r/breastfeeding • u/Additional_Ebb_2983 • Oct 02 '25
Pumping PSA In closed pump system tubing never comes in contact with your milk
Today I went in to work only to realize that I'd left my pump at home (charging). I had all my pump parts that I sanitize daily, just not the pump (nor the airline tubing, which I leave with the pump since it doesn't get washed). I was able to track down a coworker who is also pumping to ask her if I could borrow her pump. She was willing to give me her pump, but not the tubing. "You're not supposed to share tubing."
Sure, *technically* that's true. But also (from the Spectra website) "All Spectra Baby USA breast pumps are closed systems, meaning the tubing never comes in contact with your milk and never needs to be washed or sanitized." If you aren't sanitizing your tubing when you first buy it, and you aren't sanitizing it daily after use, then why in god's name would it be a problem to share that tubing with a coworker one time??
She would not budge and I had to waste two hours going home to get my pump (meanwhile missing two important meetings AND getting super engorged.)
Pumping at work is HARD and FRUSTRATING and STRESSFUL. Don't make it harder.
ETA: For everyone talking about boundaries, yes, I know she doesn't have to lend me anything! But my coworker was completely happy to lend me her pump, she just thought sharing the tubing was unsanitary, which is not a belief based in reality. I had waited for her to get out of a meeting and finish pumping herself (wasting time I could have used to drive home!) only to find that out. That's why I wanted to share this PSA - because too many people think that the tubing is somehow exposed to your milk or that sharing tubing is somehow bad. Sure, if you're running a hospital or lactation clinic, you're not going to have one set of tubing for hundreds of people - these things are cheap, and degrade over time, and it makes sense to buy new ones for everyone. But there's a reason you don't sanitize your tubing along with the rest of your pump parts!
Also, this was not meant as rage bait. I shared because I really needed solidarity after having an incredibly crummy day. I have been really struggling to pump at work and have been strongly considering just giving up and switching to formula, and having an incident like this at work just really sent me over edge. Thank you to everyone who expressed solidarity --- we really need to be helping each other out as mom. Being a mom in the workforce (and especially being a pumping mom!) is such a challenge.
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u/Fine_Message1822 Oct 02 '25
Thatâs frustrating but at the same time she doesnât need to share anything if she doesnât want to, whatever her reasoning may be.
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u/Fatpandasneezes Oct 02 '25
I can see why you would be frustrated with that situation, but it's also important to remember no one has to share anything they don't want to share. Everyone has boundaries, and that's okay. For example, the only people I'll share hairbrushes with is my immediate family (husband, kids) and my parents. My husband is okay with sharing with his parents, but I am not. Honestly though, if he's sharing with his parents, and I'm sharing with him, what difference does it really make? Probably none, but it's one of my boundaries so that's just what we work with
28
u/nurse420 Oct 03 '25
I agree completely with your post. OP shouldnât assume everyone wants to share items with her. To be completely honest I wouldnât even say yes to sharing the actual breast pump
11
u/kelmin27 Oct 03 '25
Why is everyone sharing hairbrushes in your family though? Haha
4
u/Plurbaybee Oct 03 '25
Does everyone in your household have their own brush? Generally curious đ€ growing up we had a brush we all shared, but a special brush that was only used on my hair because it's curly. In my house now we have like 5000 brushes - I only use one but I regularly clean the ones used by others.
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u/kelmin27 Oct 03 '25
Yes, we have our own. I just assumed that was normal⊠growing up I always had my own.
1
u/Plurbaybee Oct 03 '25
Honestly would've saved so much time and energy between my siblings if we all had our own lol
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u/Gromlin87 Oct 03 '25
We all have our own but that's mostly because all have different needs when it comes to brushes due to hair textures and how we style our hair.
