Rental Pumps vs Personal Use Pumps

As an expectant or new mom, you probably have lots of questions about breast pumps and there is a lot of confusion around what a hospital grade breast pump is and what a standard or personal use breast pump is, so today we want to break it down for you.

Standard electric or personal pumps are those that you see on the shelves at Target and Walgreens.

You buy and you keep these pumps. They are lightweight and portable and great for everyday use.

Most of the time the personal pumps work great for a nursing mom. There are some circumstances when a mom may want to rent a hospital grade pump instead of purchasing a personal pump. And I say rent because the hospital grade pumps are really too expensive to buy.

A few more details for you about a personal use breast pump like this one. If you are covered for a breast pump under your insurance plan, you’re likely covered for a personal use breast pump and you will likely have a choice of one brand over another. And you’ll always be permitted to keep this pump. Most personal use breast pumps are really only to be used by one person. Most are double electric meaning you can pump one or two breasts at a time.

So now a little bit more information about hospital grade breast pumps. These pumps are usually only covered by insurance for a specific medical condition. For example, if your baby is in the NICU. For hospital grade breast pumps, you will almost always be required to obtain a prescription from your doctor if you are planning for your insurance provider to cover the item.

As with most personal use pumps, with hospital grade breast pumps, you can choose to pump one or two breasts at a time.

But unlike a personal use pump, a hospital grade breast pump is actually quite heavy and is not meant for daily transport.

With the personal use pump you get everything you need when you order your pump, however for a hospital grade breast pump, you will need to purchase or have your insurance plan cover your own set of accessories to use with the rental unit.