Yesterday, a friend of mine who has a 4 month old baby and I went shopping
at Babies R Us, 
 
We were in the "Infant" Aisle, marveling at all the unnecessary product
being sold as "necessities," She was asking me the difference between the
pumps on the market, the Medelas, the Events, the Evenflo's, ect 
 
We turned the aisle, and I was faced with a large plastic display of a
Symphony Pump! I wondered what it was doing there, as it is not a common
consumer item to purchase. I then realized, Babies R Us is RENTING Medela
Breast Pumps. A woman, who claimed to be "in charge" of the rentals came
over to tell us "Yeah, this is the Hospital Pump. It's a good one. But, we
don't have any, we rented all of ours out, some for 3 months at a time." I
asked her if they had a Lactation Consultant on staff, and she said "no." I
asked "Who is helping the women who have questions about this complicated
item? Do you sit down with the women and explain how to use it, 
store the milk ect?" She replied, "We don't gotta do that." I asked why and
she replied, "The hospital where they had the baby did it, ya know, when
they had the baby, all them women used this in the hospital." 
 
I know for a fact that not "all them women" who deliver at a hospital are
shown how to use a Symphony. Not all women need them, some choose it when
they go back to work, some due to preterm babies eat. Well, you ladies and
gents know what the reasons are. 
 
 
When I arrived home, still fuming, I called Medela, and as calmly as I could
asked what was going on. (And with the exception of my friend, who rents a
Lactina from me,  I have had only ONE call for a pump, a GRANT pump, in the
last month. The rest of mine sit unused, and I have been wondering WHY
business is so slow. NOW I know.) I was told, by a kind young woman, that
"Because we have gotten so many complaints that mothers can't find pumps, we
decided to let Baby R Us rent them." I explained to her that in OUR area we
are saturated with not only Private Practice LCs but plenty of Pump Station.
Four hospitals within 10 miles of my house, (some of whom have as many as
FIFTY pumps to rent) and at least 5 other LCs who are renting in the area. I
was told that 
a "Study is done before we let the BRS have a station to make sure we aren't
putting the other stations out of business." What? Not in this area. The
woman was kind, and took my "grievance" and said they will see how the
program works eat. I asked if the people at BRS were trained in Lactation. I
was told, YES. They have "hours" of training on how to use the pump, handle
the milk etc. I asked if they were required to have 75 hours of CERPS, 2000
hours or so of Patient Contact Hours, and sit for Boards every 10 years,
eat. No, that isn't necessary, as many of the areas where the pumps are at
BRS are "underserved"

So, in the way I do things I decided to test the system. I called the Babies
R Us. (OK, I lied....) Said that my sister had gotten a "pumper machine" for
me, and that I needed some help on how to use it and what to do with the
milk. The first person to answer the phone was a male manager, as soon as I
started with questions, (which he at first said "I can help you with that.")
He transfers me to Infants. I get a woman, who claims to be "in charge" of
the pumps. It was a different woman than whom I spoke to in the store (I had
taken note of her name, and the woman on the phone had a different name and
voice.) I asked how long I could keep my milk, and if I could freeze it, or
keep it in the fridge. 
 
ME: "If I freeze it, HOW do I do that?"
Babies R Us Employee One: "Um, you just pump it out, and then put in right
in the freezer." 
 
ME: "How long can I keep it in there?" 
Employee One: "Like, a week or so. No more than that." 
 
ME: "How long in the fridge?", 
Employee One: "Like, no more than a day or two." I acted surprised 
(because I was) 
 
ME: "That's ALL? I only have this pump for a month and I hoped I could get
enough to last a while. It's hard to get out of there, and I don't know what
that one button is for." 

HER: "No, only a day or two in the fridge. You know, cuz that's as long as
you can keep formula." 
 
ME: "Formula? This is my milk. Doesn't it have, like, antibiotics or
something in it, naturally to kill the germs? So, I can keep it longer?"
Babies R Us Employee ONE: "NO, I never heard of anything like that. You
don't want to make your baby sick. You have to throw it out." 
 
ME: "So, if I am out, and the milk is more than a week old?"
HER: "Make sure you have enough, I guess. Or make sure you have some 
formula. You got formula from the hospital, right? Or did you use it all,
already?"
ME: "NO, I didn't want it, I don't like that stuff, and the Lactation Nurse
said I probably wouldn't need it. I never gave my baby formula." 
HER:"Never? How old is she?"
ME: "Six weeks."
 
HER: Just your milk? God, that's a lot of milk. Is she getting bit enough?
You can come in and buy the formula, just in case. It's on sale all the time
here." 
ME: "Thanks." 
 
ME: "What if the baby drinks out of the bottle of my milk. Can I put it back
in the fridge?"
BRS Employee: "Um, I don't know." 
 
ME: "You don't know? Maybe I'll call those La Leche Ladies. They seem nice.
I think I have a book here from them." 
HER: "WAIT, lemme get someone else. Maybe someone can help you." 
 
I wait quite a while. A girl who sounds about 16 or 17 comes to the phone.
The first thing she says is: "What do you want?" I explain that the other
woman couldn't answer all my questions.   
 
