Pumping supplies question

Kim0710

Hi Ladies! My name is Kim and I will be a FTM in 11 short weeks (Due Dec. 5th) I plan on breastfeeding, but will be pumping before I return to work. I have ordered the Medela Pump in Style through my insurance. I was wondering if you had suggestions on what additional supplies I will need to make this process easiest. I know I will need lanolin, breast pads, membranes and storage bags. If anyone has brand or storage suggestions, I would appreciate it! I tried to search, but didn't come up with what I am looking for. If you have a link to previous posts so this isn't a duplicate, let me know! Thanks, and I look forward to joining this board! 

vvvvvfee

it's convenient to have two sets of pump parts (flanges, valves, membranes, bottles) so that you can stick your parts in the dishwasher at the end of the day and still have one ready to go for the next day. medela actually makes a starter kit that has all this stuff in one package: https://www.toysrus.com/buy/accessories/medela-breast-pump-accessory-set-67179-2409076

the PISA comes with a cooler, but i found it to be too small. i got a hard-sided lunchbox that i used to keep the pumped milk and parts in with an ice pack, so i didn't have to wash parts between sessions. it was very easy to clean out- i just wiped it with a disinfecting wipe.

this ice cube storage bin (widely available at wal-mart and the like) is exactly the right width to hold the BM storage bags in your freezer.

a dry-erase marker is helpful for marking bottles with the date you pumped the milk. just wipe away the ink when done.

surpriseaddition

Welcome! PPs had great suggestions. Since you have the PISA, many hospitals use the Medela hospital grade pump. If you try to pump in the hospital, they will provide you with a full set of breast pump parts that you can take home with you and will work with your PISA (my hospital kit had the tubing, 2 different size flanges, the main clear plastic pieces along with the yellow parts that the membranes attach to and several membranes).  Additionally, you can practice pumping with the LC so you are completely comfortable with the process.  I second the ziplock bags.  Each morning I would grab the pump parts out of the dishwasher and toss them in a gallon bag.  That way I knew they stayed clean and I used the ziplock bag to put the pump parts back into when I would refrigerate them between uses.  If you refrigerate the pump parts you don't need to clean between uses which is awkward at work.  I also purchased a bunch of the Evenflo storage bottles which were cheaper and also work with the Medela pump https://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Simplymilk-Storage-Bottles-Ounce/dp/B004GXA6JM .  They were pretty inexpensive, and I liked to have a good supply of bottles.

Kim0710

Thank you so much ladies!!!!! I'll definitely grab the items you suggested. It's so much better hearing this from real people to see what works and what is a waste. There are too many options to choose from.