Suggestions, Tips, and Info on Pumping Breastmilk

I used Medela advance electrical pump. Since I had to work, I stored my milk in baby bottle in the fridge so that my nanny can use it to feed my son the next day when I'm out to work. If I have excessive supply, I stored it in Lansinoh storage bags marked with the date. Then I stored it in my freezer for future use. According to the directions on the storage bag, it says milk can be stored in fridge for 8 days. Milk stored in freezer is good for 3-4 months.

I use the Medela Pump N Style and you can usually find a great used one on Craigslist. You can freeze it for up to 6 months. I use the small plastic storage bags for breastmilk but pump into a plastic pump bottle first. When I go back to work, I pump 2 times a day at work. But I do try to store up some before I go back to work.
Best to introduce a bottle of pumped milk at six weeks and have someone else, like your partner, do it or a friend but not you - you do not want to create nipple confusion.
Hope this helps!

I bought a used medela pump, try looking on craigs list for one. The only parts you will have to replace are the breast shield itself, the rest is just tubing.
Breast milk can be stored in regular freezer bags or they make bags to fit the pumps and you just pump right into the bag. Store it in the freezer for 3-4 months and in the fridge for 2-3 days but no more than that. Try pumping 1-2 times a day in between feedings, this way your milk supply is more and you will have enough saved milk for when you go back to work.

I used a Medela Pump in Style, i got it used from my co-worker for $75. I think it's important to get a good strong one like this one. Only the motor part is used, everything else you can get new. I'd go to a place like Day One or Natural Resources and have them help explain the pumps and things you need. All those parts can be intimidating until you figure it out! They also have free magnets to put on your fridge with guidelines about how long to store milk, and I bet you can download the simple chart with the guidelines too. But generally I think they say 3-5 days in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer. That might be conservative.

I pumped 2x a day at work, but when I first went back I did it 3X just to be sure we'd have enough and to maintain my supply. But 3x didn't last long and I went to 2X on a regular basis. And if for some reason I didn't nurse him at home before bed, I'd pump then (or any other time I didn't nurse when I would typically nurse). I kept the Pump in Style at work and had a small hand pump (Medela brand) for times at home, which were rare.

Have fun, and congrats on the new little one!

Hi J.,
I had a preemie and knew I would be pumping for months, so I rented a hospital grade pump from California Pacific's Newborn Connections (based on the lactation consultant's advice). It was pricey, but boy did that thing work! I also had a Medela Pump 'n Go for when I needed to be elsewhere, though you could really just use a cheaper hand pump. I pumped about six times a day, evenly spaced, for 15-20 minutes at a time, turning off the machine for a quick minute if I needed to attach new bottles because the first ones were full. Always have extra bottles w/in arms' reach! I used glass bottles to pump into and for freezing, and I made labels with the date and time of day so that I could go through them in some semblance of order and get rid of bottles if I found out that something I had eaten on a cetain day upset my son's tummy. Then, each day I took bottles from the freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw for the next day's feedings. This is what the nurses did at the NICU. You can always use freshly pumped milk if your little one has a hungry day and your thawed milk is not enough. Also, you should definitely look into this odd tube top looking thing I found at Newborn Connections (though I'm sure they are sold elsewhere). It's basically a zip on tube top with holes over the nipples. The dealies that look like suction cups go inside the top and the attachments go through the holes. The top allows you to pump hands-free. It's the best! You can rig a maternity bra to do the same thing, but sometimes the pump would slip. The tube top was foolproof. Hope this helps!
K.

Hello and congratulations. I know there are lots of options for breast pumps out there, but I purchased a Medela model 57036 electric pump, that was bit pricy. But I knew I had to return to work after 3 months, and I really wanted a reliable pump that was easy to use, so it wasn’t a huge hassle at the office. My goal was to provide the option of nursing for the first year for my son (or as long as practical). As for storage Meleda makes both bottles and bags to collect the expressed breast milk right from the pump. My guess is all the other breast pump manufacturers do to. I had a store in the refrigerator and in the freezer. The guidelines I got from the hospital were 5-7 days from expression in the refrigerator and 3-4 months in the freezer, but I was, in all practicality, probably more conservative than that with my little one, and I checked the milk for signs of spoilage before feeding the expressed milk. In the beginning months 0-5, I pumped every couple of hours, depending on when my breasts told me I need to, eventually after being back at work for while I was down to 2x day. I didn’t need to supplement my little one with formula until he was about 8 months. He’s 10+ months now, and while I still nurse him at night and in the morning, he’s on a combination of food and formula during the day now, and I don’t need to pump at work any more. There is also a lot of information on breastfeeding and breast pumps on the Medela website. Good luck.

Call La Leche League or check out their website.