Breast Pumping Questions

I always used the milk storage bags that can be zipped closed. Don't add any more than 4 oz at a time - there's nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night and pumping and storing and then having the baby not drink it all. I would always heat more if I thought they would drink it. Also, if you store the bags flat in the freezer then only a thin layer of milk needs to be defrosted, which was easy to do in a warm bowl of water.

Congrats on the babe!

Congrats on the new baby and breastfeeding!! Be prepared, your milk supply may deminish a bit when you go back to so try to start pumping ASAP to give you enough milk in the freezer for several days to a week or two. Milk in your freezer will last 4-6 months. Pump and put your milk in the double sealed breastmilk bags. They thaw the fastest and are cheap. ONLY thaw your breastmilk in the fridge or under warm/hot water. NEVER heat your breastmilk in the microwave or boiling water, this will breakdown your milk and it actually removes the 'good stuff'! Just heat it in warm to hot water but check the temp before feeding to your baby. Remember breastmilk is a supply and demand so keep pumping and you will not loose your milk supply. Good Luck!

Congrats on your mommyhood :)

You have a couple of options.

First, please do not use water bottles. Those are single use only and leach icky stuffs.

You can certainly buy 4oz bottles and reuse them. There are some breast pumps that attach directly to bottles and you can use a closed cap (no nipple) to store them in the freezer or fridge. This can be very convenient

If you are using the "baggy bottle", you know, the ones with the plastic liner -- I do not know their official name -- you can actually get zip-seal baggies that fit the bottles and store your breast milk directly the bag and have it ready for use.

Ziplock baggies work for some moms. Really, any sealable container that is freezer proof and can stand a warm water bath is all you need. Small mason jars (1/2 pint)…whatever works best for you and is intended for reuse (not single use like water bottles).

Do not, however, layer your milk. This method, where you take fresh milk and layer it onto frozen or chilled milk can actually spoil the breast milk because it effectively promotes microbial growth by “thawing and refreezing”.

Hope this helps…

hi C., congrats on your baby girl. it is so hard going back to work! good luck with that too!
i used the plastic milk storage bags. there are a few brands. i used several, whichever were on sale (medela and lansinoh here is website http://www.target.com/gp/search/189-###-###-####-###-###-...
target had good deals. you will find them in the pump supply/bottle section at target or if you are in san jose good sam hospital has a breast feeding services center that was really helpful. i would pump into the bottles the pump kit came with (or buy at target) and poor into the bags and store in the fridge at work, then once home would date it and put in the freezer. to get a good supply before going back to work, i started pumping in the middle of the night (not great for sleeping but i wanted to be sure i had enough milk for daycare). once my daughter started daycare at 9 weeks, i had an 10 day supply so i would rotate the new milk and use the older milk first. i would pull from the freezer what i needed and let it defrost in the fridge overnight. it was really easy. again good luck, the first day of going back to work is the hardest (i cried but i think lots of us do) but it does get easier.

Hi C.,

Depending on the kind of bottle you use, you can get special pump addaptors to pump and store directly in the bottles.

That said, you really don't need to worry much about storing milk. It is generally recommended that you pump each day for the following day, so she drinks on Tuesday what you pump on Monday and so on. You can make a little extra by pumping between feedings on the weekends, but other than that you should be set. You won't need to freeze the milk if you always pump for the next day or two.

Most lactation consultants and pediatricians recommend pumping one day at a time since you milk changes as your baby ages, so you really wouldn't want your baby to have the milk you are making now 4 months down the line if you can help it. Plus the regular pumping keeps your supply steady.

Hope this helps,
T.

Hi C.,

I am also a new Mom of a 7 1/2 week old daughter and am also planning to returning to work in January. I tear up already at just the thought of it!

I have the Medela pump and it is great and has the options mentioned by others with the bottles you pump directly into. I plan to use these as well as the freezer bags for storage.

My other mom friends have encouraged me and sympathized that it is hard to return to work but I am sure we will survive. In these unstable times we need to do what we can to provide for our families.

Good luck and take care!!