Women in 2019 have more choices than ever when it comes to motherhood, thank goodness. You can have children or don't, breastfeed or bottle feed, carry your baby or adopt or hire a surrogate. We can work or stay home, although many of these choices aren't always choices, are they? Sometimes we work when our babies are smaller than we would like out of necessity, not choice, and in the past this has made breastfeeding more difficult as well. Another choice taken away. Well fortunately there's a way for moms to rent some amazing breast pumps for just a few dollars a day. Because if you choose to breastfeed your baby, you shouldn't have that choice taken away from you because of your career.
Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010 new mothers were finally offered breast pumps under the health insurance plan, as per Healthcare.gov. The ACA allowed for women to either rent breast pumps or buy their own. Although some plans only offered manual pumps rather than electric, it was still a step in the right direction. A 2017 study from the Boston College of Social Work found that breast pump claims for women rose from 70 (among women with private insurance in the state of Maine) before 2012 to a total of 803 in 2014, as per Reuters. That being said, things are different for mothers on Medicaid, so there's clearly still some work to be done. But more women with private insurance were breastfeeding because they had the support.
And now that support is getting even better.
Medela breast pumps are popular in hospitals across the country, and now the company is launching the Medela Symphony Rental Plus, a breast pump rental program. These breast pumps have been designed to help stimulate milk supply in those all-important first few days after baby arrives. As Medela executive vice president of Americas Melissa Gonzales explained in a press release:
We know the first few weeks are critical when it comes to starting a breastfeeding routine and initiating milk production, so we are always looking for easy and convenient ways to bring our proven technology to support moms where she is. Moms are more successful in meeting their breastfeeding goals when they have access to support, and that includes having an effective breast pump, as well as breastfeeding education, lactation services and help from their community. We are proud to help.
These breast pumps also help to increase milk production to reduce pumping times for busy moms. The breast pumps can be rented through three different Symphony Plus programs:
- A month-to-month option is $135 per month
- A three-month rental option for a $275 flat fee
- A six-month rental option for a $525 flat fee
Medela also offers a 24/7 lactation support video chat service for when you're struggling through its app MyMedela.
It is obviously your choice whether you want to breastfeed or not, but if you do decide that this is the way you want to feed your baby, you should have all the support available to you. And this Medela breast pump rental allows you to access hospital-grade equipment in your own home.
Not such a bad choice after all.
