Breast pump insurance link

[twobananas]

Howdy folks, I just wanted to share this super handy website that I used with my 2nd (didn't know about it with my 1st) and I just ordered another breast pump for this pregnancy. 

All you need to do is visit the website, click to chat online with someone, give them your insurance info and they send you a list of breast pumps you are eligible for and then ship you the one you want.

nationalrehab.com/breastpump

While we're at it, who's excited to breastfeed? Who's feeling more 'meh' about it? And who really hasn't thought much at all about it?

[ArgyleEnigma]

Thanks for this! I wouldn't say I'm excited to breastfeed. I intend to, and I'll give it the old college try for sure because I believe there are significant benefits, but I'm not looking forward to it or anything. I definitely wish DH could split this with me.

[mladerri]

Thanks for the link. I think I have to order one through my ob. I'm not looking forward to the time that is spent breastfeeding, but you can't beat that bond and I'm looking forward to bonding with baby #2. I'm hoping I have as good of a breastfeeding experience with baby as I did with ds.

[sandandsea]

Cool, I'll have to try this. I called my insurance company and they gave me 5 or so websites to go to in order to buy one. This seems much easier. Let us know how it goes! I was told I couldn't order it until 1 month before the due date. I'm definitely not excited to BF, but I will do it because I feel it's important. I made it to 12 months with DS and had a large enough freezer stash that he got BM 100% through 13 months. Pumping at work totally sucks, even with a nice place to do it and flexibility, but I do think it was worth it.

[manybellsdown]

Thanks for the link!

Totally separate from pumping, which is NOT AT ALL something I want to do again, I am legit excited for breastfeeding again. It was a sweet bond for me. I just hope it doesn't hurt as much as it did or for as long as it did last time.

[pbandj714]

I wouldn't say I'm necessarily excited about it, but I definitely plan to breastfeed and hope that it's the experience I hope for. I fully anticipate my boobs being out pretty much 24/7 with two little mouths to feed! At least it'll be summer!

[Andrea]

Thanks for reminding me to put this on my list!

[Andrea]

I'm planning on breastfeeding; I'm a little worried about supply issues with PCOS and worried I will be bad at it. #ftmwoes

[mladerri]

Dreaming I meant the bond between a mom and baby while breastfeeding is so strong. I felt so connected to ds when he fed. It was our time together. Now I replaced breastfeeding with singing songs and laying with him talking about his day and listening to his stories. It's still a special time, just different. I know everyone has a different experience with breastfeeding, this was just mine. I'm hoping I share that same sentiment (and have the time) with #2.

Edited to add I breast fed till 18 months. The first couple months I did not feel this way. I felt like a cow. Overtime I began to enjoy the moment and the experience a lot more.

[frecklesnbrains]

I feel like I should be excited about breastfeeding and I've always wanted to but to be honest I'm a little nervous and intimidated. All the SUPPLIES like pumps and pads and bottles and bags aren't helping. I'm hoping I feel differently once the LO is in my arms.

[Andrea]

Feb 23, 2016 20:54:41 GMT -5 frecklesnbrains said:

I feel like I should be excited about breastfeeding and I've always wanted to but to be honest I'm a little nervous and intimidated. All the SUPPLIES like pumps and pads and bottles and bags aren't helping. I'm hoping I feel differently once the LO is in my arms.

[phone]

[cattuccino]

Fun fact Canadian mommies,
call your insurance companies!! Many actually will cover part of breast pumps here too. If the policy doesn't have it within, sometimes they even have a "medical budget" that can be used.

I'm so glad we checked. It would have been handy last time, but my pump took a fall or got crushed in our move and doesn't work, so I'm super glad that we're getting help with a replacement.

[amiet79]

Feb 23, 2016 21:01:55 GMT -5 cattuccino said:

Fun fact Canadian mommies,
call your insurance companies!! Many actually will cover part of breast pumps here too. If the policy doesn't have it within, sometimes they even have a "medical budget" that can be used.

I'm so glad we checked. It would have been handy last time, but my pump took a fall or got crushed in our move and doesn't work, so I'm super glad that we're getting help with a replacement.

Very interesting. I was successful at breastfeeding both of my babies, but I could barely get anything from pumping. I stay at home so I won't have to worry about pumping, but I know many women IRL who are pregnant right now. Some plan on pumping, so I will mention this to them!

[manybellsdown]

Feb 23, 2016 20:54:41 GMT -5 frecklesnbrains said:

I feel like I should be excited about breastfeeding and I've always wanted to but to be honest I'm a little nervous and intimidated. All the SUPPLIES like pumps and pads and bottles and bags aren't helping. I'm hoping I feel differently once the LO is in my arms.

