We have about 6 pumps, *I think*, for our 25 beds, which are now spread between two buildings.  The NICU has several of its own too.  We loan pumps to other departments occasionally, like if there is a mother admitted for some other reason without her baby and it's the middle of the night and she needs to express.

Our pumps are still the Egnell SMB model, the prototype of the modern breastpump, and my fantasy is of getting them to talk about all they've seen through the 50 years they have been in use, following the maternity ward through three moves of buildings.  We have mothers now whose GRANDMOTHERS may have used the exact same machine they are using.  They are amazing machines and if the hospital ever decides to downgrade to newer models I will personally buy up every last one and think of some way to put them to good use.

I can not recall a mother ever having to wait more than about five minutes to use a pump.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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