Working Moms

Help: Pumping at work...tiny fridge....

What do you ladies think I should do... On Thursdays I work at a clinic and we only have a tiny dorm fridge. I can put my milk in it... but my question is what do I do with my pump parts. At my other jobs I put the pump parts in a bag in the fridge so I don't have to clean them in between pumps... Is it ok if I just rinse them and leave them at room temp? 
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Re: Help: Pumping at work...tiny fridge....

  • I always just rinse my pump parts and keep them at room temperature - my DS has never gotten sick.  My lactation consultant also told me this was fine.
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  • epphdepphd member

    I actually don't even rinse or refrigerate pump parts.  A LC reminded me that milk is stable at room temp for 8 hours, so as long as your hands are clean it is fine to just reuse the parts.  Put them in a clean plastic bag in between uses.  I keep the milk in a small container with blue ice in my office.  been doing this since April and so far, all is well with LO and me!

    ETA: of course I thoroughly wash all parts every night :)  It's not like I never wash them - just not in between sessions throughout a work day.

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  • BennyLBennyL member

    imageHuzzy:
    rinse them and leave them at room temp? 

    This is fine too. Also, not sure what your budget is like, but I just ended up buying 2 sets of pump parts since I pumped 2 times during the work day.

  • I don't even put my milk in the fridge - I keep it in the little cooler case provided with the Freestyle, and it actually stays pretty cold.  I also only give the flanges a quick rinse, and then put them in the dishwasher at home.
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  • That's what I did.  I just rinsed after each pumping session and dried as best as I could then stored in the bag.  Never had a problem.  Also, when I didn't have access to a fridge I stored the milk in bottles (or storage bags) in a cooler bag with freezer packs and it was fine. 
  • I just left mine in my office during the day, milk and pump parts too.  Then I washed the parts at night.  I never really used the office fridge. 
  • I didn't use the fridge at all: had a cooler with ice packs. I also had 2 or 3 sets of pump parts, and washed them all at once when I got home at night.
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  • I don't use a fridge to store my milk. My Medela Metro Bag pump came with a cooler and ice pack and I use that.  I bought an extra ice pack just in case I ever forget to put one in the freezer.  My pump also came with a draw string sack for the pump parts, so I rinse after each pumping and put them in there until the next time.  I wash them in the dishwasher at night.  I've never heard that you're supposed to refrigerate your pump parts, is there a reason why?  I think that would be cold on your breasts when it's time to pump again.  EEK!
    ~DD born 3-25-10~DS born 6-5-12~
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  • I used to just rinse mine.  If I didn't have access to a sink, I would just wipe them off with the Medela wipes.  (pumped for 12 months and never had a problem)
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