I totally get you. I also want to give a tiny bit of reassurance. When it comes down to it, you totally don't have to worry about supplies! You kinda just need the boob and the baby. When you get that figured out (and when you go back to work), the supplies help. But they aren't end-all, be-all at first.

A good lactation consultant at the hospital (and even afterward, worked for me), on the other hand, is the best third wheel to the boob and the baby relationship. A breastfeeding class beforehand might help too. I know I legit could not picture how it worked until I took one. Like I had anxiety dreams of the baby's mouth going at my boob but missing a la Charlie Brown and the football. The class helped.

[carolinaheart]

Thanks for sharing this! DH and I actually registered tonight and when we got to the breast pump aisle, we realized we had no idea how to get ours.

I'm pretty intimidated about breast feeding but I am so so looking forward to it. I'm really praying were able to do so happily for a long time.

Speaking of classes, has anyone every taken the Babies R Us breastfeeding class?

[bgkc4]

I got my pump pretty easily. I started the process really early thinking there would be a lot of red tape (I clearly have no faith in insurance companies); but the process was a breeze. I called my insurer and asked about the pump. The phone rep gave me a list of 6 or 7 places I could contact. They didn't give me any info about the various companies (which was annoying since I didn't know which one to pick). I did a brief Google search and picked one. The company required me to get a Rx for a pump from my OB, which I easily obtained and faxed to them. I got my pump a few days later. It's a Madela PIS (it doesn't come with the carry bag). The whole thing took 7 days from beginning to end. Not what I expected at all.

[microworm]

Last time, I wasn't able to order a pump until 30 days (I think) before my due date. I'll have to check to see if that has changed.

[titania]

I was told by Kaiser I couldn't get a pump until after the baby was born, but I'm hoping that was incorrect/outdated as I would very much like to have one beforehand. Calling them has proven to be most unhelpful, but I will have to keep pushing.

[nitecheese]

Feb 23, 2016 18:58:20 GMT -5 Dreaming said:

I'm not looking forward to breastfeeding. I'm hoping that I'm surprised and like it more this time around verses last. At least I have a better idea of what to expect this time.

This. 

I am also dreading pumping. I hate pumping. HATE. I will do it because formula is effing expensive and if I am producing milk, I might as well use it.

I also plan to forgive myself a little more easily if things don't go the way I'm planning. DS has a tongue and lip tie which caused him to have a crappy latch for the first few weeks. Once it was fixed, it was night and day, and he packed the pounds back on. 

Does anyone have a rec other than the Medela PISA? Just seeing mine makes me cringe. 

[athn64]

My insurance required a prescription from my doctor in order to acquire a pump. So definitely call and check with them.

[twobananas]

I have very little expectations for breastfeeding this time around, since I have no idea how it will work with multiples. The things I love about breastfeeding are the cost (formula is so expensive!) and the convenience of not having to carry a bunch of bottles, formula, etc around when I leave the house. I also think it really helped me get my body back into shape post pregnancy (my body immediately dropped a ton of lbs, although many of my friends held on to weight until they stop bf, so everyone is different!).

Regarding the bond, I actually felt a lot of resentment towards my husband with my first because I had a really painful time breastfeeding and it was such a chore to me, whereas my husband could hold the baby and feed him a bottle and have a really positive experience. Luckily, breastfeeding got easier over time and I was able to relax and enjoy the experience as my son got older. My second was much easier, I think mainly because I had better expectations with how it would go (and I knew how to latch her on correctly from the start, which really limited the time I was in pain!).

I'm hoping I can be successful at breastfeeding twins, but I will have zero guilt feeding them formula from day 1!

nitecheese, I hate pumping too! I forced myself to do it a lot with my first, and was way more relaxed about it with my second, which really helped. It was nice to have a reserve in the freezer, but I didn't stress over every stored ounce and the timing to pump and all of that. I'm getting one this time because a) it's free from my insurance and b) it's nice to have on hand if I'm engorged or want to go out and leave the kids or some other unforeseen factor that will cause me to have to pump.. I figure it's good to be prepared!

[frecklesnbrains]

nitecheese, I'm not sure this is a recommendation because I'm an FTM and haven't used it, but based on reviews I put the Spectra Baby on my registry. I have yet to see what my insurance will cover, so I may change my mind based on that. But I was worried that the Medela PISA is supposed to be loud. When I go back to work I am fortunate to have my own office that I can pump in, but the walls are paper-thin and I'd rather not have all of my coworkers hearing the pump. The Spectra Baby is supposed to be much quieter.

