Are Used Breast Pumps Actually Dangerous?
When you learn that you’re pregnant, you begin to prepare yourself and your family for your little one’s arrival. Right from promptly visiting your doctor to stocking up on baby essentials, you eagerly take steps to welcome your newborn because you want everything to be perfect for them. When you’re looking at things to invest in, a cradle, pram, baby clothes, diapers, and other baby items are inevitably on your list. If you’ve decided to breastfeed your baby, you might have even invested in a breast pump. However, if you’re having a baby for the second or third time, you probably already have one, and like most mothers, you wonder if you can reuse your breast pump.
You’ve come to the right place. We are here to tell you if you need a breast pump and, most importantly, if you can reuse something that’s already used. Scroll below to know more:
In This Article
Why Do You Need A Breast Pump?
Before we understand whether a used breast pump is good for you or not, let’s look at what it is and why mothers use them. Breast pumps are tiny portable devices that help nursing mothers pump milk and store them in bottles. If you’re stepping outdoors and cannot find a place to feed your baby, pumping could be a great option. Another reason why a breast pump works wonderfully is for working mothers. If you need to be away from your baby while you’re still breastfeeding them, breast pumps work as a boon.
It’s not limited to working mothers. It also helps stay-at-home mothers who want to follow a fixed schedule and feed their babies on time. It could also help you catch up on some me-time while your partner or someone you trust bottle-feeds your baby.
How Often Can You Use A Breast Pump?
You can use a breast pump how many ever times you wish to in a day. However, you also need to latch your baby on to keep your milk supply flowing. A baby is considered way more effective in keeping your milk supply high than using an artificial machine (1).
You should also give your breasts a break from pumping and allow some time for storage. Continuous and frequent pumping could lead to the cessation of milk supply (2). Therefore, the best way to keep the milk supply production effectively high is to alternate between pumping and latching with regular breaks between them.
Are Used Breast Pumps Safe?
Now that you’ve understood a little more about breast pumps and it’s uses, let’s dive into the topic at hand. Is it advisable to reuse breast pumps?
Several hospitals and lactation experts say that it’s safe to reuse a breast pump, provided it is designed for multiple uses. Some women also rent breast pumps instead of buying one, which is safe for multiple users because these pumps are designed to decrease the risk of contamination. They are also known as hospital-grade pumps. However, it is important to note that hospital-grade does not mean that it’s FDA approved.
If you want to rent a breast pump or reuse an old one, speak to your doctor or a lactation expert first as they will be able to guide you and recommend a trusted brand of breast pumps. A breast pump designed for multiple uses can be used more than once, but the FDA considers other breast pumps as single-use devices.
If they are not made for multiple uses, sharing a breast pump or reusing it could be carriers of infectious agents and make your baby sick. Another thing to note about reusing breast pumps is that there is no guarantee that it is cleaned and disinfected properly before using it the next time. Therefore, it’s best not to reuse them. Have you considered reusing breast pumps? Comment below and let us know!
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