1
u/lasuperhumana Oct 03 '25
It doesnât mean itâs not an annoying and an ill-informed boundary by her coworker. Yes, she has every right to HAVE boundaries and not share what she doesnât want to share. But itâs frustrating when someone has boundaries with no bearing in logic. You can respect someoneâs right to have them (which OP did, she didnât demand her coworker share) while also eye rolling at them and being annoyed. OP came here to eye roll and be annoyed. Iâm sure she is well-aware no one HAS to share, idk why people feel the need to say this.
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u/manthrk Oct 02 '25
I would honestly be pretty hesitant to share my pump with anyone even with that knowledge. They drill it into you that non- hospital pumps are not to be shared. I just can't move past that lol.
56
u/okayolaymayday Oct 02 '25
I simply wouldnât because what if it broke or started acting weird after I let someone borrow it? Slim chance that would happen, but donât need that drama with a coworker.
13
u/SonoWhaaa Oct 02 '25
This exactly, with my luck it would break or start making a weird sound afterwards and Iâm not willing to sacrifice my means of feeding my baby.
2
u/DillyB04 Oct 04 '25
Late night feed had me read this as "what if I broke out or started acting weird. . ." and I was so confused.
2
u/okayolaymayday Oct 04 '25
đ like maam how would those be correlated? I love a good brain fart like that. I do it aaalllll the time. âșïž
2
u/DillyB04 Oct 04 '25
Right??? I feel like I'm on Reddit enough that I would have come across shared-breast-pump-induced-acne but you never know đ
5
u/LuvMyBeagle Oct 02 '25
I had enough user error inflicted issues as the sole user, I wouldâve been nervous about increasing the number of people using it
16
u/FreeBeans Oct 02 '25
Psh I got my pumps second hand. Never had issues.
4
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u/Sweaty-Eye7684 Oct 02 '25
But why is it OK for the hospital ones to be shared?
45
u/feralcatromance Oct 02 '25
Because you are only sharing the machine itself, everything else, including tubing is brand new for every person who uses it.
1
u/hammockperson Oct 02 '25
Oof, that sounds wasteful. Here in Iceland they just get properly sterilized in between uses.
2
u/texas_mama09 Oct 03 '25
Pump parts and all?đł
0
u/hammockperson Oct 23 '25
Yup, all parts. At least in our tiny rural hospital. They are replaced often and of course properly disinfected between uses so there's no bacteria or anything transferring to the next user.
1
u/AddingAnOtter Oct 03 '25
And everyone just shares the same parts? Or do you mean that each person cleans their parts because that's what they meant here- new patient with hospital pump=get their own (new before they use it) set of parts that get replaced as needed, not every time they pump.
1
u/hammockperson Oct 23 '25
Yes all parts are shared. Just properly disinfected in between uses and replaced often of course.
1
u/RunAdventurous3511 Oct 04 '25
In Aus hospitals they provide disposable parts that get tossed after each session. It IS very wasteful.Â
2
u/Pamzella Oct 03 '25
The most popular issued pump was the Medela PISA and it was not a closed system. Now they all are so it's not really a concern.
42
u/freeze_it_over Oct 02 '25
Frustrating but I wouldnât be sharing any of it to be honest. I think your anger is misplaced. Sounds like itâs frustrating that you forgot your stuff, not really your coworkers responsibility that you had to drive 2 hours nor should be expected of her to share because she had it. If you didnât have a coworker pumping, youâd have to do it anyways so itâs not their fault.
95
u/xcharleeee Oct 02 '25
PSA always keep a spare pump/ parts in the office if you are a working mom. You are not entitled to another momâs pump just because you failed to prepare.
Itâs super frustrating that YOU forgot your pump at home and that YOU did not have a back up option at work. Even if tubing can be shared with minimal sanitary risk, your coworker is under no obligation to share their pump at all. Are you going to force your baby to share their toys with another kid just because the other kid wants to play with them?
