As a new mum, you want to give your little one the best start in life. Research has shown that breast milk can significantly help the development of babies in neonatal units. If your baby is in special or intensive care and you want to provide your own breast milk, TinyLife can lend a hand through our Breast Pump Loan Service. Providing breast milk can help you to bond with your baby in these difficult early stages when you may be feeling detached and isolated.
If you are a mum with a baby or babies in a neonatal unit, TinyLife has 30 high quality electric breast pumps which you can borrow for up to eight weeks. This service enables you to express your own milk and bring it to the neonatal unit to be fed to your baby - a very practical way in which you can contribute to your vulnerable child’s development and growth in the crucially important early days and weeks of life.
We stock two types of Medela Breast Pump – the Lactina and the Symphony. We have also donated 11 pumps to hospitals and other centres across Northern Ireland.
Each pump is serviced annually by Surgical Systems Ireland Ltd to ensure that you will receive a pump which is safe and operating at maximum efficiency.
In order to provide an effective service TinyLife requests that all mothers who use the service agree to the conditions of loan as detailed below.
Conditions of Loan
1. The maximum period of the loan service available is eight weeks; this will enable as many mothers as possible to access the service. However, if you require the pump for longer please contact TinyLife towards the end of your loan period to discuss a possible extension. Dependent on our waiting list we will try to accommodate you.
2. All equipment must be returned to the TinyLife Office, 33 Ballynahinch Road, Carryduff BT8 8EH (Tel: 028 9081 5050) at the end of the agreed loan period unless another venue has been agreed with TinyLife.
3. The equipment must be returned to the collection point in a clean state. The lactaset kit (tubing, breast shield etc) is disposable and does not need to be returned.
4. In the event that you no longer require the use of the pump before the end of loan period please return it to TinyLife immediately to enable another mother to use it.
5. There is a £30 charge for this service – a £20 deposit and a £10 fee – which must be forwarded directly to TinyLife.
The non-refundable £10 fee covers the cost of the pump attachments which are disposable and therefore only used by one mum. When the pump is returned to TinyLife, the £20 deposit will be returned.
We do ask mums to consider donating the £20 deposit to TinyLife to help us to maintain and develop the breast pump service and make it available to more mums across Northern Ireland.
If a mum or her partner is in receipt of income support benefit we ask them to forward £10 only which is non-refundable.
If a mum is experiencing extreme financial hardship we will loan the pump free of any charge.
