Using someone else's breastpump....

[Juniperjan]

I realise that this has probably already been discussed in this forum but when I searched I couldn't find anything. A friend lent me her electric breast pump a few months ago after breastfeeding for 4 weeks and giving up. I had a manual which I have been using until now but finally decided to use the electric one. I washed and sterilised all the parts and then went on to use it. It's only now that I realise that I should have used the spare parts in the box. Once I had thought about this, I decided to throw the milk that I had pumped out. It's only now that I remember my friend gave up breastfeeding because she developed thrush.......

I feel stupid that after all these months of it sitting there in the box, that on a whim I decided to use it and did not exercise proper hygiene standards by using the unused parts. Could I have got thrush from this? So annoyed at myself.

I know some people would never use a used breast pump because of the risk of infection from HIV/Hep C etc.

Anyone happily using a secondhand pump?

 

[lunawaffles]

In my personal opinion, electric pumps are expensive. Good on you for throwing that first batch away, I would have probably done the same. But, if it were me, I would probably just clean and sterilize it REALLY well and use it. Like I said, this is just what I would do. Other people may say it's dangerous or something, but so is stepping into a car and driving on the highway, but we all still do it.

Anyway, good luck on whatever you decide~!

 

[Hopeful18]

I got my electric breast pump from my cousin. I went to the pumps website and bought the new parts that actually touched the breast, everything else was the same that she used. I'm happy I didn't have to pay a ton of money for it!

 

[_Lexi_]

For me, it depends on the pump. I was looking at buying a second hand medela swing as couldn't afford a new one. After looking into the pump, apparently it's an open system, meaning milk can travel into the actual machine, which can't be sterilised, breed bacteria, and travel back. Medela state on their website it's a single user and single baby pump. I saw photos of the inside of one and it was really disgusting with loads of mould from dried out milk. So I would buy and use a second hand one, but I'd make sure the pump was a closed system first x