It is difficult to see things that might work just fine be thrown away,
tossed into the waste stream, rather than recycled. But, let's put some
things into perspective - 

 

How many breastpumps are made and sold each year? How many in comparison to
say, a tv set? Try to find a tv for less than what a "decent" pump would
cost. How long do most people keep their tvs (especially the new ones which
cost more to repair than replace, like when the toddler, or teenager, puts
magnets across the screen)? Or, what about a microwave oven? Can't fix
those, either. What about a computer, and don't nearly all of us on this
list have at least one computer? 

 

Sooner or later, these items end up in the waste stream, and there is a lot
more electrical equipment thrown away, in comparison to a breastpump.

 

Compare the resources used for two scenerios: 

 

1.       A $300 pump is purchased, well used and thrown away after a few
years. The mother was able to provide human milk to her child (or maybe 2).

2.       A mother decided it was too expensive to buy a pump, and chose to
purchase formula for 12 months. (approx $150/month, not including additional
doctor visits d/t increased incidence of disease, gas back and forth to
store, heating, bottles, water to mix - and in my neighborhood, bottled
water for infants under 6 months {especially vulnerable to C8 and nitrates})

 

Which scenario actually cost more money? Which scenario actually wasted more
resources? Which scenario contributed more to the waste stream?

 

There is no law against sharing or reselling a pump, and a manufacturer is
within their rights to state they are personal use items - they make money
selling pumps. However, if the warranty is void when a pump is resold, do
you want to be the LC who is responsible for telling the mother, "Sure! Buy
a used pump!" and it breaks down/isn't effective, and the mother is out a
lot of money for something that isn't covered?  Do you want to be the HCP
who told the mother it was ok to buy a used pump, and by some freak
accident, her baby contracts a yet-unidentified virus? Might not be the
pump, but who knows. Nobody's for sure, but now we have a sick kid.

 

That is risk management, and many of us choose to avoid the risk. 

 

Mothers, especially, feel the guilt of bearing children. They're always
criticized - sleeping with their baby, not sleeping with their baby,
breastfeeding, not breastfeeding, slinging, not slinging, using paper
diapers, using cloth diapers, or heavens - reusing car seats (every baby
should have a new one, and at least 4 by the time they outgrow the booster
seat at age 10 - talk about demands on resources!). I think they should be
relieved of the guilt of throwing away a piece of equipment which may or may
not serve another mother well.

 

Best wishes

Sam Doak

 


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