So, I was given a Medela swing breast pump from an extended family member. It was just a jumble of bottles and tubes and parts and I avoided dealing with it till now.

Just took it all apart and sorted to sterilize and clean but everything was a lot dirtier than I expected 😕. They clearly just tossed it in the bag after the last use and didn’t even bother cleaning it.

I figure at the very minimum I should just go out buy all new tubing, connectors, valves etc rather than attempting to clean and sterilize what’s there. Just curious on your experiences with used breast pumps. I’ve read that even the brand name consumer use breast pumps lose suction after the first few years so used ones aren’t really worth much. I’m planning to wait until baby arrives ( should be within 2 weeks ) and see how breastfeeding goes before I do anything. Should I even bother investing in all the new tubes and connectors or is it likely better to just invest in a new pump altogether?

Once breastfeeding is well established would it be worth trying this model first before investing in something new? I’m just concerned if this one has already been well used and then sat unused and dirty for a while if I should even be messing with it but have no experience in these matters.