"Hand Me Down" Breastpump.

Hi D.,

I handed my Medela pump down and it worked just fine. It's important to sterilize all the parts, but other than that, no problem. Good luck! -mb

Both myself and my sister in law have used a hand me down breastpump. I believe it's perfectly fine and after reviewing this wiht my OB and a lactation consultant was told that as long as I replaced the tubing, collection devices, and breast shields, I'd be fine. You can buy these items at Target, etc., and/or talk to the lactation consultants at the hospital/doctor's and hopefully they'll GIVE them to you.

If you sterilize it there is NO problems!! They even have bags you can buy for a few bucks that do that in the microwave or you can boil some water and do it that way. The only parts you need to clean are the parts that touch milk. It's not gross. I used a used one when I had my first child. It worked for all three of my kids!! :) They are healthy and happy!!!

I've borrowed my sisters before and the way I see it is if you get all your own parts to the pump, then how can it be dangerous to use. Even if you sterilized all the parts, I'm sure it would be ok. Especially if its your sister's and you know she has no communicable diseases, what would the harm be. Medela has to say that so they don't get sued!

Go ahead, they are so expensive, why not share the goods?

A. V.

The key thing to this question - is it a hospital grade pump or not? Hospital grade pumps are closed systems so there is no chance of spreading germs when using your own parts. For the other pumps, technically they can spread germs because they are open systems. The air going through the tubing is propelled by the diaphragm behind the faceplate and the diaphragm is open to the motor so it is possible for milk particles to get back by the motor from one user and into clean tubes from another user - so that's why they are labeled single user. Likely? That's different story and personal choice if you want to use a used one. But that's the difference - open vs closed system. You can check YouTube for more info and cleaning tips.

You seem to have gotten a lost of responses saying that it is just fine as long as you replace the tubing and such. What I have read and researched though strongly suggests that you don't use someone elses pump because bacteria and organisms can still get into the pump itself and that can be bad for you. I'm not sure about that but my opinion is that a breastpump is a 'personal use' item and I wouldn't want to share someone elses, even with new parts. I am by no means a germaphobic or anything but I am of the thinking that if there is any chance that something I'm doing could harm my child, why would I do it. If you look on ebay you can sometimes get a pretty good deal on new in the box pumps.

I was told by a lactation consultant that as long as you replace the the tubes, seals and bottles (or sterilize the bottles) you can use the pump safely.

Also, if it came from your sister, and it was properly cared for and sterilized I would not be too worried.

i am using a hand me down pump with my second baby and have had no problems. a great pump is expensive and i would take advantage of having someone give you one. just use new parts (breast shields) with it.

My breast pump has been through 6 of my friends, some of them twice. Use your own (new) pieces that touch your body and the milk. The basic pump/air hose is fine and will save you a ton of money. Hope this helps! Thanks!

The pump is safe to use but you should invest in new bottles, tubes and beast cup(not sure the name for these). This is what they do when they rent out pumps at hospitals. My mom used to rent out of the home for new moms and she only used Medela. I know you can find all the replacement parts at Babies R Us. Hope this helps and good luck with the new baby.

Just another set of 2 cents. When my daughter was in the NICU I used a new set of pump parts and tubing with a hospital grade pump in the lactation room to get milk for her. There were multiple people sharing the pump. Now it did have a little adapter for the tubing, but still, if multiple people can share that machine, then you should be able to share a pump with your sister. I would buy new pump parts and tubing, but I would definitely share the pump! The shared pump was a Medela hospital pump. Good Luck!

D.,

If you are really worried about safety you can buy all new plastic pieces that go with the pump http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/pump-access... which would then make it safe for you to use and it would be much cheaper than buying a whole new Medella breast pump. I gave my breast pump to my cousin when I was finished with it and she loved it and to my knowledge never had an issue with any infections.

good luck and God bless,
Mel

I agree with Amber....
My cousin went thru the same dilemma. She talked to her OB and they told her the same thing - if you replace the hardware and sterilize, there should be no problems!!

I have done a lot of research on this and it is not safe even if you get new tubing. With single use pumps, sometimes milk gets into the motor (which you can't clean) and then can contaminate your milk. The hospital grade ones are made differently and that's why you can use them again if you buy new tubing.

As long as you know where it's coming from, I wouldn't worry about it. If she has no blood-born illnesses you'll be fine. Go ahead and replace the parts other than the pump, it's still much cheaper to do that than buy a new pump!

I have used my sisters pump before. We always either boil the parts that can be boiled or replace the parts that cant. The pump itself doesnt contact the milk (at least in the pump I have). You should always use your own best judgment. Good Luck

My sister gave me her Medela breastpump and it was perfectly safe. Just sanitize the tubing and the bottles and the plastic part of the pump that fits over the breast. You can get sanitizing bags at babies r us or wal-mart. I had no problems at all! I think they just say that it is not safe to try to sell more pumps LOL. As long as you sanitize everything you should be just fine. Good luck!

