Pumping...what else do I need?

crizz13 · September 2014

Hi Ladies,
I got the Medela Freestyle through my insurance. My question is what else do I need to get besides pads for my bra and lanolin cream? I'll be EB until I go back to work when baby is 12 weeks old. At that point, I'll be breastfeeding/pumping for daycare.

The Freestyle came with:
2 large breastshields
2 medium breastshields
2 breastshield connectors (attaches to the bottle)
4 bottles
4 lids
1 ice pack
1 cooler bag
1 carrying bag
1 rechargeable battery
1 power adapter
1 hands free "kit"
1 set of tubing
1 motorized unit

sweetbabyrahe · September 2014

I will second a pumping bra as it allowed me to do paperwork and pump at the same time. Also milk storage bags ( I preferred lasinoh brand bags) .

PandaCon · September 2014

Agree with the above. You might also want a few more bottles for pumping at work. Also snacks, pumping/bfing always made me hungry.

FishyMom · September 2014

bethas said:

I would recommend the pumping bra so you can multitask while pumping. I have to do mine on my plan period, so I can sit there and grade while channeling my inner cow

I think I saw it discounted on Zulily a couple days ago. I think I may go back and buy it from them, if it's still available. But I have never bought anything from them so wavered a bit.

futuremrsdavidow · September 2014

I liked the medela steam sterilizer bags, it was easy to clean the pump parts by sticking the bags in the microwave at work! I also second the bags if you plan to freeze, the target brand up and up were just as good as the lansinoh and cheaper. My sister in law would just pump into the bottles and send those bottles to daycare the next day so she didn't really freeze and she liked that as well.

You will prob want some breast pads too...the washable ones didn't work for me bc I made too much milk and would leak through them...I did really like the lansinoh disposable breast pads though!

JenMark2011 · September 2014

bethas said:
I would recommend the pumping bra so you can multitask while pumping. I have to do mine on my plan period, so I can sit there and grade while channeling my inner cow

I've got to get one of these. I am supposed to pump both breasts at the same time and I am so engorged it's crazy! I need this so I can do a good massage while pumping!

SarahHeck · September 2014

I have that pump! Love it! I'd get an extra spare parts kit to have on hand and I totally second the microwave sterilizer bags!

musicalmommy3 · September 2014

Loving this thread. As a STM I absolutely loved my medela freestyle pump... However what pumping bras do you suggest? I would love to get one.

snarkylibrarian · September 2014

I heard you can do a DIY hands free pumping bra by modifying a sports bra. Has anyone done that before? I'm a cheapskate.

PandaCon · September 2014

snarkylibrarian said:

I heard you can do a DIY hands free pumping bra by modifying a sports bra. Has anyone done that before? I'm a cheapskate.

I did this with my first and it worked. Now I was a SAHM so I wasn't pumping all the time, probably just three-four times a week. I don't know how it would have stood up to pumping multiple times a day. It was a cheep sports bra too though.

THis time I think I will get a pumping bra since I will be pumping two days a week while kiddos are at daycare. (I work from home now.)

ElinJ · September 2014

I have the Freestyle, and I loved it when pumping for my son. I could get by with charging it only every couple days, and sometimes I could wear it and pump while I washed bottles.

DITTO on the pumping bra! I got the Simple Wishes brand. I know people say you can modify a sports bra, but I have ZERO regrets on spending $40 (I think that's what I paid) on the bra. I pumped 3x a day, 5 days a week. Sometimes I pumped 4x a day if I added a night session. I loved the ease of putting on the pumping bra. It took me mere seconds, and I put it on over my normal bra, camisole, etc. I can't imagine wrestling myself in and out of a sports bra 3x a day. No thank you. I pumped for 13 months, so... that's a lot of putting it on & off!

Also ditto on the bags. I HATED the Medela ones. If I pumped 5oz or more (which I often did because I only pumped 1 side per time, to mimic how my son nursed only 1 side per time) they would over flow. The Lansinoh brand are great, but I was also fine with the Gerber brand. I think Target has an Up&Up brand, am I right? I might try those this time.

I was lucky to have a room exclusively used for pumping at work. It was the "New Mother's Room" and it had it's own fridge. So I was able to just store my pump parts in that private fridge, which meant I didn't have to wash in between. On the rare occasion I was offsite, having the Medela Quick Clean Wipes were great. I used them to wipe down parts between pumps. Also great for if you're traveling, etc.

Ditto as well on the breastpads. I was a heavy leaker for a long time, and HAD to use disposables. Sometimes changing 3-4 times a day (this was well after my milk was established!). I had problems with oversupply, so if I missed my pump by more than an hour, I'd have a soaked wet shirt. (On one side... due to my single side pumping!)

Wearing a cami underneath my shirt was handy for a couple reasons. One is if I did have leaks, it often wet my cami, but not my shirt. But also, it was nice having more coverage for my tummy when pumping. Towards the end of my pumping, I had a friend at work, and we would pump together if it just worked out that way, rather than waiting outside the room for the other person to finish. But also, it was nice even when pumping alone to not see my belly flab hanging out!!

Also, whether you keep them in your bag, or just nearby, have a small amount of paper towels handy. I always needed one after pumping.

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