BTDT moms: breastfeeding & bottles

epidemic · November 2014

Been there done that moms, I can't seem to find any solid info online, so I'm relying on your expertise!

I'm planning to breastfeed, but will also be returning to work about 12 weeks post delivery. How many bottles do you recommend for this situation? Baby girl will be in daycare, but I will be able to visit for a lunch-time feeding if her schedule works out with my timing.

What other breast feeding gear is needed, extra tubing, cleaning equipment, etc? There seems to be so much available - it's overwhelming!

LEMSA · November 2014

I was gifted a Medela breastfeeding set, and it had basically everything I needed. Storage bags for frozen milk, bottles to store and/or feed with, info on storing BM, etc.

So first, check with your insurance. Most companies will supply you with a pump. That will have everything you need to pump. Other accessories like different sized phalangees, battery pack, car adaptor, or other things you may need will be sold online. Don't spend $100's if your ins will provide the pump- it's just as good as what's in the stores.

What kind of bottles your baby will take varies. We had luck w Dr Browns. I suggest getting 1-2 of a few different kinds to see what the baby uses well. Medela has nipples that pop right on the storage bottles, but he didn't do well w those so we transferred to another bottle for feeding.

Overall we used 1 Dr Browns a day for feeding, just washed between uses, and 6 small bottles for storage a day.

Swanigam · November 2014

I loved having the breast pump cleaning wipes so I didn't have to rinse my stuff at the work sink in front if everyone.

jackieanddan1989 · November 2014

I'm glad this topic was brought up. Is it necessary for the bottles to be the same brand as the pump? I will probably be getting a Medela pump but plan to use Avent bottles because I hear they have nipple shapes that are good for breasted babies

Swanigam · November 2014

jackieanddan1989 said:
I'm glad this topic was brought up. Is it necessary for the bottles to be the same brand as the pump? I will probably be getting a Medela pump but plan to use Avent bottles because I hear they have nipple shapes that are good for breasted babies

With my medela pump I could pump into medela bottles or any storage bag then transfer to whatever bottle I wanted for feeding. And if you can find a different bottle brand with the same size neck it should screw onto the pump attachment so you could pump into that also.

epidemic · November 2014

@lemsa that's a good point I hadn't thought of...so registering for Mandela bottles and a pump isn't the best idea in case baby doesn't take them? How did you figure out which ones worked..just trying different ones?

lindsayanne14 · November 2014

jackieanddan1989 said:
I'm glad this topic was brought up. Is it necessary for the bottles to be the same brand as the pump? I will probably be getting a Medela pump but plan to use Avent bottles because I hear they have nipple shapes that are good for breasted babies

You can use any bottle your baby will take. The Medela ones attach to your pump, so if your baby likes Medela bottles it removes a step in milk storage, feeding and cleaning of the bottles.
I would be hesitant to decide which bottles you are using at this point, since your baby will sort of dictate this. We tried Dr Brown's, Tommee Tippee and Advent and the only ones my DS would use were the Medela bottles. I ended up being happy because there was no transferring milk or cleaning extra bottles. My fingers are crossed DS2 loves them too!

I probably have at least 12 Medela bottles. I took 4 every day to work for pumping, 4-5 in the fridge for feedings while I was away and a few extra that came in handy when I was cleaning bottles or if I left a bottle at my IL's accidentally.

My hospital gave me a bag with extra pump parts and eventually I bought additional pump parts when they were needed (I never needed new tubing after 12 months of pumping, but my hospital bag came with a spare).

I would also recommend the Medela pump wipes, I used them daily at work to wipe down the pump parts then stored the shields, valves and membranes in a bag in the fridge since I didn't wash them with soapy water (I just didn't always have time).

starshollow · November 2014

I did not use the medela bottles other than to pump into. I then poured into a bag to freeze or refrigerate.

My son was good about taking a bottle and accepted any type he tried. I wound up using Avent bottles. I had 12. I sent 4 to daycare each day and had 2 other sets to rotate through.

lindsayanne14 · November 2014

epidemic said:
@lemsa that's a good point I hadn't thought of...so registering for Mandela bottles and a pump isn't the best idea in case baby doesn't take them? How did you figure out which ones worked..just trying different ones?

I had the bottles that came with my Medela pump, and registered for a small pack (2-3 bottles) of a few different kinds. After DS's preferences became clear I bought additional of the kind he liked, which happened to be Medela.

Another thing I learned is while formula feed babies usually end up drinking a larger quantity of milk as they grow, breastfed babies often don't since your milk changes to accommodate their needs with a smaller amount of milk. For this reason I never needed the large sized bottles. Even at a year old, DS's bottles were about 4 oz each while his cousin's bottles of formula were about 6-8 oz.

jackieanddan1989 · November 2014

Thanks for the replies. Yeah I'm a bit skeptical about the marketing as well, I just read the mostgood reviews on the Avent bottles. But It's a good point that you won't know what your baby will take until they get here. I need to call my insurance company and see if the pump they provide comes with bottles or not.

islandmom79 · November 2014

I second what others said about buying alot now since some babies are particular about which bottle they like. I bought a few different brands and tried them but Dr Browns was best for DD so that is what we went with. I personally did not like the Dr Browns because there are alot of parts to clean. I am going to try others first with this baby. I had about 10-12 total. I pumped into the Medela bottles and then transferred them to bags for storage.

tbearsangel · November 2014

I pumped into the Medela bottles - I think I only had the four that came with my pump, then transferred to freezer bags for storage. DS used 6 oz bottles at daycare I think, I don't remember the brand, but they were nothing special. He wasn't picky. I would send two full ones, but nurse right before we left and as soon as we got home.

epidemic · November 2014

Anything else you need with the Mandela pump, or does it come with the essentials?