Hi D.,
I'm currently using my sisters double medela pump for my third girl. I just got new parts that fit over the breast from the hospital. Medela just wants you to purchase a new one. So go for it. My sister has three kids. And I have three that's one pump for 6 kids! Pretty good!! Good luck!

I borrowed a pump from a friend before I bought mine. I am planning on letting another friend use the one I bought. The milk goes directly from the breast into the bottle, so as long as they are clean and disinfected there should be no problems. The plastic tubing is just for suction to stimulate the breast. Go for it, those things are expensive. I see nothing wrong with it. Good luck!

You will need to replace the tubes and the cups. The pump should be just fine to use. Plus, it's not like you're buying it from a stranger!

The reason it's called "single user" pump is because there are little areas in there that milk can get in that can not be disinfected. Therefore, little parts of sisters milk can be passed on. (This was my understanding from lacation help when I asked at work).
The hospital grade pumps are set up differently and therefore milk can not be trasferred from one user to another.
Again, this is from lacation consultants, and very basic explaination I'm sure. It's also in relation to premature infants, which have much higher rates on intestional problems, so strongly suggest the use of hospital grade.

The pump its self should be fine, I would get new tubing and new pump sheild and parts.

You can just boil the plastic pieces that touch your breast as well as the tubing, you should be fine. I bought a pump from a friend and had no problems.

DON'T BORROW A BREASTPUMP! As a lactation consultant I have seen multiple mothers with yeast infections and mastitis from using someone elses breatpump. The pumps you purchase are single-user only because the condensation from the breastmilk travels through the tubing and into the pump motor which can not be sterilized. New tubing, etc doesn't help. Breastmilk is a body fluid and transmits all types of infections including AIDS, TB, MRSA, Hepatitis. Recently two of my customers ended up with MRSA from a used pump. The pumps used in hospitals and for rentals (Medela Lactina, Symphony, etc) are classified as multi-user and do not transmit infection as they are designed so no milk or condensation enters the pump itself. They also cost from $800 to $1000. It is the FDA that determines whether a breatpump is multi vs single user, not Medela or BabiesRUS.

I used my sisters Medela pump and just sterilized the parts. I bought a brand new less expensive one and it was awful. If you get the chance to use a medela and not have to shell out the money than go for it! The pump was amazing. I'm sure you know your sister as well as I know mine than you should be safe, enjoy your new little one!!

I have used 2 different hand me down pumps. However, I just used the gadget to do the pumping. The pump was actually a separate kit I got at the hospital. Honestly, if it is your sister - you know her if she does not have Hepatitis or another other disease that you know of - I would boil the parts and go for it.
-M.

I gave my pump to my best friend to use. She works at Children's hospital and questioned / polled several co-workers (Dr's, nurses, educators, etc) on the safety of doing so. The general consensus was that it was fine.... they pretty much recommended buying the replacement parts, which you can get reasonably at babies r us... or even target, meijer, or walmart are starting to carry many accessories for the medela pumps. She of course replaced the breast sheilds and filter flaps, etc and of course we made sure it was sterilized well. The great thing about medela pumps is that they fit a lot of small mouthed bottles so therefore if you don't feel comfortable with just sterilizing the bottles you can buy replacement ones at reasonable cost or use bottles you may already have. Seeing its coming from your sister... you should be fine. Go for it, save yourself the money of buying a new one!

As long as you sterilize it well, I would. They are expensive so of course Medela tells you not to borrow one. I borrowed one and was glad because it didn't work very well for me. That would have been a huge waste of money if I would have bought a new one.

If its fro your sister it should be fine. Just clean and steralize it well.

I used one also. I trusted the person I got it from and never let it back up into the machine. I did purchase new hoses and (i think they are called) diaphragms- the little white things. Not sure if it was necessary to do so, but it made me feel better. Also, the bill was less than purchasing a whole new machine- which I could not have afforded.

While I never used one I was offered one through the hospital when I had my youngest who will be 27 in March and I would assume it was used. Why do they say it's not safe is there no way to clean it? And what about breat milk from Milk banks or wet nurses. I never heard of a child getting sick that way. I myself would be willing to try for one bottle at least. Ask your dr or a nurse with the breast feeding league. It's Le Leache League or something like that.

Hi D., I don't think there will be any problem, especially knowing where it came from; however, if you go to babies r us, you can buy the plastic sucking cups that go on your breast, for your peace of mind you can buy those to have your own; if you want to go a step further, you can buy the tubes that go from the pump it self to the sucking cup and the milk containers. That expense will be a lot better than spending $300 on a new pump.

