• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Women Deserve Better

Women Deserve Better: For us, that means better information, better support, and better choices. Life brings challenges. We bring empowerment, because we’ll never underestimate women.

  • Work
    • Find a Job
    • Build a Career
    • Take Maternity Leave
    • Thrive As a Working Parent
    • Know Your Rights at Work
  • Learn
    • Earn Your Degree As a Parent
    • Know Your Rights on Campus
    • Finance Your Education
    • Medical Care for Student Moms
    • Housing for Student Parents
    • Child Care While You’re In Class
  • Live
    • Child Care
    • Feeding Your Family
    • Elder Care
    • Housing
    • Clothes
    • Medical Care
    • Getting Around
    • Money Matters
    • Gardening
    • Special Needs
    • Fun
    • Self-Help
  • Love
    • Adoption
    • Bonding
    • Fathers
    • Your Parents
    • Support Networks
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Contributors
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • View Cart/Checkout
  • Support Us
  • Donate
  • Home

How to Afford a Breast Pump

March 2, 2018 by Bethanie Ryan

mom, baby, and breast pump

As a new nursing mother, you may find yourself having to return to outside employment, continue in schooling, or in need of a breast pump for other reasons separating you from your new baby. Here are some options for you to look into:

  1. Through the Affordable Care Act (for as long as that remains in effect), breastfeeding mothers have the ability to order a new breast pump through their insurance company. Most, but not all, are then obligated to provide one. Depending on the insurance provider, you may be given a list of various pumps you can order from them. You may be sent to a particular store to pick up a pump, or you may be mailed a pump from the insurance company.
  2. If you qualify for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, and your insurance company refuses to provide a pump to you, WIC clinics often have breast pumps to loan or give you depending on your baby’s condition. For example, if your baby is hospitalized, you’ll need a high-quality hospital-grade breast pump, and one can be loaned to you from WIC.
  3. There may be local programs in your area that can assist with receiving your breast pump. For example, check with doula programs, midwives, Lactation Consultants, La Leche League Leaders, or others in the birthing and newborn industry to obtain possible locations for a pump.

It’s important to remember that not all breast pumps are perfect for YOUR needs. They should never cause you pain, they should obtain adequate quantities of milk, and they should have a warranty. Research your choice by talking to an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, going online through your “mothers’ groups” and reading the feedback on various pumps, and/or talking with other mothers about their experiences.

Breast pumps are not to be shared, so please do not accept or purchase someone else’s pump, period. The potential for sharing illnesses with you or your baby definitely exists.

Contact Women Deserve Better with any questions about breast pumps. I will be happy to assist you in choosing the pump for you and your needs.

By Kathy Parkes

Filed Under: Feeding Your Family, Live Tagged With: breast pump, breastfeeding, free breast pump

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Should You Breastfeed? says:
    July 4, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    […] has fewer out-of-pocket expenses. The only cost that comes from breast milk are the pumps and bottles, if they are necessary for you due to work or […]

  2. Breastfeeding 101 says:
    July 5, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    […] is not based on how much water you drink, how much protein you eat, whether or not you are pumping in addition to nursing (in normal situations), on what you eat or drink, or on whether you are […]

  3. Breastfeeding Pro Tips and Advice says:
    July 5, 2018 at 6:07 pm

    […] mothers are not expected to be breast pump experts. Many insurance companies provide new breast pumps to the breastfeeding mother with a […]

  4. What Do I Need to Breastfeed? says:
    July 5, 2018 at 9:02 pm

    […] carriers, baby slings, breast pumps, nipple shields, nursing bras, hands-free bras, nursing clothing, nursing covers, nipple creams and […]

  5. What Baby Really Needs says:
    May 21, 2020 at 7:08 pm

    […] pump: Insurance companies are required to cover the cost of a breast pump for you to keep, or they may supply you with a rental. Contact your insurance agency before the […]

Primary Sidebar

Suggested Articles

What Do Need to Breastfeed?

Breastfeeding Pro Tips and Advice

6 Common Breastfeeding Questions Answered

fb-share-icon

Footer

Women Deserve Better

1 day ago

Women Deserve Better
Who is cutting the onion? 🥲I’m sharing this on the grid, because we all need a laugh.So this is not a poem.It’s about poo.And not even my child's poo.This is a story about the glamorous life of me right now.I'll keep it short, much shorter than my trip to the toilet.Both the kids were having screen time because quite frankly I had had enough and was at my limit, the move has been a lot and we were all a bit overwhelmed.Heidi had decided she wouldn't do her nap in the bassinet & so I strapped her in the carrier, seems to be the norm these days.Only, her nap lasted much longer than I had anticipated. An hour went by & the urge to pee was too great, yet so was the urge to not wake her.After careful consideration I thought I would attempt going to the toilet with her strapped in, surely I could manoeuvre all I needed to, and with a slight sway while weeing she may even stay asleep.Mother's can do anything right....But no, my body had other plans.Code brown alert.Not too far along post birth it was safe to say there would be no holding back. My mind was saying no... everything all postpartum down there was saying hell YES.So here I was, sitting on the toilet at my nanas house, kids out in the lounge while I was stuck on the toilet with my baby strapped to me taking a twosie.Other than the fact this was not my plan at all (and pretty unsanitary), she started to wake, of course she did.Now, unloading a baby from a carrier at the same time you're unloading timber is quite the awkward art. But here we were, my gorgeous little baby in my arms, carrier and pants at my feet with her apologetic mum just trying to finish what she unintentionally started.Luckily it was all smiles from her.I cooed & talked to her like it was totally normal for her to wake up in this little echoey room with her mum feeding the fish, and then it happened...her first official laugh.What a moment to behold.This is the way I live. This is what I do.Baby milestone book: place and date of first laugh 🚽✔️When Drew got home from work I needed a moment, just one moment alone to regain some dignity.I went to hand her over & he said,"yep just give me a moment to pee first" 🫠Art: @this_mama_doodles ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Women Deserve Better

2 days ago

Women Deserve Better
How friendship works with little ones. It is too stinking cute!Fuecoco meets Totodile twitter: fieldexplores ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

womendeservebetter

Getting ready in the morning. #mommeme #mommemes Getting ready in the morning.

#mommeme #mommemes #parenting #parentingishard #parentingmeme #parentingmemes #dadmeme #dadmemes
Nothing quite as frustrating as your kid refusing Nothing quite as frustrating as your kid refusing to clean up. 

#mommeme #mommemes #parentingmeme #parentingmemes #dadmeme #dadmemes
True story. Me: Time for bed! Toddler: I'm going True story.

Me: Time for bed!

Toddler: I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.

#mommeme #mommemes #parentingmeme #parentmemes #dadmeme #dadmemes #bedtime #bedtimeishard #bedtimewithtoddlers #bedtimewithtoddler
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Thanks for signing up!

GET OUR LATEST NEWS

ABOUT

  • Our Mission
  • Contributors

SUPPORT US

  • Donate
  • Become a Partner
  • Share Your Story or Your Expertise
  • Promote Women Deserve Better

Women Deserve Better: For us, that means better information, better support, and better choices. Life brings challenges. We bring empowerment, because we’ll never underestimate women.

Copyright © 2023 — Feminists for Life of America • All rights reserved.