medela Pump in Style for each pregnancy.  My sister broke the first one before I got pregnant the second time.  They were expensive, but so worth it for me since I used the first one almost every day for 10 months and the second one every day for 5 months.

Glad to see you got an offer.

Yes Missechelle I just messaged you and I thank you thank you so much. That is so nice and sweet of you. I hope I can repay the gesture somehow. Also if you want me to give you something for it, I can do that! I just can't believe it!! Thanks again. I love the people on this site.

Your very welcome.

Hi, I had my son 3 and a half months ago. At first I rented a hospital grade and I love it but renting a pump can become more expensive than buying on, don't get me wrong it was nice but I had planned to pump for a while. So I would sayif you plan on pumping for a while then invest in buying a nice pump like medela. I bought mine from the hospital where I had my son and it was a little cheaper than babies r us. If you can get one free from wic that would be nice, I also am on WIC and I wasn't offered one but it dosen't hurt to try.

Renting is VERY expensive.  I bought a top grade Medela used off of Ebay for $115 instead of $300.  I bought my first one brand new for 200-something 7 years ago but after 2 kids it burned out and I had to get a new one.  The Ebay is much better quality than my first one.