Medela — #1 Choice of Hospitals and Mothers

Hi, I will soon be a new mom in the next couple of weeks and have some silly first-time-mom questions! I have just received my Medela breast pump and am wondering if I should clean it before I use it. It sounds like a good idea to me, but I just want to make sure. If I do, do I use the cleaning products that go with the pump? which one(s)? Thank you so much in advance for answering my questions. Take care :)

You should sterilize it before you use it. You can do that by separating all of the pieces and then boiling them for 20 minutes. Actually, I believe it's recommended that you boil the at least cones that touch your breast once a day. That ensures that no bacteria or fungus is left behind. Believe me, you definitely want to avoid these or else you may end up with an infection (which are painful). It's a hassle to do it at home on the stovetop, so you might want to look into the bags that Medela sells that sterilize the pieces in the microwave. The pieces that don't touch you can be washed with hot water and even dish soap. Let everything air dry as light and air kill a lot of bacteria (sunlight kills yeast).