Breast pump saga

Friday night I thought to ask about renting a breast pump for when I wasn't at the hospital.  Being able to pump or nurse only when at the hospital wasn't going to keep up my supply for very long.  There too many 6 to 8 hour breaks spent traveling or at home.  Fortunately "the girls" produced an overabundant supply and there was a nice cache of milk growing in the freezer for Bean.  Still it was quite uncomfortable to go for so long without expressing milk and I really didn't want to lose that supply.  Giving Bean milk was one of the few things I could do for him.

We were given a sheet of paper listing pump dealers, medical supply offices, and lactation stores with phone numbers in our area.  Simple right?  Trying to track someone, anyone down on a Saturday proved quite tricky.  Those I could reach didn't want to talk with me preferring to speak with a nurse or doctor, or insisted on a written prescription from a doctor (no, a nurse practitioner would NOT do) to be faxed in with insurance information- and then your insurance will probably not cover it anyway.   So WHY are we going through this rigmarole?  We'll pay cash, just let us have the pump!  Please?

Jay summed it up:

Nanny state

You'll be pleased to know that the vast danger posed to our way of life by breast pumps is being vigilantly monitored by the government and medical community.

I've bought powerful narcotics with less fuss than it took to rent a good pump. Not only do you need a prescription (what the hell do they think someone's going to do with an illicit breast pump?) but some places further required the doctor or nurse call them in person, too. The one we eventually went with was one of these, because the others were either out of the high-end models or closed on Saturdays. What a pain.

Indeed.  

After jumping through plenty of hoops, it was nice that the company delivered the machine right to our door Saturday evening.  The technician from the medical supply company remarked that he didn't typically deliver pumps.  He was a young guy and seemed rather uncomfortable setting it up and describing how the thing worked.  Poor guy!  

Pumping at home offered sweet relief.  Now I could bring in more milk for Isaac and keep up with his growing demand.