HOUSTON -- Having a baby is not cheap. From diapers to strollers and cribs, getting prepared can cost a small fortune. One expectant mother asked KPRC Local 2 investigative reporter Amy Davis why consignment shops are selling used breast pumps when the Food and Drug Administration warns parents not to buy them.

Investigative reporter Amy Davis has the warning and why medical experts say you could be putting your baby's health at risk.

Janna Guillory bought a used breast pump from a consignment shop. She said she planned to buy replacement tubes and valves -- the only parts that she thought came in contact with bodily fluids.

But Guillory is wrong, and we're finding so are a lot of new moms who sell or pass down breast pumps to family and close friends.

KPRC Local 2 discovered dozens of used breast pumps for sale on eBay and Craigslist.

Sellers claim they are "sterilized" and "well taken care of."

There were 32 bids for one used pump when checked online.

But health professionals said used equipment could pass infections like staph and other bacteria onto you and even your baby.

"Many times mothers are like, 'Oh, I had no idea,'" said Sandie Lemke.

Lemke said expectant moms come into her Rice Village breast feeding boutique every week asking her to check out breast pumps borrowed from family and friends.

"We have opened those up and there will be mold, milk. Dried milk that was from the last mother that used it got in through the tubes into that membrane and we pop it off and that falls out of the pump," Lemke said.

Lemke, also a midwife, said most moms think if the tubes and accessories are replaced or sterilized, the pump is safe.

But there is a permeable membrane on the machine where airborne bacteria and milk can soak through to the pump's motor. The piece cannot be removed and cleaned.

"Anything that has a motor to it, it's unlikely that that should be shared," Lemke explained.

So why do shops and hospitals rent pumps and pass them from customer to customer? The rental pumps are medical-grade with closed systems that don't allow any bacteria inside the machine.

KPRC Local 2 called Medela, the manufacturer of the most widely used breast pump in the Houston-area. A spokesman said while the company does not support the use the used breast pumps, they do sell replacement parts in case the original user loses an essential piece of the machine.

More Information:

FDA: Breast Pump Information