Expectant parents find themselves in a whole new world of experiences, learning and expenses! Hearing your baby’s first heart beat fills you with excitement and wonder and can often start your heart racing while your head fills with questions and concerns; “will we have a boy or a girl”, “what must we do to keep Mom and baby healthy” and of course “how are we going to afford all this?” Having a baby can be expensive and there are lots of new things you will need to buy – never mind the medical bills! Thankfully friends and family are often there to offer their slightly used baby goods. While many nursery items like cots, prams, compactums, blankets and clothes can be shared and even welcomed a used breast pump should not be shared.
Second-hand breast pumps could potentially expose both you and your baby to several health risks, these health risks far out weigh the small amount of monetary savings associated with buying or borrowing a used breast pump. What Are The Risks? Breast pumps are personal hygiene products and come into direct contact with body fluid, any of the pump parts that are exposed to the previous mothers milk could harbour viruses that were in that mothers system. Your baby could be infected by these viruses! Some common viruses that could be transferred in breast milk are; Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Hepatitis and Human T-cell Leukaemia Virus type 1 (HTLV-1). Of particular concern to us in South Africa is the HI Virus being able to survive in a droplet of milk being stuck in a tubing or the pump motor. Health risks would also be increased if the previous Mother had Thrush (fungal infection), cracked or bleeding nipples – often the reason a breast pump was recommended for that Mom. What If I Replace or Sterilise the Pump Parts? Breast pumps sold in retail outlets directly to consumers are personal hygiene products for use by a single user.
These pumps use suction to extract milk and the motors are not sealed which makes it possible for milk to enter the motor unit. Medela product packaging states: “Breastpumps are personal care items. Use by more than one woman may present a health hazard. For hygienic reasons, they cannot be returned once the packaging has been opened.” Medela instructions for use state: “This is a single user product. Use by more than one person may present a health risk and voids the warranty.” The individual user should wash and sterilise all parts that come into contact with breast milk after every use, for the safety of her baby. Buying new parts for a new user does not get around the problem of viruses or pathogens that may be present in parts of the pump that cannot be seen, cleaned or sterilised such as the electric pump motor.