Fact: Breastfeeding is great for you and your baby. It fosters bonding, provides the gold standard of infant nutrition, and might help prevent breast cancer, just to name a few of its many benefits.
Other perks: it’s free and always with you, no need to pack messy formula!
Experts like those at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend mamas breastfeed exclusively for baby’s first six months. Since most women need to return to work long before their baby hits the half-year mark, it’s a good idea to get a breast pump so you can continue to provide your little with breast milk. Stay at homes moms benefit from breast pumps as well – a bottle of expressed milk in the fridge means your partner can feed the baby (and you get to sleep for once!).
Now there is a super easy way to secure a free breast pump through your health insurance. You’ve probably heard that most health insurances are required by law to cover the cost of breast pumps. Of course, different insurances vary in what brands and types of pumps they will pay for, and personally I always find navigating my health insurer’s website to determine my exact benefits to be a nightmare.
But now just complete a short form at Aeroflow Breastpumps, a medical supply company, and they will take it from there. Aeroflow handles all the communications and approvals required by your doctor and insurance provider. Once they’ve tackled the pesky paperwork for you, Aeroflow will contact you with info about the pumps your insurance covers.
Aeroflow also offers some upgraded options from brands like Medela, Hygeia and Ameda, if there is a specific one you want (another win: they accept HSA and FSA spending accounts for any out-of-pocket breast pump upgrade costs). And Aeroflow is one stop shopping for all of your other breastfeeding and pumping needs. From bottles, milk storage bags, and nursing pillows to breast shields and nipple cream, you can find all the top brands in Aeroflow’s online store.
After you’ve selected your pump, Aeroflow ships it to you free of charge. Moms, you can get a new breast pump with each baby, great news if you got rid of a previous pump. It depends on your insurance, but generally Aeroflow can send out your pump 30 to 60 days prior to your due date.
Purchasing a breast pump before your baby arrives is a smart move (take it from a mom who waited – I was scrambling to get one fast after the birth of my first child!). It gives you time to learn how to assemble and use the pump, and to sterilize or wash the various parts, long before you’re an exhausted new mom with a needy newborn in your lap and a million other things to do. Again, some advice from a mama who’s been there: do as much as you can do before your little bundle of joy arrives.
Then all you have to do it sit back and wait for that baby to show up. Easy, right?
