which breast pumps are "hospital grade"?

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I'm 8 mos. pregnant and looking at pumps to buy. Which ones are considered "hospital grade"? I ask because I know you can swap out the external pieces of a hospital grade used one and, therefore, possibly save money by not having to buy a brand new one.

I'd like to do this if I come across one in my searching that is the right price and quality. I see many on eBay and my friend actually has a Pump in Style (that's Medela, right?) but I'm not sure which ones keep the milk out of the motor mechanism and which don't.

I'm trying to get a good deal without risking cross-contamination so I want to be absolutely sure that I'm looking at either brand new ones or used ones that won't allow cross-contamination.

So if you happen know which ones are or are not and can save me the time of having to look every single one up, that would be GREAT! Or if you just know that the one you own is or is not, that would help, too.

Thanks.

[tylersmama]

A hospital grade pump is a multi-user pump. The motor is totally contained such that there is no way for the milk to get into it. Even if you're renting, you have to buy your own accessories/collection kit. They are expensive, I think around $1000. Medela's Lactina and Symphony are hospital-grade pumps.

Most single user pumps do not have closed motor symptoms, and are therefore recommended only for use by one person. Also, the motor is not as strong as a hospital-grade pump. The Pump in Style and Pump in Style Advanced are single user pumps. I believe Ameda has a closed motor system that could theoretically be used by more than one person without worrying about contamination (the Purely Yours, maybe?) However, when you buy a used pump, you don't know how much it was used. So, the motor could be totally burned out but you don't realize it. This could be a problem if you aren't getting enough suction to get the milk out.

Medela doesn't allow websites to publish prices on their pumps, but you can usually get a quote pretty easily. I paid around $220 for my PISA almost 2 years ago (with free shipping and no sales tax) through www.lactationcare.com . I know a lot of people on the boards have had good experiences with www.hackleyhme.com as well. If you do a search, you can probably find the old threads.

You may want to consider renting a hospital-grade pump for a month or two, especially if you're going to be going back to work. It will help you establish a good supply, and give you some time to figure out which pump will best suit your needs. Some insurance companies will help pay for rental or purchase of a pump, so you may want to check that out as well. Mine only paid for a pump if baby was in the NICU, but it's worth a shot to find out!

[egoldber]

Both major pump brands, Medela and Ameda, have both consumer (single user) and hospital (multi user) pumps.

All the Ameda pumps are a closed system. In addition, the tubing from the Ameda consumer pumps fits on their hospital pumps also. The tubing is not interchangeable with the Medela consumer and hospital pumps.

[tylersmama]

The tubing is not interchangeable with the Medela consumer and hospital pumps.

Really? Is that new? I rented a hospital grade Medela for a month before buying my PISA. I had to buy the accessories for the rental, but they also worked with my PISA, so I had two sets that both worked (which was kind of nice).

[elephantmeg]

Both major pump brands, Medela and Ameda, have both consumer (single user) and hospital (multi user) pumps.

All the Ameda pumps are a closed system. In addition, the tubing from the Ameda consumer pumps fits on their hospital pumps also. The tubing is not interchangeable with the Medela consumer and hospital pumps.


actually the pump kits for the medela symphony do work on the PISA-you just take off the yellow diaphragm thing and plug the tubing into the front. I left my pump at home one day and had to take a pump kit off the cart (I offered to pay for it but my boss said not to worry about it) and use the symphony at work. And I was able to use the tubing etc on my pump. It was great to have an extra set :)

[egoldber]

Interesting. With Amy I had a rented Medela Classic which did not use the tubing I had from my PIS. Maybe thats a difference with the Classic vs the newer models like the Symphony?

[jerigirl]

Really? Is that new? I rented a hospital grade Medela for a month before buying my PISA. I had to buy the accessories for the rental, but they also worked with my PISA, so I had two sets that both worked (which was kind of nice).


That is exactly what I did...

jeri

[GeekLady]

The Avent electric pumps are closed systems too.

Supposedly the iQ Duo is a hospital grade pump, but having tried neither, I can't comment on experience.

[daniele_ut]

Interesting. With Amy I had a rented Medela Classic which did not use the tubing I had from my PIS. Maybe thats a difference with the Classic vs the newer models like the Symphony?

When Logan was in the NICU in 2004, I used the same tubing with my PIS Advanced at home and the Classic that I used in the NICU. I brought it back and forth with me each day. Then last month I got a kit for the Classic when I was in the hospital with Cadence and have been using the new tubing with the same PIS Advanced I got in 2004.

To the OP, I rented a Medela Classic for the first month after DS was born and when I switched to the Pump In Style Advanced I found that I pumped the same amount of milk, just more comfortably. The lowest level of suction on the Classic is still a little intense for me.

[egoldber]

OK, so now I have to wonder what we were doing wring? :ROTFLMAO: Other than sleep deprived haze. The LC Center where we rented the Classic also told us we needed different tubing. Anyway, it was only $8.

I think everyone also responds differently to pumps. I rented the Classic because (besides the tubing) I had all the other Medela parts at home. But the NICU used the Ameda Egnell and I actually preferred that one. And both of them were far superior to my PIS.

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Cool...thanks for this input. It does help. Unfortunately, my insurance doesn't cover the pump.

I do plan to rent for probably the first month, but I'm thinking BFing won't be a problem (hopefully...you never know!). I BFd my first son without any problems, but that was 13 years ago. I really want to get a decent pump because I am going to try really hard to BF for the full first year. If things go well, I'll go back to work when the baby is about 4 months, so pumping prior to that will just be for when I'm away from her and to build up my supply after BFing is established.

