Pumping & Working-- Best Tips?

Read the Milk Memos!!

http://www.amazon.com/Milk-Memos-Learned-Business-Babies/...

Hi K.,

I found pumping every 2.5 to 3 hours worked well, much less and your supply could drop, closer together in the earlier part of the day when supply is higher. After the first pumping, I just put all the plastic parts in the fridge in a Ziplock (inside a drawstring bag for privacy), no washing or rinsing needed (a time saver!). What you pump today, baby eats tommorrow, and on Friday I would freeze the days milk, and on Saturday, thaw (in the fridge) an older batch for Monday, to keep the frozen stock from getting too old. I just left the electric pump at work to avoid the luggig, and used a manual at home in case I had an opportunity. I liked the Avent manual pump. At the end of the day, wash the parts with warm soapy water, be sure they dry completely, and you're set for the next day.

All the best,
C.

The stuff that I loved was the Medela Microwave sterilization bags for the pumping gear, and they also had towelettes for cleaning as well (I don't remember what they were called exactly, but they will be with the microwave bags). I also stored the milk in freezer bags-the First Year made them, I think, and froze them at work and either left them at the day care when I picked up my daughter or took them home in an insulated bag w/cold pack. That's all I can remember at this point. The day care staff was experienced enough to know what to do with the frozen milk, so I never worried about that. Good Luck!

I agree with the comment about the hands-free bustier. This was a great tool for me and I pumped at work until my son was a year old. I pumped in my office 3X a day and was able to continue working so no stress associated with having to take long breaks. I also used the towelettes from Medela between sessions. This way I didn't have to take my pumping gear back and forth to the sink in the office. I just wiped everything down between sessions and took it all home for a thorough cleaning at night. I also left my pump in the office during the week and just carried home the milk in the cooler and the parts that needed cleaning. Good luck!

Kate, I use a hands-free pumping bustier and I *really* recommend it. It means you can do other things while you're pumping, like have a snack or drink some water or even do some work. For me it is less stressful to do a little work while I'm pumping than not to, because then I'm just worrying about all the work I still have to do when I'm done. Being hands-free means I can do other stuff and that means I can pump longer, and get more. So that's my biggest piece of advice! The one I use is here:

http://www.easyexpressionproducts.com/

Good luck!
A.

Hi K.,

Good luck in successfully working and pumping for your baby. I W&Ped without supplementing at all for my son from 9 weeks to 13 months, using an Isis manual pump in my car.

My best suggestion for you is to get yourself a copy of the book Working Without Weaning by Kirsten Bergren, lots of great info and tips for W&P moms

As much water as you can possibly drink as well as something relaxing to focus on while you are pumping and also a picture of your daughter will help with pumping. The picture or pictures made a difference for me. With our first daughter I was only able to pump while she was in the room which of course defeated the purpose. With the second the picture helped and I was able to pump while at work as long as I was not stressing about how much time I had or thinking about how much milk I would need to replace ect. With the third I worked only a few hours twice a week and pumped during a 15 min break but was usually able to get 4 oz out.

In the morning, I feed my daughter on one side & pump on the other. I pump (usually just once) at work into the storage bottles & bring them home. My daughter is now on a great feeding schedule which does not vary too much, so I make the majority of the bottles with fresh milk & then freeze some milk (into the freezer bags). Every night I defrost enough milk for 1 bottle & put "use first" on it so it is not wasted (I make the bottles ahead of time for the sitter). I have 2 sets of pump supplies to make cleaning easier (I'm not a fan of the microwave bags but the medela cleaning cloths are awesome!!) Then I usually feed one side & pump the other just before bed. My milk supply is greater than my daughter's needs so my freezer is pretty full! The process is time consuming but it is so much better for her & saves so much financially. Best of luck to you & your babies!!

My best trick was pump one breast while baby is nursing on the other, you get more and baby is doing all the work...I haven't heard of the microwave bags so I am not sure what they do, but I do know you should never nuke your breastmilk you're killing all the reasons why you pumped in the first place. Also if your caregiver can bring baby up to nurse once a day it will really help keep your milk up, but if not keep stockpiling! Goodluck!

www.kellymom.com probably has some great tips, as well.

HTH

A few things I would recommend. First, if you can pump after your first feeding in the morning because I found that pumping at work only twice/day did not give me enough milk for my daughter's appetitite. Second, keep an extra set of the pumping gear at work so that if you forget it one day you have a back-up. Third, if you pump directly in the storage bags, make sure that they are securely closed because I had some leaking problems. Fourth, I made the bottles beforehand for my caregiver and found this was good for me because then I knew exactly what my daughter was getting. Fifth, have at least two days worth of bottles in the freezer before you go back to work because sometimes pumping the first couple of days doesn't work out as well. Sixth, not sure what pump you are using, but fiddle with the adjustments on it to make sure you are getting as much milk as you can. Good luck!

Hi K.
I'm so exicted to know that mothers still believe in exclusive breastfeeding. The breast is the best and it can work. Its good to strting pumping and labelling/dating the bottles or whatever you will be storing the milk in. Remember "First in First out" so u need to date so u use the first ones in first. U can freeze and store in freezer compartment up to three months, if its a deep freeze that u go in once a while that can remain as long as six months. (I will try to source storage schedule and let u have same). U know in pumping the milk u ahve to be as relaxed just as if u were breastfeeding and remeber to have a drink just before pumping. Portioning in different sizes is important because as the baby gets older she will need more and also after a long sleep she will need more so large bottles for those times. Its good as a mom to deforst and have feeds on bottom of refridgerator. Give instruction to nanny to place bottle with feed in a container of warm water to get back the temperature of breastmilk. Be careful not to make water too hot , this can break the bottle, sudden change in temperature'. Continue to let baby suckle as much as possible when u are around her, This will help with the continuous production of milk. Some people find using a breat pump helpful while other use their hands. Whichever is more comfortable and more convenient to u. I know it can work . I did it and my daughter got only braestmilk for four months not even water . Well my nanny fed her from a cup and bottle alternately. Cup feeding can be very demanding at times. However all the best and I know u can do it. The benefits of bretafeeding to the mother and baby are too numerous to mention,
REMEMBER THE BREAST IS STILL THE BEST
D