Reverse-cycling, pumping, and bottle washing

jbelle · June 2014

My daughter is 14 weeks old.

I've been back to work for two weeks; DD refused bottles at first, now eats between 6oz and 8oz (with occasional outlier days) while I'm at work. She chows down in the evenings and overnight. I'm pumping 3x at work and collecting about 14oz.

I'm fine with her reverse cycling, but what if she stops (is she likely to stop?); should I keep up the 3x pumping at work just in case she starts legitimately eating during the day? Or should I avoid pumping so much extra? (Pumping 3x a day is not a problem for me.)

I'm getting occasional (random) engorgement--I assume thanks to my pumping plus intermittent growth spurts. I can deal, but will it increase my risk of clogged ducts or other issues?

Also, I'm washing bottles by hand in the evening using Dawn; about 75% of my parts come out great, but about 25% still have residue on them, and of course I can't fully tell until they've dried overnight. Different soap? Different technique?

Your thoughts and opinions would be appreciated! TIA!

vvvvvfee · June 2014

i would keep pumping 3x a day for now. if you think about pumping for each feeding that you miss, that is probably at least 3 times a day. since you have only been back for 2 weeks, your LO may adjust and start taking more. (have you tried a different bottle?) i don't think it's a bad thing to have extra to freeze, either. i used frozen milk to supplement what i was sending to DC when i dropped to 2 pumping sessions per day. so i would keep it up for now and then re-evaluate in a few more weeks.

i definitely recommend getting a second set of pump parts! put one set in the dishwasher at night, and then you have a second set to bring to work with you the next day. wash the membranes by hand, but everything else can get thrown in the dishwasher.

jbelle · June 2014

Thanks! We did try a lot of different bottles--holy cow did I read a lot about refusing a bottle! :-) I'll keep freezing!

vvvvvfee said:

i definitely recommend getting a second set of pump parts! put one set in the dishwasher at night, and then you have a second set to bring to work with you the next day. wash the membranes by hand, but everything else can get thrown in the dishwasher.

Sorry for the confusion; it's not my pump parts--and I do have a spare set!--it's her bottles and nipples. (We have an older dishwasher and plastics do not dry in it, so hand washing is necessary so I'm not having to hand-dry parts in the morning.)

vvvvvfee · June 2014

once you've settled on bottles that your LO definitely likes, get another set.

we have a crappy dishwasher and have never used the heated dry setting. i just unloaded all the bottles/nipples into our dishdrain and let them air dry overnight. even if they are wet, why do you have to hand-dry them? the water on them is clean.

handling pump/bottle parts is such a pain in the ass, it is really beneficial to get a streamlined system going. one way to do that is having 2 (or more!) sets of everything so one set is always clean and waiting.

cnctf · June 2014

I use babyganics bottle and dish soap and highly recommend it. If u read most reviews on it, people always mention not having any residue or foggy bottles when using babyganics.

jbelle · June 2014

vvvvvfee said: once you've settled on bottles that your LO definitely likes, get another set.

we have a crappy dishwasher and have never used the heated dry setting. i just unloaded all the bottles/nipples into our dishdrain and let them air dry overnight. even if they are wet, why do you have to hand-dry them? the water on them is clean.

handling pump/bottle parts is such a pain in the ass, it is really beneficial to get a streamlined system going. one way to do that is having 2 (or more!) sets of everything so one set is always clean and waiting.

Thanks for the tips!

Our dishwasher can't accommodate a bottle basket, so running them through the dishwasher is hit or miss for effectiveness (a few always wind up right side up filled with dirty water). We actually have quite a lot of bottles and nipples, but we're going through them in awkward amounts because daycare and Gma (who are currently splitting care duties) request different things, keep different things, and return different things. DD will be in daycare all day starting in a week or two, so that will hopefully result in a few of my extra pieces getting returned!

Anyway, I'm sure you were dying to know all that! But handwashing is actually the quickest way to go for us ATM, and I don't mind--this to shall pass, and all that--except this intermittent film!

@cncft: I will look into babyganics! Thanks!

lilies&orchids · June 2014

I also use babyganics and wash by hand - works great for us! I even started using it on regular dishes that need a quick wash when I've always used Dawn in the past.

cnctf · June 2014

You're welcome!! If you find that u like their stuff, keep an eye out at babies r us cause they will often have bogo sales!!

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