So it sounds like the PIS and PISA are not the way to go as far as used pumps are concerned. Can anyone recommend a particular hospital grade pump they bought "used", changed the tubing, and really liked?

And I'm a little confused at what egoldber wrote...you stated that both Medela and Ameda have single and multi-user pumps, but that all Ameda pumps are closed systems.

Does that mean that all Ameda pumps could be used my more than one person, in regard to cross-contamination risk, even though they are considered "single-user"? It seems contradictory. Although I understand this might not be ideal due to how much the prior person used it (as referenced by Tylersmama), if I find one that is almost new or barely used I might be able to get a good deal.

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Cool...thanks for this input. It does help. Unfortunately, my insurance doesn't cover the pump.

I do plan to rent for probably the first month, but I'm thinking BFing won't be a problem (hopefully...you never know!). I BFd my first son without any problems, but that was 13 years ago. I really want to get a decent pump because I am going to try really hard to BF for the full first year. If things go well, I'll go back to work when the baby is about 4 months, so pumping prior to that will just be for when I'm away from her and to build up my supply after BFing is established.

So it sounds like the PIS and PISA are not the way to go as far as used pumps are concerned. Can anyone recommend a particular hospital grade pump they bought "used", changed the tubing, and really liked?

And I'm a little confused at what egoldber wrote...you stated that both Medela and Ameda have single and multi-user pumps, but that all Ameda pumps are closed systems.

Does that mean that all Ameda pumps could be used my more than one person, in regard to cross-contamination risk, even though they are considered "single-user"? It seems contradictory. Although I understand this might not be ideal due to how much the prior person used it (as referenced by Tylersmama), if I find one that is almost new or barely used I might be able to get a good deal.

[MontrealMum]

Just another bit of information regarding pump rental: I was originally going to rent a hospital grade pump (my hospital only had Medela, others have Ameda) from the hospital where I gave birth, for several reasons (too long to go into). This did not work out (they didn't have any at the time - even though I'd tried to call and reserve one in advance!) and I ended up buying the Medela PIS.

Not that you really care about all the ins and outs of my experience, but up here this is the way rental rates go: $65 for the 1st month, then it decreases by like $5 per month until it levels off at somewhere around $40 - I'm not going to do all the math again, but basically if you're going to breastfeed for at least 6 months, you've paid for a new single-use pump in rental fees at that point. (these are Can. prices, a new PIS is around $350)

Now, it's your choice whether you prefer the hospital grade to the single-user motor (others have outlined some differences here), and the brand also is a consideration (especially this whole closed-motor thing, which I don't know much about), but if you're going to rent you might want to check out those fees and price it out. Renting for the 1st month is good advice just to see how it all works out for you, but you might not want to do that for the entire year that you're planning on b/fing. I was quite surprised when I did the math to see that if was going to be more cost-effective to buy (a single-use) one new.

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That makes sense...I definitely wasn't planning to rent the whole year. That wouldn't be cost efficient at all, I don't think.

I didn't think to call and reserve one though, so that's a good idea. I've been meaning to go over to the lactation center anyway to ask general questions.

[tylersmama]

I would call around, too. You probably won't need the pump from day one, so if you can find a better deal somewhere other than the hospital, it would probably be worth it. We have a bra shop locally that specializes in nursing bras and they rent pumps. It was a better deal for me to get one through them than through the hospital. I needed a couple more nursing bras at that point anyway, so my mom, DS, and I made the trip when he was about a week old. You could call a lactation consultant, or your local LLL to ask who in your area rents and who they would recommend.

As far as the Ameda pumps, they are considered single-user. However, if you were going to buy or borrow a used pump (depends on your comfort level), these would be preferred since it's a closed system. The single-user part is in reference not only to the closed/open, but also the motor itself. But yeah, it does seem a little contradictory, doesn't it? I could be wrong, but I don't think Ameda actually says it's ok for multiple users to use their pumps. Many people do though. Just as many people use borrowed or secondhand PIS or PISA's. It's up to you to do the research and decide if you're comfortable with it or not.

[GeekLady]

Closed system refers to how the pump gets milk from the breast and transfers it to the bottle. Closed systems are engineered so that milk can't get into the tubing. But this isn't enough for a pump to be certified for multiple users. Mistakes or damage can happen, so milk could still get into the tubing and, therefore, the motor.

A multiple user pump has a sealed motor so that even if milk gets into the tubing it cannot get into the pump. When you buy a new collection kit for a multiple user pump, it becomes a brand new pump.

The reason a closed system is preferable to an open system is that it helps preserve the purity of your milk from pumping to pumping. If milk gets into the motor, stuff can grow in there - you don't want fungal spores or anything like that floating back up the tubing and into your freshly pumped milk.

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I see. That does make a little more sense. I don't think I'll risk it and stick with the closed system for multiple users.

Good recommendation about alternate places to buy, also, thanks. Not sure what else there is in my area, but I'll have a look around and try the places mentioned.

I'd like to try to get it figured out before the baby comes, though. I feel like I'll have my hands full enough as it is with the baby and our other boys and don't want to have to be running around trying to get one.

Thanks for all the helpful info...I really appreciate everyone's input.

[egoldber]

Both the Ameda and Medela websites have dealer locators. Thats how we found the place I rented my Medela Classic from.

Also, due to various issues, I ended up renting the hospital pump for a year. We paid for it out of my DH's health flexible spending account.

[GeekLady]

You can find really good deals on single user pumps, and I really think a new closed system single user is just as safe as a hospital grade pump, and for a lot less money overall.

Right now, Amazon has the Avent iQ Duo for $215 with free shipping, and the Ameda Purely Yours pumps (backpack and carryall) are also ~33% off, but they aren't being sold by Amazon, so I'm not sure whether they're used or not.