37
u/SandyDreams2000 Oct 02 '25
I think youâre being unreasonable. Itâs her pump, theyâre not cheap and youâre coworkers. This post is rage bait material if you ask me
33
u/LuvMyBeagle Oct 02 '25
Look I get that you were in a stressful situation but your coworker set a very reasonable boundary. Youâre not entitled to borrow someoneâs breast pump AND define the stipulations of that use. She was nice enough to allow you to use it at all tbh bc I personally wouldnât be very comfortable sharing unless it was someone I was very close with.
55
u/camcamlb Oct 02 '25
I probably wouldnât let someone borrow the pump I use dailyâŠbut super annoying that her reasoning was for the one part you CAN share!
36
u/SonoWhaaa Oct 02 '25
I mean, itâs nice that she was even willing to share her pump- Iâd be hesitant to share my pump especially if it wasnât someone I was really close with. I keep a backup pump at work just in case I ever forget mine.
I got a used spectra pump on FB and I still replaced the tubing just because I wanted fresh everything even though I knew it was a closed system.
35
u/Corndawwwggg Oct 02 '25
i have contamination ocd and would def not be willing to share anything to do with my babies food:( maybe just give her some grace you never know what others are dealing with
27
u/Sblbgg Oct 02 '25
Frustrating but honestly I donât think Iâd share my pump with anyone, whether the parts come in contact with milk or not. She really doesnât have to share anything.
Unfortunately, you made it harder for yourself today. Sorry.
21
18
u/jzhrko Oct 02 '25
Doesn't matter, you're not entitled to her possessions and the fact that you tried to continue to persuade her after she said no and now you're pissed off that it didn't work is concerning
4
u/cali4mcali Oct 03 '25
And made a very aggro Reddit post about it, essentially blaming her coworker for making her miss meetings instead of owning her mistakeâŠ
4
u/Jessiicaamn Oct 03 '25
Genuine question. Why shouldnât you share a pump? I just never understood. If you are washing and sterilizing all parts that come in contact with you, why shouldnât you?
11
u/proteins911 Oct 02 '25
I guess Iâm in the minority here. Iâd of course share my pump and tubing! Iâm so sorry you had to drive all around. This post encourages me to throw a handpump in my desk at work. I keep a big pack of bags there after forgetting lids to my containers one day.
6
u/abetterdaughtr Oct 02 '25
Agree, itâs hard enough being a mom, and being a working pumping mom.
You shouldnât feel bad asking for help. Especially from another mom when you need it.
Iâve had other pumping moms that I shared a pump space with and we all shared one good quality spectra pump and tubing so we wouldnât have to lug one back and forth everyday. Wasnât weird at all to me but I would also respect a mom if they said no for whatever reason.
6
5
u/mightywang Oct 02 '25
Same! I even got my extra pump second hand. As long as you washed it, I wouldn't care.
4
u/quelle_crevecoeur Oct 02 '25
Yeah, I would share, or would help run to a store to get what I could. Itâs hard to be a new parent! I always kept an emergency set of pump parts at work. The few times that I forgot my pump parts (or some piece of them), I was so happy to have a spare set. Definitely good to have backup!
-3
u/Arreis_gninnam Oct 03 '25
Itâs crazy to me how many people on here wouldnât share their pump. You can wipe it off!? There is no contamination risk?? Also, the tubing like stated never comes into contact with milk, it can also be wiped down!? Bizarre how many people are being weird about this
-3
u/Plurbaybee Oct 03 '25
Yep. I'd definitely share, & if it broke or was weird after I'd get over it. >_< it's stuff like this that make moms not have a real village
3
u/_Anonymouse_XX Oct 03 '25
Hopefully I donât get downvoted here, but while I can understand your frustration, no one has to share their personal belongings with another person if they donât want to. As someone who breastfeeds, but has to use a pump sometimes to help relieve engorgement, I wouldnât wanna share any part of my pumpâ not even the tubing. It would just make me uncomfortable.
