Getting Your Breast Pump Through Insurance

By Glenni Lorick, IBCLC
It has been over two years since mothers have been able to get their breast pumps through their insurance providers. We still come across some situations where a mother is unable to get her pump through insurance, but more and more mothers are having success. Some insurance providers just do the bare minimum and provide a manual breast pump; however, many providers are giving mothers top notch double electric pumps by recognized manufacturers like Medela and Ameda.

Blue Cross Blue Shield

Medela pumps are available many places!

Most state plans do provide coverage for breast pumps; nevertheless it is dependent upon the individual plan. For more information on getting your BCBS pump, check out the information here. You should be able to get your Ameda or Medela pump through BCBS 30 days prior to your due date. 

Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield is a little different. They will provide you a breast pump, but you have to call CVS Caremark at 1-800-262-7890 to get your pump. They will provide you an Ameda double electric pump. They will also provide 150 Ameda bags every 90 days.

Cigna

Recently Huntsville Hospital, one of the area's largest employers, switched to Cigna. They will reimburse the cost of a dual electric breast pump or pay $400 towards the cost of renting a hospital grade pump. Parents may purchase their pump and submit for reimbursement.

The Ameda Purely Yours is also a great pump. 

Tri-Care

It has been an ongoing frustration that military families are not given the same access to free breast pumps as their civilian counterparts. However, a measure included in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is changing that!  They are now mandated to provide a breast pump of some kind to nursing mothers. We don't know yet what they will provide, and the information on their webpage still says they don't provide it. However, we expect that to be updated in the near future!

Other Providers

There are two key on-line providers who will work with every major insurance provider to help you get a pump. So if you have Aetna, United Healthcare, or any other insurance, be sure to check with either  Aeroflow or Edgepark. They will work with you to make sure you get what you are entitled to!

If you have an experience that would help our moms in this quest, please leave it in the comments! 

Freestyle Breast Pump Review

by Guest Blogger, Elizabeth S., Huntsville, AL

The Medela Freestyle

BACKGROUND:  I am a working mother with a 6 month old.  I pump 3-4 times (30 minutes-1 hr sessions) during the workday and breastfeed 3-5 times a night and all the time on the weekends.  I do not have an over-abundant milk supply, but when breastfeeding exclusively my supply is fine.  I rented a Symphony breast pump for 2 months after my son was born, then switched to the Freestyle a week before I went back to work at 2 months postpartum.   I pumped at work using the Freestyle exclusively for 4 months.  I purchased the Freestyle from a big-box retailer after consulting only online reviews.  At the time I purchased the pump, I didn’t know any lactation consultants or working mothers who pumped, and purely from a research standpoint, the Freestyle sounded like the workhorse I was looking for.  Luckily, between the time I purchased the Freestyle, and the time I needed to use it, I discovered A Nurturing Moment and their team of lactation consultants, so when I had problems, I knew where to start looking for answers. 

RECOMMENDATION: I DO NOT recommend purchasing Medela’s Freestyle Breast Pump. 

“It’s like pumping with a jackhammer.”

PROS:

The membranes, connectors, and backplates are easy to clean (much easier than the Pump-In-Style or

The Freestyle is intended to simplify pumping.

Symphony) and do not extend into the collection bottles, allowing collection of more milk.  The pump is highly portable, small, lightweight, rechargeable (up to 6 hrs of pumping on one charge of the battery, but you have to plug it in whenever you’re not using it), can function plugged into the wall outlet if desired, hands-free (I used the Simple Wishes pumping bra instead of the hands-free adapter kit), has a decent way to secure the pump to your waist,  never got moisture in the tubing, can do single or double pumping, and I loved the included timer and memory button that would remember and repeat your last pumping session.  I really wish I could recommend this pump, because the pros were awesome.

CONS:

With each suck, serious vibration that is part of normal Freestyle pump operation is transferred directly to your breasts.  Over time, this caused me recurring breast tissue irritation, swelling, pain, and damage to my skin.  The pump did not fully empty my breasts at the highest setting I could tolerate (Level 4), which caused me to have issues with engorgement and severe difficulty pumping out enough milk to feed my son.  The only way I could handle the vibration somewhat was to slather myself with Lanolin before every pumping session, but all the symptoms above still occurred.  Medela doesn’t make the SoftFit breastshields that come with this pump in any size besides Medium, does not sell any as spare parts, and I could not use the PersonalFit breastshields (Medela’s regular breastshields) with this pump because they made the vibration issue ten times worse.  The pump is also extremely pricey and twice as loud (at least) as the Pump-In-Style or the Symphony.  I would place the Freestyle on the arm of my chair or on the table and feel the vibration throughout my body.  I changed from the Freestyle to the Symphony, and in the same session where I usually got 5 ounces with the Freestyle, I collected 7 ounces using the Symphony (time of day, pumping duration, and all other variables being equal – I ran this comparison the very next day, so the Symphony hadn’t had time to increase my milk production any). 

