(Edit: Most of this piece was written before the birth of my son, but somehow went unpublished until now.)
As many pregnant women have found out the Affordable Health Care Act made it possible for women to get a free breast pump through their health insurance. Unfortunately, there are loop holes so that not all women can actually get a free breast pump through their insurance. Some insurance companies are grandfathered into the Affordable Health Care Act and are not required to actually include this option in their insurance plans. For someone like me who is on Medicare there is no coverage what so ever. I tend to blame it on the fact that Medicare was made as an insurance for the elderly versus one for people of all ages, but really I don’t know the official reason as to why it is not covered through Medicare. In addition to Medicare I do have Medicaid due to my low income from being on disability.
Medicaid does cover my pregnancy though when it comes to getting a breast pump covered by insurance they make you jump through a million hoops. Based off of everything that I read and have been told it could take months to actually get a breast pump through them because they like to deny them as much as possible. I assume it is because breast pumps are so very expensive and they are already paying out for all of your other medical expenses which adds up very fast while one is pregnant. In order to get approval for a breast pump through my insurance I have to prove that my child cannot breast feed and I cannot manually pump milk from my own breast. Everything is black and white to them. That is why I was so very thankful when Medela stepped up to the plate and offered me one of their breast pumps to review. Before I move on to tell you about the breast pump that I received from them I wanted to share with you that you can look up your insurance on Medela’s website to see just what breast pump is actually covered for you.
Medela Freestyle Breast Pumps
As you know breast pump’s are not cheap and the Medela Freestyle Breast pump Deluxe Set is not any different. To purchase one out of pocket it costs $429.00 according to Medela’s website, but if you scour the internet you can often find it a little bit cheaper. I personally always check Amazon prices before I make a big purchase because I might be able to save a little bit of money. This set comes with additional accessories so that you do not have to but them separately.
What’s Included
- 1 – Freestyle pump
- 1 – Lithium ion battery – rechargeable
- 1 – AC adaptor/charger
- 1 – Double pumping kit – includes: (2) breast shield bodies, membranes and back caps, (1) set of tubing
- 1 – Set of 24mm and 27mm PersonalFit Breastshields
- Instructions
Additional contents within the Freestyle Breast pump Deluxe Set
- 4 – 5oz/150mL breast milk bottles and lids
- 1 – Portable microfiber carry bag
- 1 – Medela cooler system including cooling element
- 1 – Free Easy Expression Bustier voucher (redeemable at medelabreastfeedingus.com)
This kit does come with many accessories though you might still need to purchase some more for you to use. While the kit comes with both a set of 24mm and 27mm Breastshields you might need a different size depending on the size and shape of your breasts and nipples. In addition to possibly needing a different size for your breastshields you will need to redeem your Easy Expression Bustier voucher if you want to be able to do some hands free pumping. The Easy Expression Bustier is similar to a strapless sports bra that wraps around your torso. The difference is that this one has two holes in front that will hold the breastshields in place while you pump so that you do not need to hold them up to your breasts. They don’t provide you with one in the box to ensure that you get the right size for you.
I am loving Medela thus far and everyone I know that has used breast pumps has told me that I would want a Medela pump because they are top of the line. After doing even more research I came across their breastfeeding guidance; if you are like me and this is your first time breastfeeding you will want to do as much research as you can before the baby arrives. I plan to know as much as I can about breastfeeding as well as pumping to make transitions between the two even easier.
