Hey new moms:

Has anyone rented a breast pump in Zürich (or anywhere else in Switzerland), and, if so, how much do they cost?

I asked my midwife at Triemlispital about rentals and she seemed baffled that anyone might need such a device, and when I explained that I would be going back to work when the milk drinker is two months old, and would like to at least try to pump, she didn't seem too pleased. Anyway, any advice would be appreciated, as there is still time to buy one/have one shipped from abroad.

Thanks!

Chris

We rented one from a pharmacy in Germany for about 2€/day, so I imagine that it is not all that different in Switzerland.

Ask at your local pharmacy and take it from there.

We (my wife) rented one from a pharmarcy on main street Thalwil. We kept it for almost a year and it cost almost 1000 chf. However our health insurance company includes this in their maternity coverage so in the end it cost us nothing.

something like this?

http://www.21food.com/userImages/merimex/merimex$3141743.jpg

Our local Hospital rented them. But don't think it was cheap (was a daily rate which per day was ok, but over time.....). You had to buy the kit (fittings) then rented the machine. Luckily the reason we needed it as one part of our kit was broken and even though the Hospital had a 'proffesional' machine, it was the same make and the kit was all we needed.

Otherwise Pharmacist and/or think we still have one which you could rent maybe

OUCH! Maybe something a little less, ahem, industrial...

I honestly think your best bet to to purchase one that has a closed system. And resell it. I worked on a L&D unit for years and the nurses would all sell/loan theirs to each other. Just purchase new fittings for it. If you get one from the US, they honestly aren't all that expensive. Between $200-300 US dollars for a good one. We always recomended the Medela brand. Everyone liked them.

Medela
UK site

Edit: Not sure why they seem more expensive in the UK. I would find out if the US ones go to 220V. Most things do now a days. Just use a plug adapter.

I am not a new mom but I am a mom with young children......A few years ago you could rent pumps from almost any Pharmacy (Apotheke) and your insurance covered all of it or a big portion....I think it was like 30 Sfr a month...it should not be too different now.
Go to your local Pharmacy and if they don't have any they might be able to order a rental for you. You can also ask your peditrician, as some insurance companies might ask for a Dr's note.
I believe the one I rented was a Medela pump.

HTH

That is strange. I gave birth at Triemli and the midwife, on discharge day, brought me a pump unbidden. I just returned it a couple of days ago after 3 and a half months of use. It was a medela symphony, which I hear is better than the medela's on the retail market.
cheers
Leyla

Hello!

I asked 2 pharmacies and both told me they have them in stock (Medela Symphony) and no need to book in advance. I do not remember the cost, but it was about 2-3 CHF a day.

Personally, my health insurance reminburses 2 CHF a day.

If you buy the symphony in Switzelrand I seem to remember it is around 1600 CHF as it is the professional hospital type.

Others you can buy for less but soem say the result is also not as good.

I had the same experience with the midwife wondering why I would like a pump when I can just breastfeed... I tried to explain about work or also wanting once in a while to give a bottle of expressed milk and my words were met with stupor... guess it is just different culture!

Anyway, try the pharmacy it should be pretty easy!

Cheers,
C

I found the Avent ones the best. Battery operated, small and discreet, converts to a manual pump when needed and is very quiet. The pharmacy has them for CHF 200 or you can order one.

The Medela ones didn't get much out and the double ones were just plain weird. The weight of the pharmacy rental ones was a joke - I mean are you going to lug this into work? The rental fee is also only paid by insurance only after you have used your franchaise for the year.

Hi, I actually have a Medela Pump in Style that I am going to sell. I used it for about 6 months so it is in good condition, however I would suggest buying new tubes as they are quite hard to clean.

I have twins and it worked wonderfully.

The only problem is that I bought it in canada so it needs to have transformer to be used in Switzerland. If you have one of those and are interested, let me know.

I can't seem to attach a photo but PM me and I will email it to you. I bought it for abuut CAD 370 and would be happy to sell it for around CHF 150 plus postage ( or you can come and pick it up)

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I think I will wait to see whether this whole breast feeding thing will really work out before I purchase one.

Why use an electric pump? I think I'd feel a bit like a cow...

I can recommend the Avent Isis hand pump. Really easy, comfortable and effective. A fraction of the price and has good re-sell value on auction sites, when you've finished with it.

Your decision to see how it goes with breast-feeding first is the best idea IMO.