used breast pump

[Lauren31]

My friend bought a medela manual pump and she used it a couple times... she was going to give it to me. Is there anyway that I can sterilize this completely or should i just buy a new pump? One of my friends said you can't sterlize pumps and using a used one is like borrowing a toothbrush. Thoughts?

[linchi]

Good question.

[mtnmoonmama]

Technically you are not supposed to use a used pump...with that said, I borrowed my friends electric medela with my last babe. All the parts CAN be steralized, except for the motor. I felt okay with it. Surely you can steralize all the parts of a manual - they make microwave steralizing bags that are super quick and easy to use.

[HappiLeigh]

It's my understanding that all parts can be sterilzed except the motor. And the friend giving me hers assures me that you'd NOTICE if milk traveled all the way up the tubing and into the motor. (And at that point, you'd have a bacteria problem whether you were sharing or not.) I had a cheap hand pump last time, except the week I rented a hospital grade one (had to have surgery on my arm following a car accident and needed to pump for the time I was hospitalized), and this time I'm looking forward to having a good one any time I need it, although I consider it a luxury for me, since I won't use it that often.

[NicoleS]

Can't you buy all new pumping parts for the Medela pumps? I know my hospital rental was a Medela, and they just had every mom buy a new shield/tubing kit for it...

[beccabus]

I believe everything can be sterilized too. My friend gave me her pump and I used it on and off with our first son. No problems. I'm sure we'll use it here and there with our second too.

[TexasMum]

You can buy a whole kit that has new horns, tubes and diaphrams for like 20 bucks. The lactation consultant at the hospital gave me a kit for free. But since its just a manual pump you should be able to just replace the horns and the little flappy diaphram things and sterilize the rest in the microwave or however you like. I can't use the horns that come with the pumps anyways because I got bigguns and I have to get the bigger horns.

[Ruby2]

I'm DDC crashing from December because I've put a lot of though in to this question. All of the electric pumps carry big warnings on them that pumps should not be shared. But, if there is a risk of infection from milk getting into the pump motor, why is the risk higher if it's your moldy milk or someone else's moldy milk? It just doesn't make sense.

It seems to me that the risk is the same whether you're using YOUR pump that you used with a previous child or a trusted friend's pump that you know has been used before but has been properly taken care of.

I decided to save the hundreds of dollars and take the risk of using a friend's electric Medela pump.

[lulu_n2]

I think the biggest risk would come from buying a used pump from an unknown person... and what diseases they might have.

Also, I think every pregnant women in the US HAS to be tested for AIDS and other blood born pathogens prior to giving birth. So every women who's had a baby in the past 10 yrs or so would have been tested.

[marcib28]

I agree with pp's post. I was looking into getting a used pump and spent probably a good 20 or 30 hours reading up on them. No pump is "approved" to be re-sold or used by another person. When I read about why though, it was simply b/c you don't know if they had anything in their milk that may not be good for your baby and their milk could get up in the motor. However, if it's someone you know and consider a "healthier" person, I would just replace the parts you can and call it good. My only option for buying used was to get one off of Craig's list or something similar, which I've decided not to do b/c I don't know anything about the person who used it previously.

[SheBear]

Ditto what Ruby said. If I know/trust the mama who's being so generous, I have zero problem with gratefully accepting her gift. I also would probably borrow her toothbrush in a pinch.....but that's just me; I tend not to freak out about little ol' things like germs!

I might have second thoughts buying a used-but-can't-be-sterilized pump from a stranger though....

Then again, I've never really had any need for a pump, beyond a handheld Avent which I've used a half dozen times for engorgement or for pumping to put in stuffy noses/infected eyes. If I could get the hang of hand-expressing, I probably wouldn't even need the manual.

[Helsie]

I think the reason the pump manufacturers tell you not to use someone else's pump is so that you buy a new pump from them, and they make more $$! Of course you can sterilise the whole lot (apart from the pump itself, which doesn't need sterilising). Otherwise my own pump would be lethal right now as well! No, it's nonsense, you don't need a new pump and you can definitely sterilise all the parts you need to.

But, what about this new thing about baby bottles, old pumps and BPA? Are old pumps/bottles from 4-6 years ago safe to use still?

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Breastfeeding.