I guess I was up too late and so happy to be back with Lactnet that I forgot
myself when I responded to 'breastpumps sent home w/ new mom'.  I certainly
did not mean to imply that a breastfeeding mom does not need atleast a
manual pump for situations which may arise after going home.  I certainly
agree with Becky who responded from one of 'those' hospitals.  I, too, would
be the one giving a quality manual pump instead of formula.   My concern is
that many mothers that I work with feel the need to have a hospital-grade
electric breastpump in hand before going home just in case breastfeeding
doesn't work.  When breastfeeding doesn't work because their nipples were
too sore or the baby was too sleepy and wouldn't latch,  these moms call me
to find out how much EBM to put in the bottle, which bottle or nipple to
use, how long to pump, etc.  When asking them how long they breastfed, most
will say about 4 days.  Unfortunately, most of these moms would never
consider returning to breastfeeding.  Enough said.
Thank you LACTNET for providing a forum to allow us to put our foot into our
mouths and then, hopefully, pull it out again.

Susan Hilton, still on Cloud 9 about the new job!