[sandandsea]

Feb 24, 2016 12:15:55 GMT -5 frecklesnbrains said:

nitecheese , I'm not sure this is a recommendation because I'm an FTM and haven't used it, but based on reviews I put the Spectra Baby on my registry. I have yet to see what my insurance will cover, so I may change my mind based on that. But I was worried that the Medela PISA is supposed to be loud. When I go back to work I am fortunate to have my own office that I can pump in, but the walls are paper-thin and I'd rather not have all of my coworkers hearing the pump. The Spectra Baby is supposed to be much quieter.

I used the PISA with DS and tested the volume by doing a conference call with DH to see if he could hear it through the phone.  He couldn't.  We also have thin walls and I asked a close friend/coworker if she could hear anything outside my door or in the next office and she couldn't.  I'm planning on using the PISA again. 

[2dogs2kids]

I'm not excited about it. I'm actually kind of having anxiety about it. With DS I had no idea what to expect and this time I feel more prepared but not necessarily ready for it.

With DS I primarily pumped because it made me feel more comfortable. It was a lot of work but it's what worked for us. Because it was so much work I made the decision to stop before I went back to work and I feel like it almost sent me into a depression. There were a lot of things I didn't like about BF but I still felt overwhelming guilt for stopping because I knew it was going to be too much stress for me.

This time I will not be returning to work but I worry about the amount of guilt I felt and feeling like I HAVE to BF even if it's not what I want to do. I am going to try and take it one day at a time and see how it goes.

[microworm]

nitecheese I liked my Ameda Purely Yours. Well...as much as you can like a device that makes you feel like a cow being milked.

[frecklesnbrains]

Feb 24, 2016 12:41:17 GMT -5 sandandsea said:

Feb 24, 2016 12:15:55 GMT -5 frecklesnbrains said:

nitecheese , I'm not sure this is a recommendation because I'm an FTM and haven't used it, but based on reviews I put the Spectra Baby on my registry. I have yet to see what my insurance will cover, so I may change my mind based on that. But I was worried that the Medela PISA is supposed to be loud. When I go back to work I am fortunate to have my own office that I can pump in, but the walls are paper-thin and I'd rather not have all of my coworkers hearing the pump. The Spectra Baby is supposed to be much quieter.

I used the PISA with DS and tested the volume by doing a conference call with DH to see if he could hear it through the phone.  He couldn't.  We also have thin walls and I asked a close friend/coworker if she could hear anything outside my door or in the next office and she couldn't.  I'm planning on using the PISA again. 

Thanks - that's reassuring! I'll see what I can get covered by insurance and take it from there. I probably won't be getting a pump for a while anyway. I'm a total procrastinator when it comes to baby prep in general. I've done a lot of research but haven't bought anything at all yet (except a few clothes that were on sale).

[microworm]

I wouldn't say I'm looking forward to BFing a newborn but am not dreading it. DS is in the process of weaning (maybe) so I won't have a break from BFing and maybe that makes it easier for me since I never stopped. It'll just be very different.

[2dogs2kids]

Andrea I have PCOS and never had a supply issue but I also only went 3 months. If you do have a supply issue there are always ways to try and increase it but hopefully you won't have anything to worry about.

frecklesnbrains have you taken or are you planning on taking a BF class? I didn't take one my first time around and I think it would have been really helpful and it might ease your mind some. ETA - I know you're from the Boston area so it's a little bit of a hike, but Nini Bambini in Bedford NH is a great resource for all the classes before and after having baby. They have great groups that help with every age and stage. But if you bring a prescription from dr they will help you get the best pump available through your insurance and they don't charge anything.

[2dogs2kids]

nitecheese I have heard amazing things about the spectra 2. I have no experience with it personally. The only complaint I've seen is the parts are not as readily available as Medela parts. And Medela parts do not work with it. It has been compared to the Medela symphony which is the hospital grade one. I plan on looking into it a little more but I think it's what I will be getting.

[frecklesnbrains]

2dogs2kids, Thanks for the recommendation! I have family in NH so maybe I'll check out Nini Bambini sometime. I actually know a lot about breastfeeding because I'm trained as a pediatrician. Sometimes I think I know too much and that's what makes it intimidating for me. I also have a biased view because I've tended to see the babies whose mothers are struggling much more than those where everything is a breeze. My OB office does offer breastfeeding classes which I am considering, but I think I'll end up primarily leaning heavily on lactation consultants after birth.