PURCHASING TIPS – ITEMS TO CONSIDER:  When you purchase a breast pump, give some thought to the customer service.  I didn’t, and now I’m out ~$400 for the pump, $120 for the connectors, membranes, and backplates, had 4 months of pain and stress, and almost lost my milk twice.  (I just hope there’s no long term damage.)  If you’re a working mother, an inadequate pump can sabotage your breastfeeding relationship with your child.  And the danger can be subtle – it took me a month to figure out what was going on after I realized there was a problem somewhere.  Yes, prices are higher at A Nurturing Moment than at the big-box or online retailers, but there is absolutely no substitute for Glenni’s customer service!  If you want Glenni and her team of lactation consultants to be around to help you with your breast pump and breastfeeding accessory purchases and concerns and problems in the future, then buy things from her today.  Or support your local breastfeeding accessory store and lactation consultants if you don’t live in the Huntsville, AL area.  And no, Glenni didn’t (and won’t) pay me to say that.  It’s just common sense.  Consider the following:

• Will the sales personnel at the retailer where you plan to purchase your breast pump know anything about pumping, about combination breastfeeding and pumping, or about the problems you might encounter? 
• Can your retailer show you how to set up and use your pump?  Yes, I know pumps come with instruction manuals, but I had no idea if my pump was working right after I put it together – it made strange noises, and was awkward, and I had no idea if the breastshields were a good fit.  I needed some hands-on help.  You might too. 
• Does your retailer have lactation consultants on staff you can consult with when you have issues? 
• Will your retailer try and sell you a pump that will meet your personal needs after some discussion with you, or will they just sell you anything? 
• Can you swing by your retailer for help when something’s not working, and physically show them what’s wrong?  Some problems can only be demonstrated. 
• Can your retailer’s lactation consultants provide an informed opinion on whether your problems are caused by your pump, your baby’s suck pattern or latch, your diet, an infection, etc., and provide educated guidance on how to fix them? 

Surely it’s worth the extra few bucks to keep A Nurturing Moment or your local breastfeeding accessory store and lactation consultants in business. 

BCBS Insurance? You May Be Able to Get a FREE Pump!

A lot has happened since our February post about insurance and breastpumps!  We have a couple of local Durable Medical Equipment providers who will work with your insurance to help you receive the pump you're entitled to! Although every insurance plan is different, if you have Alabama Blue Cross Blue Shield, you should be able to receive a Medela Pump in Style, a Bailey Nurture III or an Ameda Purely Yours.

Which Pump Do I Want?

The Medela Pump in Style provided by insurance

All three pumps are high quality pumps. The Medela Pump in Style is a very popular single-user pump. One advantage for local mothers is that North Alabama hospitals use Medela products. I encourage every mother who gives birth to ask for her breast pump rental kit because it will provide you a spare set of parts for your Pump in Style. Furthermore, many mothers do find that renting a hospital-grade pump for the first week or even month can be very helpful in helping to deal with engorgement or for establishing a supply if baby isn't nursing well. The Pump in Style is a completely automatic double electric breast pump, making it easy to pump hands-free and do other things like read or type as you are pumping. 

The Bailey Nurture III Pump

The Bailey Nurture III is also a very reputable, reliable breast pump. The technology behind the Nurture III is a bit different, however. The suction is controlled by a dial, but the rate is controlled by the mother using the pump via a simple up and down motion of her finger which releases the pressure. The advantage to this system is that the mother can vary the speed as she sees fit. The disadvantage, however, is that she must be fully engaged with the pumping and does not have both hands free (she does have one hand free).

The Ameda Purely Yours pump

The Ameda Purely Yours  breast pump allows mothers to choose from 32 different combinations of pressure and speed. It is a closed pumping system, so it is impossible for any milk to ever get into the pump motor. It is completely automatic and works very well for mothers who need to pump hands-free. The only real disadvantage is that if you want extra parts for it, you must order them online.

How Can I Get My Pump?

That's the easy part! All you have to do is get a prescription from your doctor and bring it to us or have it faxed to us (256-489-2584). We will make a copy of your insurance card and have you fill out some simple paperwork. We will get your information to the appropriate DME provider and you will get a call within a week or less letting you know you can pick it up. We can even have it delivered to the hospital for you! Based on information received from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama just yesterday, you may request your pump during pregnancy and up to a year after your baby's birth as long as you have the prescription from a physician!

What If I Have a Different Insurance?

