Should I hold on to my old pump?

[@llli*sassypants]

We are getting ready to move and I am trying to get rid of accumulated junk in our house.

I have my old Medela PISA sitting in the basement, but I think I should just throw it away. I pumped 5 days a week for 9 months while I worked full time. Can someone please confirm that
1. the pump is unlikely to last if I had another baby and
2. it cannot be refurbished to save money.

Is there a place I can send it be recycled?

[@llli*mommal]

The pump is unlikely to last if you have another baby. But it's also not guaranteed to fail! An old PISA might or might not make it as a full-time work pump, but it would definitely make a good back-up pump for home use. And while I don't know if you can totally refurbish a PISA, changing the diaphragms and tubing might bring it back up to like-new condition.

If you decide to bid your old PISA goodbye, at least give your local La Leche League a call, and ask if they would like it. There are a lot of moms out there who need electric pumps and can't afford them, and though the official LLL position is that pumps like the PISA are "single user" devices, I have seen pumps passed from LLL mom to LLL mom on an unofficial basis.

[@llli*wiggle.bug]

If you are still breastfeeding, I'd hold on to it, just because you never know what might happen. For example, I haven't pumped in a long time, but DS got tonsillitis and wouldn't nurse, so I ended up pumping for comfort. I also have a 3 day business trip coming up, and I know I'll need to pump when I'm gone.

My neighbor is also still using her PISA while pumping for her third child. So, it could still be good if you had another baby, like mommal said.

[@llli*krasota]

You might want to pop off the faceplate and assess the mold situation. While it can be wiped off of that diaphragm, it might be kinda gross after sitting in storage. It may not last through another baby *and* you may have insurance which covers a new pump within a certain # of months/weeks after your next baby is born.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Hi mama, I used my PISA while working full-time for baby #1, went back to work at 3 months and pumped until 12 months. I used it part of the time with baby #2 (mainly used a Freestyle with that baby, which was a mistake because the PISA is so much better!). And now I have been using the same PISA since returning to work full-time at six weeks with baby #3, who is going to be a year old next week. With absolutely no problems, no refurbishing, etc. (Never thought to check it for mold, though - that's a good idea). Anyway, my PISA has been good to me over the past six years, glad I never threw her away! Even if you do get a new pump for a new baby, it's also nice to have a backup pump at home, so you can leave one at the office and have one at home.

[@llli*sassypants]

A backup pump might be a good idea, so I don't have to carry it home every night. I will open it up and see what the mold situation is before making the final call.

Where can I get a diaphram? That is not a replacement part listed on the Medela US website. All they have there is the external stuff, like tubing, shields, membranes, etc.