I am due in a few weeks. I did not breastfeed my other two. I know the benefits of it and wanted to try with this one. Since I was not able to with my others, I was interested in renting a breast pump. Are these available thru the hospital or where do you inquire about renting one? I have read from other posts that the Medella is the one to get if you are buying one but they are very expensive and not sure that bf will work for us so I don't want to put a lot of money in one that I may not be able to use. Please let me know your thoughts.
TIA
The hospital should have them, but ask and they will give you all of the information. When I delivered, they had breast pumps to use in the hospital, but I had to go to a sister hospital to rent one to take home.
Check with your hospital to see if they have a lactation consultant on staff. Our hospital offered breastfeeding classes to take while you are pregnant and they outlined all the resources you may need at that time. When I had my twins, the hospital's loaned me a pump (for free. They had some sort of grant to provide this service to the community.) I had the pump for about a month and a half while we build up my supply.
If the hospital is no help, I have two recommendations. 1. Check with your OB's office about who may be offering breastfeeding or childbirth classes. 2. Contact a local medical supply company. They are the ones in my area that would supply the pumps (for a fee) if I hadn't had other resources.
Good luck to you.
I didn't rent one, but my friend did, and I looked into it. It was $50 a month from my hospital so I figured it was cheaper to buy one since I was returning to work and planning to BF for at least one year. I would rent one for the first few months to "try it out". I know when we left the hospital, they gave us all sorts of pamphlets about breastfeeding resources and these had places you could rent from as well. They should even have a lactation consultant on staff after your birth that you could talk to and ask these questions. If you're going to be working and plan to stick with it for more than 6 months I would buy one, for me it was totally worth the investment. Give it at least 3 months, for me it got a lot easier after the first 6-8 weeks. Good luck and good for you!
Ask if the hospital has lactation consultants on staff. If they do, they can help you rent one, even if only for a month or so to make sure it works out for you. If they don't, you can call Medela and let them know you want to rent a pump. They have reps all over that can help get you what you need. When I rented one, they gave me a closed pack of the tubing and other pieces so I did not have to buy it separate.
My first child had problems latching on so I rented the Medula pump from the hospital. When she eventually did latch on, I bought my own so I had it. Renting is definately the way to go in the beginning, just make sure you buy new tubing and cups. Congratulations!
I just googled "breast pump Topeka KS" a a few options came up. you should try it.
I rented for both of our children. In the end the rent for 6 months was equal to buying one. That said I opted for renting a "professional grade" since they are suppose to be "better". Only thing I can say is that I did not have any issues with my pump. In the beginning it was really hard - but I knew it wasn't the pump since we got the best so I persisted and am happy we did.
I think that is a fantastic idea, to rent! Most hospitals have those resources for you. If not, your local Le Leche (sp?) group would. I've heard most insurance companies will pay for it.
I didn't need to rent. I was given an older model Medela and another brand. Medela was my favorite! The newer ones are even nicer!
Good luck with BFing!!!
I know you aren't sure at this point whether you'll have a successful breastfeeding experience, and therefore, don't want to fork out a ton of money on a pump that you may not use... but from what I'm reading, renting one costs in the vicinity of $50 to $70 a month... I've seen like new Medela double electric breast pumps on craigslist for that price... I wouldn't bother renting one for that price, when you could buy a very good, gently used one for nearly the same cost... and if you end up not using it, you could simply resell it... That's what I plan to do... buy a used one...
If your hospital doesn't rent them, check your local medical supply stores or pharmacies. Not your chain store pharmacy, but see if you have a stand alone pharmacy. Our town has pharmacies that rent as well as our hospital. I rented for a month and it was $70 for the Medela at my hospital. It was slightly cheaper at the pharmacies, but we paid extra for convenience. Also, the hospital gave me brand new parts. I saw them take them out of the boxes. My hospital gave me a list of local pharmacies that rented pumps. Even with pumping my supply never came in, so I'm glad that I was able to rent instead of buy. This time around, I borrowed my sister's pump and just have to buy new accessories. You may also want to check your local consignment shops, they may have one to buy cheaper than renting.
My answer is a bit different. Are you intending to try to pump exclusively or to actually nurse your baby? If you want to nurse, you don't need a breastpump. If there are any complications at birth and you want/need a breastpump, there will be one at the hospital. But if you want to nurse, you should take a breastfeeding class in advance - it is NOT intuitive! Take dad with you so that he understands the benefits of breastfeeding and how he MUST help - even though he doesn't have boobs:) As soon as baby is born, put baby to your breast and get help having baby latch. Do not let the hospital wash either you or your baby before your baby latches. I know, after labor you want that warm, wet wash cloth but we are animals and the baby does know your "scent" and it should "match" babies....make sure your husband knows. I knew, and husband knew, but after 42 hours of labor, I FORGOT! Husband stopped me from grabbing that big warm wet towel!
A doula can be invaluable in this situation in case your hospital doesn't have a great lactation department - or there is no lactation consultant available. Have the phone # of a lactation consultant on hand when you go to the hospital - just in case. You can bring your own consultant in.
Know in advance that the first few weeks are definately harder than formula. Every week after is much easier - you don't need bottles, you don't need a pump, you don't need water or formula or soap/water to wash bottles. All you need to do is be with your baby. The year that I nursed my #2 was awesome! My diaper bag with #2 was so much smaller than with #1 (who I pumped exclusively for until 7 months and then used formula).
Read as much as you can - and then just decide that you will nurse. If you have pain, get an evaluation with a lactation consultant. They can work miracles!
Best wishes and have a very happy babymoon! C.