If you have a different Blue Cross Blue Shield (Federal or another state) it will most likely work the same way. We will just need to verify everything, and you might not be able to get your pump the day you bring your prescription in. 

Parents who do not have Blue Cross Blue Shield may still be eligible for a free breast pump. The Affordable Health Care Act mandates that insurance companies provide you a breast pump. Each company has the option of choosing what kind of pump they will provide. While some companies are only willing to provide a hand pump, many companies will provide you a double electric pump. Just bring in your prescription and your insurance card, and the wonderful insurance experts will be able to verify your coverage quite quickly.

If you've received a pump paid for by insurance, take just a minute to tell your story in the comments!

The Bottle Window

I got an interesting call from a mom today. She was wondering if we had any written information about how to introduce a bottle to her breastfed baby. Although I often address this issue, I realized I had never written about it. So I promised her I would put my suggestions into writing tonight!

Why Introduce a Bottle?

Honestly, not every mother even needs to worry about introducing a bottle. If you are going to be home with your baby and really don't want to be separated until baby is several months old, then I wouldn't even worry about reading the rest of this post! By the time your baby is about 6 months old, you can begin introducing a cup with expressed breastmilk, so if you're cool with hanging out with baby for those first six months, then you don't need to concern yourself with "the bottle window."

However, if you know that you will be going back to work, or if you want your baby to be able to accept an occasional bottle of breastmilk, then it is really important to understand when and how to introduce a bottle. Sometimes Mom just wants to be able to have an occasional date with Dad or night out with the girls. And many dads do indeed look forward to the time when they can participate in feeding.

When Should I Introduce the Bottle?

There is a small window of time for introducing a bottle to your baby. You need to make certain that beastfeeding is well established. Baby should be latching on well, and your milk supply should be sufficient for baby's needs. However, if you wait too long, your baby may completely refuse to take a bottle. If you really need baby to take a bottle, waiting too long can present tremendous challenges.

The ideal time to introduce a bottle is between four weeks of age and one month.

The ideal time to introduce a bottle is between four weeks of age and one month. That's a pretty small window. But in my experience with hundreds of babies and moms, it seems to be the perfect time. I have almost never had a baby who is one month old or younger refuse a bottle. Likewise, if breastfeeding is going well by four weeks, introducing a bottle is highly unlikely to cause any kind of problem with baby's suck.

How Should I Handle Pumping?

The ideal time to pump is right after the first feed of the morning. You have the most abundant milk supply at that point. I generally encourage mothers to wait until baby is a couple of weeks old and their supply is somewhat stabilized to begin pumping. The easiest way to pump is with a double pump, and with the changes from the Affordable Health Care Act, most policies cover a breast pump. 

The easiest way to store your milk is in Milk Trays. You don't have to keep buying bags or filling your freezer with bottles. The milk tray will freeze your milk in one ounce cubes which can be stored in ziplock bags after they are frozen. Be sure to write the dates on the bag (you will probably have several days or a week's worth of milk per bag). 

Once you have introduced the bottle, you will also want to pump during the time that the bottle is being given so that your breasts will continue to receive the same amount of stimulation. Skipping a feed without pumping could also lead to engorgement, plugged ducts and mastitis - NOT fun!!

How Do I Introduce the Bottle?

First of all, YOU aren't going to be the one to give baby a bottle! Let Dad , Grandma, your bestie or even an older responsible sibling be the one to give the bottle. Remember that while someone else is feeding baby, you are pumping!

It is important that baby receive a bottle at least every 2-3 days. I can't tell you how many moms call me distraught because their baby who took a bottle or two really well at one month won't take any kind of bottle at 2 months. When I investigate a little bit, I discover that baby hasn't had any bottles for about 3 weeks. That's a problem. Babies are creatures of habit, and the bottle is a habit you have to continue to cultivate if you want baby to accept it.

What Kind of Bottle Should I Use?

Generally when mothers introduce the first bottle during "The Bottle Window" just about any bottle will work. However, you really want to find a bottle that requires baby to suck using the same basic motion that he uses at the breast. You also want to find a slow-flow nipple. 

Just about any bottle will work

Several good options that have worked well for our moms include the First Years BreastFlow bottle, the Mimijumi bottle, The Tommy Tippee bottle and both the Medela Calma and the Medela standard slow-flow bottle. Each has pros and cons. I would just buy one bottle of a particular brand at first to see how your baby does with it. Don't make a real investment into a particular brand until you know that they are going to work.

No Judging!

I feel like I need to close a discussion of the use of bottles with a final caveat. Whether you decide to introduce a bottle or not, you need to be comfortable with your decision. Every situation is unique, so there is absolutely NO ROOM for any mom to judge another mom based on how she decides to handle this issue. The most important thing we can do as moms is get in the habit of affirming each other every chance we get!