I don't think we can be sued for explaining the intended use of different
breastpumps.  When a mom is having limited success with a small pump, I tell
her "that pump is designed to be used for an occasional night out, not to
maintain your milk supply while your baby is hospitalized" or I give specific
details about the size of the motor, the amount of air evacuated per cycle,
and the number of suck release cycles per minute and relate this to the
effectiveness of the pump.  This way I am validating the mother's experience,
as well as guiding her to a more appropriate choice for her situation.  I am
always careful to assess a mother's need for a pump, sometimes I talk her out
of renting one when manual expression or a small hand pump will meet her
needs.  The right tool for the right situation...
        THe pumps that I urge mothers to return are the dangerous,
nipple/breast damaging ones.  I agree that if the mom makes a bit of a scene
about how the pump injured her, she will get a fast refund!
        I am not particularly afraid of being sued for telling the truth.  The
more factual our statements, the easier they will be to defend if neccessary.
 It is the offhand "Oh, that thing is a piece of junk" statements that can get
us into trouble.  Again, the human tendency is to categorize, generalize and
judge, which can lead us into ditching products or people without a fair
evaluation....
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC  [log in to unmask]