Help me think through this...

MissHSoonToBeMrsS · August 2014

Ok another back to work post for me...sorry!

Those of you who pump at work: how do you handle bottles? Do you combine all the bottles into one? Pour the amount you need for next day bottles? I ask because today I pumped and put bottles back in the cooler. So there was fat on the sides when I got home and tried to combine bottles. Hopefully my question makes sense...basically I'm wanting to know your pumping routine from start to finish.

avidkeo · August 2014

MissHSoonToBeMrsS said:

Ok another back to work post for me...sorry! Those of you who pump at work: how do you handle bottles? Do you combine all the bottles into one? Pour the amount you need for next day bottles? I ask because today I pumped and put bottles back in the cooler. So there was fat on the sides when I got home and tried to combine bottles. Hopefully my question makes sense...basically I'm wanting to know your pumping routine from start to finish.

I bought breast milk storage bags, so I combine both bottles into one bag. I only use one bag per pump session so 3 sessions per day = 3 bags.

Saraloaks · August 2014

I combine to create a full bottle feeding for LO, 4 oz. If I have to combine after refrigeration, I let it warm up a bit so the fat isn't sticking to the sides. You might want to check out the exclusively pumping thread, lots of great info!

RedDawnsRevenge · August 2014

Swirl the bottles to remove the "fat" never shake. I froze all my milk in 4oz portions when I worked so milk did get combined when I got home from work. After a pump session at work I put my parts in a gallon zip lock with a wash cloth at the bottom (to absorb extra milk), and put in the fridge. Milk was stored in the bottles and placed in a cooler bag with an ice pack in the fridge. When I'd get home then I'd measure them out and mix is nessacary, then freeze flat, then I'd go to bed.

michaelad3 · August 2014

I have a tall cooler bag that can fit bottles with the pumping shields attached, so I assemble and transport them that way. After my first pping session (the biggest one) I combine both of my pumping bottles into a 9oz bottle and store it in the cooler bag. I reassemble the pump shields on the same bottles, put them in the cooler bag, and put the whole bag in the fridge. After the second session, I combine the two bottles and cap the one with the milk. I put a clean bottle on the pumping shield, and store them all in the bag again. At the end of the day, I put the ice packs (stored in the freezer at work during the day) back into my cooler bags (the tall one and the medela one that came with my pump) and put the bottles and still assembled pump gear into them to come home. When I'm home, I pour the milk into the bottles for the next day and wash everything. I do rinse the pump parts after my last session, but I keep it all refrigerated and don't wash until I get home. Sorry that was really long!

katieb7413 · August 2014

I rotate. So what I pump Monday is used Tuesday etc. LO eats about 2 times while I am gone so leave 1 8oz bottle with a tight cap to put into a bottle for LO in 4 oz/feeding. There is always another 8 oz on deck. The Nanny can dip into that if she needs to. By Wednesday I have enough to freeze some as I pump more than he eats.

For the fat on sides. Don't shake, but swirling doesn't always get the fat so if you run just the top of the bottle under hot water for a few seconds it will liquify. Everything else the same as reddawnsrevenge.

RocksInTheWater · August 2014

katieb7413 said:

I rotate. So what I pump Monday is used Tuesday etc. LO eats about 2 times while I am gone so leave 1 8oz bottle with a tight cap to put into a bottle for LO in 4 oz/feeding. There is always another 8 oz on deck. The Nanny can dip into that if she needs to. By Wednesday I have enough to freeze some as I pump more than he eats.
For the fat on sides. Don't shake, but swirling doesn't always get the fat so if you run just the top of the bottle under hot water for a few seconds it will liquify. Everything else the same as reddawnsrevenge.

Good tip. Thanks!

michaelad3 · August 2014

I forgot to respond to the fat on the sides. I agree with the previous posts. I usually just let it sit at room temp for a minute while I get my other bottles ready, and then I used hands to warm while I swirl

Twirple · August 2014

I have a small igloo soft sided six pack cooler. The pump parts fit in a zippered portion at the top of the cooler. I have two medela ice packs in it and it holds six bottles. I usually use three bottles for my first pumping session of the day, my next two sessions I will pump into two bottles and combine them into one (but not combine pumping sessions). My bottles are still really cold when I get home, but they don't have fat sticking to the sides. DD goes through approximately 12 oz at daycare. I freeze the rest.

pineconey · August 2014

Wait.... Why no shaking?!

