Confused about bottles

Amy&Steve0421

I plan to breastfeed - are there special bottles you should get that work w/your pump?  Or will any bottle do?  I looked at Babies R Us and they have Medela/breastfeeding bottles and then regular bottles.  What is the difference?

I don't plan to buy a pump until I am sure breastfeeding will work for us...do I need my bottle type to match the pump type?

I'm very confused and appreciate any insight you may have...

Sofka

If you plan to build up a freezer stash, I recommend pumping into the bottles that come w/ your pump and then pouring the milk into Lansinoh milk storage bags (lay them flat in the freezer). I believe my Medela came with 4 bottles and that was enough. There are also other bags you can pump directly into.

For actual feedings, I did not use the bottles I pumped into, I used Playtex drop-ins.

 

tomandcourt

Ditto pp - I just pumped into the Medela bottles that came in my pump, and then transferred that to bottles for the next day or into freezer bags for storage. I used Medela freezer bags, and Dr. Brown's bottles. I've had good experiences with both. I believe you can also pump directly into the freezer bags, but I've never tried that.

FWIW, almost any bottle will fit onto the pump in a pinch. I got to work one day and realized I'd forgotten to bring bottles, so I ran to CVS and got some four-ounce Nuby bottles and used them with no issues.

eeclem

Standard size bottles will fit both Medela and Ameda pumps fine. You don't need the same exact brand. I usually pump in to super cheap Evenflo bottles. Born Free and Avent are two I can think of off the top of my head that aren't standard size and don't fit my Ameda pump.

I do wish I'd known this before registering. I have a ton of Avent bottles that I really don't need and ended up returning Dr. Browns b/c C never had any trouble with basic, cheapo bottles.

Amy&Steve0421

So do all breast pumps come w/bottles? 

Sofka

Amy&Steve0421:

So do all breast pumps come w/bottles? 

Medela pumps do

can't speak for others

eeclem

My Ameda came with two bottles. The writing wore off after a month's worth of washings, so they weren't that great. Worked fine for pumping and then storing in Lansinoh bags or to have a bottle in the fridge.

You don't necessarily need a ton of bottles when you start out, but I think you should have at least two day's worth when you go back to work (in our case 8). That way you can pump in to one set while baby is eating out of the other set at daycare.

Amy&Steve0421

Thanks for all the feedback. 

Another question - can someone explain the basics of pumping and then using the breastmilk - I mean - do you always pump into a bottle?  Do you sometimes pump into a bag?  Do you transfer from the bottle to the bag - store it - and then put it back in a bottle to use it?

I basically need the Dummies Guide to getting breastmilk from the pump, to the fridge, to the baby.  Also - once you freeze it - do you defrost it?  If so, how?  This is one area I can't find a clear guide to and I'm just kind of confused by the whole process...

Or - if you know of a book or website that would cover all of this - that would be helpful too.

Sofka

Amy&Steve0421:

Thanks for all the feedback. 

Another question - can someone explain the basics of pumping and then using the breastmilk - I mean - do you always pump into a bottle?  Do you sometimes pump into a bag?  Do you transfer from the bottle to the bag - store it - and then put it back in a bottle to use it?

I basically need the Dummies Guide to getting breastmilk from the pump, to the fridge, to the baby.  Also - once you freeze it - do you defrost it?  If so, how?  This is one area I can't find a clear guide to and I'm just kind of confused by the whole process...

Or - if you know of a book or website that would cover all of this - that would be helpful too.

check out kellymom.com for info

I did both - pumped into a bag and into a bottle. If I pumped into a bottle, I often later poured that into a bag, sometimes I'd wait till I had enough to fill a bag (from several pumping sessions) and then froze the bag. you write down the date and how many oz on the bag so that you are always using the oldest milk while freezing the newest.

when ready to use, you take the bag from the freezer, put it in the fridge and then when it's defrosted, pour it into a bottle for the baby. you cannot re-freeze BM. you can warm it by putting the bag or bottle into a cup of warm water, never microwave BM.

it seems like a lot now, but when you are actually doing it, it'll become 2nd nature!

Amy&Steve0421

Sofka:

Amy&Steve0421:

Thanks for all the feedback. 

Another question - can someone explain the basics of pumping and then using the breastmilk - I mean - do you always pump into a bottle?  Do you sometimes pump into a bag?  Do you transfer from the bottle to the bag - store it - and then put it back in a bottle to use it?

I basically need the Dummies Guide to getting breastmilk from the pump, to the fridge, to the baby.  Also - once you freeze it - do you defrost it?  If so, how?  This is one area I can't find a clear guide to and I'm just kind of confused by the whole process...

Or - if you know of a book or website that would cover all of this - that would be helpful too.

check out kellymom.com for info

I did both - pumped into a bag and into a bottle. If I pumped into a bottle, I often later poured that into a bag, sometimes I'd wait till I had enough to fill a bag (from several pumping sessions) and then froze the bag. you write down the date and how many oz on the bag so that you are always using the oldest milk while freezing the newest.

when ready to use, you take the bag from the freezer, put it in the fridge and then when it's defrosted, pour it into a bottle for the baby. you cannot re-freeze BM. you can warm it by putting the bag or bottle into a cup of warm water, never microwave BM.

it seems like a lot now, but when you are actually doing it, it'll become 2nd nature!

Thanks!  I'm not the most tech. proficient person - I'm the type of person you find standing in the living room mystified by a remote control - so it's good to have the breakdown:)

eeclem

https://www.workandpump.com/ is also a handy site.

eeclem

Also, I know a lot of people get the Similac milk collection kit and various freebies in the hospital. I use that stuff everyday. I store my pump in the plain black diaper bag, my pump parts in the insulated bag (that even came with ice packs) and use the screw tops from the little milk collection bottles on my Evenflo bottles for storage.