Mel&John2013 · November 2014

The pump comes with the essentials, and if you ask to try the hospital pump you'll score an extra set of shields and valves. I do recommend the storage bags in case you're able to pump a lot and store...otherwise your bottles are stuck in storage and not usable. But if you aren't a huge milk producer and don't store a lot you won't need them.

I used a medela pump but pumped into dr drowns bottles most of the time. They also make cheap storage bottles that are disposable, I ended up liking those more than the bags because they were a bit more sturdy. I got them when we were living in the hospital when my son was sick, but I'm almost certain you can buy them. Made by one of the big name formula companies.

eponte · November 2014

I had registered for a bunch of bottles and ended up returning a lot of them once baby was born and I realized we realistically wouldn't need that many. We used Tommee Tippee. I had 6 of the little ones and 5 of the big ones (2 came as accessories). I bought the lids which came in handy, too. I used a Medela pump and pumped twice at work so I used 4 of their little bottles that attached directly to the pump each day. When I came home I would combine all of the milk into one large Tommee Tippee and use a cover for it. I would send that and 3 empty little bottles to daycare each day. I agree with others - my son never took more than about 4oz at a time even through his first birthday. My advice would be to not purchase too much at know until you see what works for you. What you anticipate might not actually be what baby decides. Haha!

DMG122183 · November 2014

I think it depends on the baby and your schedule. We started with 3or 4 four ounce dr Browns bottles that I would pre- fill and send to my moms. If I worked a 12 hour shift she would need 4 bottles and if I worked an 8, 3 was plenty. My son ate every 3 hours. I would pump into my medela bottles at work and when I got home would pour them right into the dr brown bottles for the next day. Any extra (sometimes there was sometimes not) went into medela freezer bags. My mom always had a little spare (frozen) bm on hand and formula in case he was extra hungry. When he was 6 months we upped to the 8 ounce bottles and he pretty much never took more than 6 ounces at a time. We always tried to have 8 bottles in rotation: 4 to use and 4 in the dishwasher/sterilizer for the next day.

DMG122183 · November 2014

Oh and here's a tip: a tall lunch box with a bottle freezer pack (sold near the breast pumps) was the best way to transport his milk from my house to grandmas.

OliveMom3 · November 2014

Breast pads. A million breast pads. I could squirt someone in the eye across the room with the amount of milk I had. Every time I let down, it was a full on shirt soaker.

Critter015 · November 2014

My daughter used mostly Playtex Ventaire Wide 6 oz bottles, and I used the Medela bottles that came with my pump to pump into. I sent 4 bottles to daycare each day, she normally took 3 feedings while there but I always sent an extra just in case. I had two sets of each so 16 bottles total. Each night when I got home I would portion out the milk into the bottles for the next day, and wash the bottles we used that day and set them out to dry, so I always had a clean set.

I also had 2 sets of pump parts (flanges, connectors, etc.) I used one set all day and just put it in a ziploc bag in the fridge or cooler in between pumping sessions, then washed it with my bottles at the end of the day after packing up the clean, dry set for the next day. You don't need extra tubing, but I do suggest having a hand pump as a backup in case of any pump issues, forgetting a part, or being stuck somewhere where you can't use the regular pump. I just carried mine in my purse/diaper bag and used it almost as much as my regular pump.

If I had extra milk I would put that Medela bottle into the fridge to save for later in the week or to freeze when I had a full bottle's worth. On Friday I would freeze all but 2-3 bottles worth of milk, then on Monday I would pull 1-2 bottles worth of my oldest milk from the freezer for that day to rotate my stash. I numbered the bottles that I sent to daycare 1-4 so I could make sure she drank the frozen/oldest milk first. The extra bottle I sent each day became the first bottle for the next day if she didn't drink it, She never drank more than 4.5 ounces at a time.

I also started pumping when she was about 4 weeks old to prepare for returning to work at 6 weeks. I pumped after the first morning feed every day including weekends for the duration of our nursing journey so that I had plenty of milk stashed away in the freezer. Starting the bottle fairly early and giving it consistently is important, and also remember that you must pump to replace every feed in which your baby has a bottle, otherwise your supply will suffer.

alie78_80 · November 2014

The only thing that I would add to what you should get regarding pumping is a hands free pumping bra. I was able to bring my laptop or papers to grade (teacher) in while I pumped and could get quite a bit done.

I had, I think, 6 or 7 medela bottles that I pumped into and then we had 6 bottle for DS to drink from (we used the wide Dr. Browns for him). We ran the dishwasher every night to clean bottles and pump parts (all safe on the top rack). I did have an extra set of pumping shields which was nice to have. I also loved the pump wipes to clean with after each session. Changing the membranes on the pump is important, I did it at the beginning of every month. I also used freezer bags to store the milk once I got home (just keep them in the bottles till then). I liked the bags because you could lay them flat to freeze and then store them vertically and they took up way less room (just always defrost them in a bowl because I did have a few that leaked, and that sucks).

DMG122183 · November 2014

Another vote for the handsfree pumping bra. That thing was a lifesaver.

af2004rn · November 2014

I have a Medela pump and used Avent bottles. I just bought the connector piece and pumped into the Avent bottles.

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-AVENT-Standard-Breast-Conversion/dp/B00005BXEY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416777410&sr=8-1&keywords=avent+pump+adapter

be888 · November 2014

I used the Medela bottles to pump into and feed. We also had other types that we used. Our son never really had a preference for a type of bottle. Since he was EBF, I never had to increase the size of bottles as he got older, since he never drank more than 5 oz at a time.