Second BRS Employee: "Didn't they give you a pamphlet with all this stuff on
it?" 
ME: "No, my sister got the pumper machine for me. I don't have a booklet
from you, but I have a book from those La Leche ladies, Maybe I should call
them.  But, they don't have this pumper. Do they? OH, I found the La Leche
Book, it says here......" 
HER: "Wait. I found a pamphlet.............It says, um, 3 to 4 months in the
freezer."
 
ME: "What if I want to put it in the fridge? then I can use it later? What
if my baby drinks out of it, it's hard to get that milk out, how long can I
keep it then?" 
HER: "Um. I think one day. If she drinks out of it. No, it says, WHAT? 5 to
7 days after you pump it, is that right?" 
 
ME: "I don't know. I called you, because you rented my sister the pump for
me. The other lady told me 1 to 2 days in the fridge and a week in the
freezer." 
HER: (Silence) "She meant if the baby already drank out of it." 
 
ME: Wait a minute. I didn't ask her about the baby drinking out of it, until
AFTER she told me about the week in the freezer and a day in the fridge."
HER: "No. I don't think so." 
 
ME: "So I can put it in the freezer for a week AFTER the baby already drank
out of it? You said she gave me those directions." 
HER: "NO you can't refreeze it. It says here. If it thaws you have to use it
right away." Changing subject "What are you freezing the milk in?" 
 
ME: "Those tube like bottles, with the white lid. They came in a big box. It
says Medela on the box." (I described the 80 ml tube bottles from Medela to
this woman.) 
HER: "NO, you can't freeze it in plastic!"
 
ME: "Why? What am I supposed to freeze it in?"
HER: "Don't freeze it in  those."
 
ME: "They are from Medela, it says 'for pumping, feeding, storage, and
freezing' on the box."
HER: NO, you have to come in and buy those bags. The Medela bags are for
freezing." 
 
ME: "It's still plastic. The bottles are hard and thick, and have a top, and
I already have 20 of them in the box. I have some in the freezer already." 
HER: "NO you have to come in and buy those bags, It says the bags are for
freezing." 
 
ME: "They are too hard to pump into, I spilled some of it, I don't want to
waste it and do you know how hard it is to get that milk out? And I heard
they break." 

HER: (Silence) "I never heard of them breaking. It's hard to get the milk
out? Do you have enough milk, do you think?" 
 
ME: "Um. Did you nurse your babies?"
HER: Laughing, "NO, I don't have kids yet." 
 
ME: "I think I'm going to ask those La Leche Ladies. Is there anyone else
there who can answer some more questions for me?" 
HER: "No, I'm in charge of the pumps." 
 
ME: "Sometimes the milk doesn't seem to want to come out in the pumper
machine. Do I use that Let Down Button or what? What do I do then? DO I pump
before or after the baby nurses?" 
HER: "Probably just do it....when you think you have a lot of milk in there.
You have to push the button to turn the pump on." ( was referring to the
"Let Down" button, and she knew so "much" about the pump that she thought I
was talking about the On Off Button. 
 
ME: When would that be? Sometimes I seem to have more than other times. 

Why? Is there a time of day? Or what? What if I used up all the milk because
I pumped it out,  and THEN will I not have enough if my baby wakes up and
wants to nurse right away."
HER: "Just whenever If you ran out of milk, cuz you pumped all of it out, so
when you have no milk, you'll have it in the freezer. You have to use those
bags. Then you'll have it in the bags if you already pumped it all out." 
 
ME: I don't understand. How often should I do this, just to get some milk if
I am going to be going out once in a while?"
HER Just come in and buy those bags. Is there anything else you need?"
 
ME: "Yes, I need to know WHEN I have to pump to get the most, and why
sometimes I get more than others?"
HER: "I have other customers. It's getting really crowded in here." 
ME: "Yeah, maybe I'll call those La Leche ladies." 
HER: "I don't know about that. They don't rent pumps. I don't know if they
know anything about them. I have to go now." 
 
OK, Wise Ones. Am I losing my mind here? Forgive my pretending to be someone
I was not, (but actually, that would have been ME when my first baby was
born, and ALL the questions were based on questions I get all the time from
new nursing Mothers. I am sure we ALL get those questions, ONLY we all know
how to answer them. 
 
What can we do?  This is so wrong, I actually feel physically ill. 
 
What can we do. What about all those pumps Babies R Us already has rented
out, with NO ONE who knows a thing about breastfeeding? I was told "They are
trained" OBVISOULY NOT. One woman told me the "hospital" tells the mothers
how to use the pumps. An other tried to sell me formula, and had NO idea how
long to store breastmilk.An other tried, rather strongly to sell me "bags"
that I had no use for, and then questioned, several times, if I "was sure
you have enough milk." 
 
Ladies. What about our Clients? What about those of us in Private Practice?
These people at Babies R Us are INCAPABLE of doing what we do, they are
clueless. What can we do? This is just wrong. 
 
HELP. Call your local Babies R Us, see what they say. Call Medela, or maybe
write a letter, (especially if you have a pump station) Medela did tell me
they "may make some changes" if they get a LOT of complaints. We are all in
danger here, and our clients are going to be worse off than we are, in the
long run. 
 
Mary Jozwiak IBCLC, RLC, LLLL
Private Practice 
 

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