Lifespan of a pump?
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Anonymous
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I have 2 Medela freestyle breast pumps, which is an awesome pump. I used one with my first, and the other I got from my friend. She used it with her two kids. I've now lost track of which one is which, but I've noticed that one of them just is not getting the milk out - I have never had issues with pumping, but my right boob is clearly full, and almost nothing is coming out. The suction seems shaky, even on high levels. Could this pump just have seen the end of its days? Given the $300 price tag, you would think it would last longer than 2 years of pumping...
Thinking of getting a spectra with my insurance, but my kid is 8 months old, so not sure it is worth it at this point. Does anyone know what the price is if it's covered? |
Anonymous
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Have you replaced all the membranes and checked all the connections?
Pumps do die, but I am not sure after how long. I have two pumps that are both 3 years old. One is terrible, one works just as well as it did on day one. |
Anonymous
If it's covered, then it's free. |
Anonymous
| I believe the Breastfeeding Center on K Street can test the suction of the pump. |
Anonymous
They can. They checked my pump, which was 7 years old (Medela PIS) and said the suction was great. Like 15:27 said, have you checked the membranes and the tubing? |
Anonymous
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I think they're meant to last 1-2 years of lots of pumping. It's tough to say, since some people EP and others just pump once a day or something, which is obviously different in terms of wear and tear.
Replace the membranes (the little white parts; available on Amazon) and get the free pump from insurance to start. |
Anonymous
| The freestyle doesn't have the membranes like the pump in style - it has big rubber ones, and I have a gajillion of those, so it's not the parts. I sounds like it is the motor because it sounds really sad... |
Anonymous
| I heard somewhere that they're really only designed to last a year. I think this is because of the advice that you're not supposed to share or re-use pumps. (Personally, I suspect the contamination concerns are vastly overblown by the breast pump industry to discourage people from passing their pumps on second hand.) |
Anonymous
| I bet that the membrane you are using has a hole in it. Get new yellow things. I had to do that with my freestyle. |
Anonymous
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I have two as well, one 6 years old and one two and both work fine- I would give them a call, their customer service is great!
Do you exclusively pump? Or will you just be pumping once in awhile? I pretty much exclusively BF so that may also be why mine has lasted.... However I do go through periods of pumping everyday several times a day and it still works the same. |
Anonymous
| I work and my baby is in daycare, so a typical day is 3 pumps. The first time around I was pumping 4 times a day. I also travel for work so I took about 3 week-long trips the first time where I pumped 5 times a day, and this time I've already taken a week trip pumping 5 times a day. But it seems too soon to be dying - I will call them... or go to bf center. |
Anonymous
Is there a way to look? A friend gave me her sets, so I literally have 6 sets of membranes. Could you tell by holding it up to the light or something? |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thanks to the person who recommended going to the breastfeeding center. I went to today, and as it turns out, it was pumping way below capacity (to give you an idea, the freestyle should be pumping 200-250 units and mine was at 100). |
Anonymous
That'll do it! Put out a posting on a neighborhood list serve. I see them posted all the time. |