PSA when shopping for used breast pumps - buyer beware

[Harmony96]

Neither the LLL nor the FDA support the sale/transfer of used breast pumps. Please thoroughly read the following sites when deciding to make a breast pump purchase.

Excerpt from LLL:

Some mothers mistakenly assume that because rental pumps are safely shared by mothers that it is also safe to share purchase pumps. This is not true. Rental pumps and purchase pumps are designed differently. The collection kits (the bottles and tubing that attach to the pump) used with the rental pumps are designed so that the milk never touches the working parts of the pump that are shared with other mothers. This is considered a “closed system.” Most purchase pumps, for example Medela’s Pump In Styles, DoubleEase, and MiniElectric, are “open systems.” This means that the pump motor is “open” to contact with the mother’s milk particles. In a Pump In Style, for example, the breastshield (the part held against the breast) is open to the tubing that attaches to the back of the shield, which is also open to the diaphragm on the pump motor that creates the suction and release. This means that an invisible mist of milk particles can travel from the shield into the tubing and back onto the pump diaphragm. The diaphragm cannot be removed or sterilized, so it cannot be cleaned well enough between mothers to insure safety. When there are milk particles on the pump diaphragm, even with a brand new set of bottles, tubing and breastshields, with every suction and release another mother’s milk particles will be blown into your milk. Even if milk particles are not visible, they can still be there.

Excerpt from the FDA:

You should never buy a used breast pump or share a breast pump. Only FDA cleared, hospital-grade pumps should be used by more than one person. With the exception of hospital-grade pumps, the FDA considers breast pumps single-use devices. That means that a breast pump should only be used by one woman because there is no way to guarantee the pump can be cleaned and disinfected between uses by different women. The money you may save by buying a used pump is not worth the health risks to you or your baby. Breast pumps that are reused by different mothers can carry infectious diseases, such as HIV4 or hepatitis5. Buying a used breast pump or sharing a breast pump may be a violation of the manufacturer’s warranty and you may not be able to get help from the manufacturer if you have a problem with the pump.

[bamboo]

good info

[mmeneely]

To buy another only for the motor and replace everything except the motor is fine. Approved by the hospital here!

[Hands&Fire Pottery]

I thought the Ameda pumps were closed systems. I know the Medela's aren't because when my Swing stopped working well, I called their hotline and they walked me through cleaning the milk out of the motor.

[ulawolf]

Originally Posted by mmeneely To buy another only for the motor and replace everything except the motor is fine. Approved by the hospital here!

This

[wisa03]

Ameda is closed. I used the same kit I used on the hospital pump (which are often ameda). I will be selling mine (probably not on here) for that reason only - if I had bought any other one it would not be resellable.