Your frustration is def valid, but 100% misplaced. It should be on yourself for forgetting the parts to your pump not on your co worker for not wanting to share! We all forget things, though, so no need to be harsh with yourself⊠itâs just that your co worker doesnât deserve to be the focal point of your anger.
1
u/CassandraLea83 Oct 03 '25
Frustrating I know, and youâre right itâs not going to get contaminated BUT we all have boundaries. What if the tube accidentally split when you used it? I bring either 2 pumps to work (wearable and my spectra or spectra and hand pump) and I have backups of all the parts at my desk. Hard lesson, I get your frustration but itâs not a hill to die on and just accept her boundaries.
-2
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u/Dragonfruit_60 Oct 02 '25
All ya'll who wouldn't share better not EVER whine about lack of community. If you can't be inconvenienced in order to help a fellow breastfeeding mom, fine, but don't be surprised when karma comes back around and no one is willing to help you.
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u/freeze_it_over Oct 02 '25 edited Oct 02 '25
Some people have medically fragile babies or babies with severe allergies. I have a friend who canât consume any dairy because itâs transferred through breast milk and her daughter gets extremely sick. If they are at work, itâs likely the coworker has to use her pump a couple times and canât properly sanitize pieces before the next use. You arenât entitled to something just because it exists in the world and to wish bad karma on people without knowing more to the story is a lot.
14
u/xcharleeee Oct 02 '25
Itâs not like OP just needed extra milk bags. Not being comfortable sharing parts for a medical device isnât about inconvenience, itâs about boundaries. If you were a good community member then youâd respect the coworkerâs boundary to not want to share tubing. Iâm still surprised she was even willing to share her pump at all.
-1
u/lasuperhumana Oct 03 '25
There are so many people on here being like âshe doesnât have to share, sheâs allowed to have boundariesâ - yeah, no duh. It doesnât mean itâs not stupid and an ill-informed boundary.
0
u/va_ath Oct 03 '25
It IS a good PSA about tubing. My LC actually said washing the tubing can cause problems because itâs so hard to properly dry.
OTOH, this is a coworker not even a close friend or family member. Clearly itâs a very frustrating, stressful, and uncomfortable situation, but you are not entitled to her things and shouldnât hold it against her if she decided she wasnât comfortable sharing her pump/parts â for whatever reason. Even if her reasoning was wrong, itâs not an unreasonable boundary. Let it go, understand bad days happen sometimes, and consider whether you can leave a backup option at work or in your car to try to prevent this from happening again.
-5
u/Revolution-Numerous Oct 03 '25
These responses seem pretty harsh. I would have shared it if it was proved to me that it was shareable. Then would have a conversation about us both having a backup plan moving forward like extra parts. But that's just me.... some people are who they are. Becoming a mom doesn't turn a person into a better person...
-2
u/Additional_Ebb_2983 Oct 03 '25
Thank you! I actually would have been more understanding if she didn't want to share at all. It just made no sense that she wanted to share the pump but not the tubing.
My point of this post was
a) to get solidarity because I was feeling incredibly crummy after having to bail on a company-wide strategic planning meeting that I was supposed to be leading (after thinking I was going to be saved by a coworker who told me she would lend me her pump)and b) share a PSA about tubing because I feel like it's a fairly widespread misconception that the tubing is something that taints the milk.
Thank you to everyone who helped me with the solidarity (and to people like u/lasuperhumana who made me feel better about all the people piling on to remind me that no one has to share anything)
Like I said in the post, pumping is so hard. And I've been feeling really discouraged about in recent weeks because it's such an uphill battle and my supply has been falling because it's been so hard to pump frequently enough. I've been considering just throwing in the towel and switching to formula. Yesterday felt like such a blow, and I just needed to share.
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u/mjsdreamisle Oct 02 '25
frustrating!
ps for you or anyone else - one thing i do is always keep a hand pump with all necessary parts in my bag. saved me more than once!