

If you know you will deal with any of these issues, you should set up a rental before your baby is born. Luckily, the hospitals keep them on-site to hook you up if needed.īesides establishing milk supply, the hospital-grade pumps are also great for helping with low supply and exclusive pumping. We did not know I would need this pump ahead of time. The lactation consultant I worked with said the Ameda Purely Yours was great for an established supply, but a hospital-grade pump was much better at bringing in the milk supply.Įstablishing a milk supply is one reason you may want a hospital grade over a regular pump. Since we had a rocky start to breastfeeding, the hospital recommended I use an Ameda hospital-grade pump to establish my milk supply.


I always recommend getting with a lactation consultant as soon as possible if you are having trouble getting breastfeeding started. I quickly enlisted the help of a hospital lactation consultant. Having her in the NICU caused a delay in my milk coming in, and I had a lot of trouble getting her to latch and breastfeed. I had it all ready to go, but my daughter ended up in the NICU. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I knew nothing about pumps or pumping, but after some research, I went out and bought the Ameda Purely Yours Double Electric Pump. Why would you want a hospital-grade pump over a personal double electric pump? They are recommended as the better choice when dealing with a low milk supply, establishing a milk supply, or if the baby is too premature or sick to breastfeed.Īccording to Hygiea, all of their pumps are hospital-grade because all of Hygeia's pumps meet the criteria for multiple users and use piston-driven solid motors. Medela Symphony breast pump "Image provided by Medela. So, while it may be possible to buy them, they are usually only offered as a breast pump rental. I have seen them for sale on Amazon and some pump rental shops for over $1000. They are bigger, much more expensive, quieter, and usually only available for rental. The Ameda and Medela models differ significantly from their single-user, personal electric models. The leading manufacturers and models are the Ameda Elite and Platinum, the Medela Symphony and Lactina, and the Hygeia models. Pumping parents can find hospital-grade pumps in hospitals you can rent them if needed. The FDA has an article about breast pumps you can also check out for more information on types of breast pumps. The description above is typical when describing a "hospital-grade breast pump." While the term hospital grade is not regulated, I have found that more and more breast pump manufacturers have started to use the term to describe their pumps. They are not available for individual purchase. You will typically need to rent a hospital-grade breast pump from a hospital or breastfeeding and lactation center. They can help to establish your milk supply due to having a baby in the NICU, a premature baby, twins, or trouble breastfeeding for any reason. Hospital-grade breast pumps are also the most substantial, with the most powerful and durable motors. Multiple users can use a hospital-grade pump because it is always a closed-system breast pump, which prevents cross-contamination from milk or fluids getting into the pump. The main difference between a pump labeled 'hospital grade' and 'personal" or 'single user' is that the pump is for use by multiple users, and each user must have an accessory kit. 6 Conclusion What is a hospital-grade breast pump?