Crap.

Eta: I looked it up on kellymom. Good thing DS only gets a bottle once a day max...

Avion22 · August 2014

I pack:

- Cooler bag with 4 empty bottles (A, B, C, and D) and an ice pack

- Pumping bra

- Clean parts/flanges in a zip-lock, inside a cloth lunch bag

- Pump and battery pack (the outlets are in a weird location, so I use batteries).

- Cloth diaper/burp cloth for catching spills and drips

1. Get pump entirely set up first, with bottles A and B.

2. Pull my shirt up, drop the cups of my nursing bra, put pumping bra on overtop

3. Pump while checking email, messing around on my phone, whatever

4. When I'm done, I empty bottle B into bottle A, and put them both back into the cooler bag.

5. Parts go into the zip-lock, then into the cloth lunch sack and into the communal work fridge

6. Next time I pump, I'll pump into bottles B and C, the combine into B. The bottles stay cold all day in the cooler bag until I get home, so I don't ever put them in the communal work fridge.

7. (ETA) When I get home I combine all of the milk together, scald for lipase, then re-portion into clean bottles. It's a lot of bottle washing. But he won't drink from the bottles I pump into anyway, so there is a clear delineation between bottles used for pumping and bottles used for drinking.

RedDawnsRevenge · August 2014

pineconey said:
Wait.... Why no shaking?!

Crap.

Micro air, shouldn't shake formula either (though it says to on the can...). Destroys nutrients, so they say. I'm not convinced it's so fragile, but I don't need anymore air in my baby. I have a hard enough time keeping the milk down without air's help.

(Air's? The help belongs to air? You grammar nerds have me paranoid now)

kmos816 · August 2014

@pineconey‌ I just learned about the no shaking rule from the breastfeeding board.... Kinda ruined things for me! Someone posted a link to an article there under a post titled milk seperation....sorry not sure how to link to a post

RocksInTheWater · August 2014

I have never heard of scalding until someone started a thread about it. Is it necessary? I pump once a day to build a stash. After 4-5 days in the fridge I put the milk into freezer bags and into the deep freezer. Should I be smelling/tasting the milk before doing this?

michaelad3 · August 2014

My morning set up

nicole mackenzie · August 2014

I pump when I get to work at 7:40am and don't mix because the first morning pump won't fit into one bottle.

I then pump every 2-4 hours getting about 2 ounces per breast after 3 hours. I mix this milk into the same bottle. I pump about 4-5 times in my 10 hour shift.

I keep all my bottles in the fridge at work. At the end of the day I mix cold milk so it will fit in less bottles.

I do not mix my warm milk with my cold milk.

Then I put it in my cooler and drive home.

I do have to swirl the bottles to mix the Creme in

Avion22 · August 2014

LoriMc12 said:

I have never heard of scalding until someone started a thread about it. Is it necessary? I pump once a day to build a stash. After 4-5 days in the fridge I put the milk into freezer bags and into the deep freezer. Should I be smelling/tasting the milk before doing this?

Some of us have excess lipase in our milk. It's an enzyme that breaks down the fat in the milk. Excess lipase can make milk taste funky (soapy or metallic) within a few hours or up to a day. The milk isn't spoiled, it just tastes funny. Some babies don't mind the taste, and some do. Scalding the milk helps keep the milk tasting fresh for longer. It's worth smelling or tasting your milk after it's been in the fridge for a few days to see if it's soapy or metallic. If it is, your baby may or may not drink it.

Lipase wasn't an issue for us at first, I think because he couldn't really taste it yet, but he suddenly stopped drinking milk that had been in the fridge for more than about a day. I had to get rid of my entire freezer stash because it tasted weird to him and he wouldn't drink it (some people can donate, but I couldn't find anyone to donate to). It's worth finding out if you have a lipase problem before you create a huge freezer stash that your baby may or may not eat.

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