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Home › Articles › Equipment › To Rent or Not to Rent: That is the Question

To Rent or Not to Rent: That is the Question

The Whys and Hows of Breast Pump Rentals

By Shel Franco

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You are a Light Use Pumper if you answer YES to any of the following questions:

  • Are you at home with a healthy, nursing baby?
  • Do you want to pump extra milk for an occasional absence?
  • Do you have less than five brief absences from your baby per week?
  • Do you want to pump milk so that family members can feed the baby?

Once you know what kind of pumping mom you are, you can begin to get pump specific.

The Basics
If you rate as Pump Dependent – or even Part-time Pumper – renting a hospital-grade pump could be the best bet for you. Why rent?

According to Stacy Block, CLC, MBA, senior product marketing manager for Camp Healthcare, renting a breast pump presents a few distinct advantages over purchasing a pump. First, when you rent, the company that owns the pump can address any mechanical problems, and you are not held responsible. Second, with hospital-grade pumps, you are most likely getting a pump with a longer motor life and a higher level of suction. With a hospital-grade pump, Block says the consumer is on the "safe side."

"I bought a mid-priced pump from a baby supply store right before I returned to work," says Kate Rinehart of Richmond, Va. "I figured I would pump while I worked and feed from the breast when I was home. That was all the thought I gave to the matter."

Rinehart never anticipated how much she would be pumping, and she certainly never expected her pump motor to succumb to premature wear and tear – but it did, and she blames that for early weaning. "I just wasn't pumping the volume that I had been," she says. "I thought it was me. I was supplementing with formula more and more every day. My pump was dead, and Chase was weaned by 4 months old."

When she was pregnant with her second child, Rinehart took a breastfeeding class specifically designed for working mothers. "The instructor taught us so much about breast pumps and pumping," she says. "This time, I chose to rent a pump according to my personal needs. I've been pumping for Chloe for eight months without so much as a grinding noise from the motor."

Where to Rent

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