since i have been back at work for over 3 months now (i work part-time nights...two 12hr shifts), i have devised a system for getting the most out of my pumping sessions.
it is difficult to relate to a breast pump, as you can imagine. especially when you have precious little time to pump before you have to run into the operating room to scrub for a case and you barely managed to inhale a sandwich.
the thing that has helped me tremendously is having pictures and videos of quinn on my phone. everyone has a cell phone these days, so i purposely take a few short videos and snap a couple pics before going to work. i pump and listen to his coos, watch him giggling of smiling, and picture what he is doing right now. i try to think of what he smells like and how his body would feel curled up next to mine. that is how i relate to my pump.
so this is my pump:
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| medela pump in style advanced |
and these are the easy containers that i use to catch all that milk because they screw right onto the bottom and because they do not contain BPA, PVC, or DEHP (whatever that is). i label them and store them in my fridge or freezer. you can actually screw a nipple right onto them to feed baby, but i transfer them to bottles and reuse the containers.
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| snappies containers |
these are my favorite glass bottles because glass makes me happier than plastic and because they are supposed to reduce colic:
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| dr brown's glass bottles |
here is the bottle warmer that sits on the nightstand next to mike's side of the bed, pre-set so that he just pops a bottle in when baby starts to fuss for food:
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| dr brown's bottle warmer |
and i store the milk according to these guidelines posted on dr sears' website (he also has TONS of helpful hints for nursing, returning to work, getting your supply up, etc):
for those working moms out there who manage to pump and continue nursing, i give you some serious kudos. it is no joke so keep it up!
Amen sister. Pumping at work is not easy at all. I was amazed I made it as long as I did. It really helped that I had two other girlfriends also pumping and we pumped together! A regular pumping party! I hope that I can keep it up with #2. As much as I hated pumping I love love love breastfeeding so it's def. worth it. On a side note I took an old bra and cut holds in the middle to put the pumps into- a hands free device! It was so awesome but so not attractive. Ha. Keep it up girl!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am a big believer in Dr.Brown's bottles. We used them for my 2nd son, because he was unable to tolerate my breastmilk, due to a severe milk protein intolerance, just like his big brother. They are a bit of a pain to wash, because of all the parts, but I think they really cut down on the amount of air they take in. We found a basket to be able to put them in the dishwasher.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I'm a Registered Nurse in ICU and I was so afraid I would not have time to pump at work. But, with a little pre-planning with my bosses and a good pump, it hasn't been bad at all. Another great tool I've found to save time is using the Medela Quickclean wipes. They clean all of my pump parts and collection bottles when I don't have time to run down the hall to the bathroom.
ReplyDelete@katie - i am right with you - all the accessories and the sneaking off to pump while another nurse watches my patient is NO fun. but i love breastfeeding and plan to keep it up well passed one year. so it is worth it for sure. and as for the bra trick...it totally works!
ReplyDelete@sarah - yes, quinn has really had no gas since starting the bottles because dr brown's are so good.
@olivia grace - firstly, i love both your name...both olivia and grace. secondly, thanks for the tip. i will check them out. anything that saves time!!!