I used my sisters. Just make sure it's sterilized. You can do this with alcohol or steam,, I dug into every crevice with a Q-tip, tootk picks,,everything. I'm a total germ-o-phobe, but I just couldn't see something like a breast pump being disposable..

I used a friend's pump and I washed everything that could be washed in the dishwasher and wiped everything else with soap and water. I did not have any problems at all. You could probably get new tubing or any other parts you would be worried about. Hope this helps.

of course it is safe. Just clean it. Unless the wiring is messed up or something, it will fine. That is interesting that the company says their own product is not safe to use. WOW! I haven't heard too many companies bashing the quality of their own products. They clearly weren't thinking were they! LOL.

Enjoy your baby! :)

A.

As long as you clean the parts you'll be just fine. I would recommend getting new tubing though because mine has a tendancy to collect condensation and get moldy. Even thought the milk never even goes through the tubes, it just makes me feel better.

Medical places rent them out. Our church has one that has been used by many different women for years. Just sanitize it thoroughly, if you'd feel better having the parts that touch you totally replaced that will cost you between 20 and 30 dollars. A LOT less than buying it new!
~A.~

Hi D.,
I've used hand-me-down pumps and they are very safe as long as you sterilize it before you use it.

I know lots of people who use a 2nd hand breastpump. You can clean it very well - steralize with bleach. All the parts that actually touch milk or the breast can be bought new for under $15-$20. Since no milk actually gets to the pump part and you can buy brand new parts that do touch the milk then it's just like using a 'new' breastpump.

Of course Medela says that - otherwise they wouldn't sell any pumps! As long as you're using new tubing and such, the pump is perfectly safe. The milk never comes in contact with the pump itself.

I used my best friends pump. She took very good care of it,she cleaned and so did I. I think if your using someone you know really well then it should be ok. Just remember in third world contries women breast feed other womens babies. I would only use someones that I knew very well, but I think your sisters should be fine to use.

I tend to agree with most of the responses already provided. A close friend of mine had the pump with twins and I took it as a hand-me-down. Of course cleaning/sterilizing and getting some of the parts new was key but it worked great and we never had any problems. I was on a very tight budget too and it was a blessing not to have to pay retail for it.

I was told that as long as you buy new lines and cup things (I'm sure that's the technical term!) you can use the pump. Your breastmilk doesn't actually go through the pump, just the plastic stuff. Perhaps this is why Medela is telling you that it's not safe? See if Babies R Us just sells the pieces you need. As a back-up, usually your hospital will rent a hospital grade pump and sell you those pieces to go with it. The nice thing about them (I did it) is that they are dual-pumps, they work really fast and are usually more powerful than those you can buy.

They are fine. You should get your own new tubes and breast horns, and milk containers. Though I would think boiling those items to starilize them should do the trick. The pump it self is just a moter. It never touches the milk. If it's a good meala pump....the $200/$300 kind....buy the tubes and horns online for about $30 and your are set. I plan on giving my pump to a good friend that refered my husband some business. I figure it will save them a good $200.

Deb

Copied from Breastfeedingonline.com.....

The practice of re-using single user pumps may be dangerous because some disease organisms are know to be present in the breast milk of infected women. Additionally, if a woman has used the breast pump during an episode of cracked bleeding nipples, blood contamination may have also occurred. Home sterilization methods are not always reliable to ensure the safe destruction of all pathogens especially in the rubber parts such as washers and diaphragms. Some pumps have internal diaphragms that cannot be removed and cleaned or replaced. In addition, even if you get a new collection kit (the part the touches your breast and collects the milk) it may be possible for air-born pathogens or droplets of milk that are not visible to the naked eye to get into a pump motor and cause contamination to the next user. Most single user pumps are "open system" pumps and do not have any protective barrier to prevent cross contamination to multiple users.

Many of the diseases that can be found in the milk of infected women are very serious or life threatening. Pathogens like Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and others can be found in the breastmilk of infected women. (Lawrence 94) These diseases frequently go undetected for long periods of time, so even if the former user of the pump is trustworthy and willing to share this personal health information with you, she may not be aware she or her partner are carriers. Though there have not been any documented cases of mothers or babies being infected through the use of a second-hand pump, I don't believe sharing single user pumps is worth even a very small or theoretical risk.

Other very difficult to clear fungal infections like candidiasis, more commonly known as yeast or thrush, may also be transmitted. Yeast organisms are very stubborn pathogens that can live on surfaces for long periods. Some lactation consultants will go as far as recommending replacing old pump equipment when working with a mom who has an especially persistent yeast infection because of the difficult in ensuring the complete destruction of the fungus even with careful cleaning.

It is good you know where it came from but like other people said, just treat it like it was new and boil all the parts for five or so minutes. I had a slightly used one and that is what I did and then after I boiled them I washed them in the dishwasher (top rack). I didn't go through all the responses but I am sure someone already told you that.