I have an Ameda lactaline double electric pump. Have found it brilliant, and quick, and you can sterilse every part that comes into contact with skin or milk. I would never use a second hand pump that couldn't be fully sterilised. Or you can get replacement plastic parts which are extremely cheap compared to the cost of the actual pump. It seems to be a less well known make, but has loads of great reviews on mumsnet.

Hi Pod,
we met the other day - the terry squares?
i have a hospital grade breast pump (Medela Lactina) for sale - i think you can only rent them now. it is fabulous! i expressed alot to donate to St Thomas milk bank but its such a brilliant machine as its so well designed i bought new breast shields, valves and bottles so that when i sold it on all parts would be new and sterile. Happy to discuss with you. do pm me if interested

From what I understand, the issue seems to be that the breastmilk circulates through the actual pump bit of the Medula/Avent/Tommee Tippee and that is never sterilised. You can tell if you have that kind of pump if the milk sometimes goes up the tube of the pump.

This is an interesting blog about it:
http://mythnomore.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/why-you-shouldnt-buy-sell-or-borrow.html

You can get pumps for about the same cost that are put together differently (and these are the ones that the hospital uses) that are closed membrane so the milk never goes up the tube and through the system. I bought for my second baby this pump:

http://www.ardobreastpumps.co.uk/breastpumps/Calypso-Electric-Breastpump

At £125 it is a little more expensive than the Medula Swing (I used a Tommee Tippee pump one baby no 1 and this is MUCH better, less complicated to assemble, and the sound it makes is less like a moo! but I hear great things about the Medula) but it is recommended by loads of NCT people - there is someone I know on Twitter who is NCT chair in Dorking and ex Wimbledon and she exclusively pumped for her first child and recommended this pump to me.

Also, if you wanted to donate breast milk to the milk bank at St Georges due to oversupply or something, I believe an Ardo pump would be an appropriate one to use.

Hope this helps - I should be able to re-sell my Ardo pump when I am done with a clear conscience as it is closed system...

Hmmm, not sure... I know you can rent hospital grade Medela pumps which come with sealed new bits for the actual pumping-but I don't know if that guards against what you are worried about? They are meant to be really good. Might be worth looking?

Personally I wouldn't buy a second hand pump-I'm happy to buy some things second hand, but for me, I'd want a new one... just personal preference!

Which parts you sterilise depends on the model but it should obviously be the bits that come into contact with your skin and milk. As for sharing, if you are in hospital they obviously provide shared pumps and you just get personal tube and breast shield...so it's probably minimal risk. Can you not just buy spare parts? I know for Medela you can buy spare valves. One neo natal doctor was fairly dismissive about the whole sterilisation thing to me, it's not as if you sterilise your nipples for breast feeding and babies will come into contact with dirt.

Hi there I have just come back from my NCT class and had some confusing information regarding the use of second hand breast pumps.

Obviously people sell and buy them second hand, but I have read articles about open or closed diaphragms and milk getting into it and although the rest is sterilised and looks clean can harbour bacteria inside the diaphragm?

But then NCT lady said - well I used the same one for all 3 of my children and was not going to buy a new one for each baby.

So is there any advice out there - is it safe if sterilized and you use second hand - and its simply manufacturer scaremongering to make us buy new ones, or is there some truth?

Any help grateful thank you