May 2017 Moms

Pumping Questions

135678

Re: Pumping Questions

  • kat81kat81 member
    Stupid FTM Question here...

    When you guys discuss sanitizing parts, what's the process here? Buy one of those bags for the microwave? A special soap/solution for a soak in the sink? Bleach? hah! I'm struggling.
    At home I just dishwash the parts and leave it at that. It gets hot in there. I feel like they are sanitized.

    At work if I want to use the same parts more than once (which is typically the case, even if I have two sets), I will often use both the wipes (medela and other brands) as well as then put them in the microwave bag. I won't do the microwave bag without rinsing them or using wipes first to get the milk off. But I've never had to wash with soap or anything at work. I just do a combination of those other things and considered that fine.

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  • I usually only sterilized when things were new.  I didn't sterilize at work because I just threw the used pump parts and bottles in a bag in the fridge and washed everything once at night.  

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  • Ugh I just called my insurance company and apparently my plan is grandfathered and they don't HAVE to adhere to ACA. Which means, a breast pump MIGHT not be covered. But there's no way to know until I purchase one and submit a claim....  :| I'm not even sure what to think about that. I'll have to discuss with my Dr. tomorrow.
  • @ShadeofGreen816 im sorry to hear that. I hope you get reimbursement. 

    I only sterilized with new things as well. I would soak things then wash, still do with ds sippy cups because we have a dishwasher in the basement apartment not in our actual kitchen.... so we hand wash everything every night. I think I read on a mommy hack page that you can use denture cleaning tablets to really clean those little parts of sippy cups but I have never done it. I use dishwashing gloves like in the 50s and that lets me turn the water heat on really high without hurting my hands so I still feel they are getting clean despite everything. 
  • Re sterilizing pump parts...

    In the beginning, I'd clean with hot soapy water and then boil and air dry.  That got old really fast.

    I still recommend boiling new parts to sterilize.

    Eventally, I resorted to rinsing parts and then throwing them into dishwasher.  I handwashed membranes since they're small and delicate.  

    During the work day, I'd rinse parts with boiling water (I kept an electric kettle in my office) or throw everything into a ziplock and store in fridge if I was in a time crunch.  
  • Alright, first-timer here with some potentially really stupid questions.

    When you pump, does it go directly into a bottle?
    Do bottles still have liners? If so, and the answer to the previous question was yes, do the bottles you pump into also have liners?
    When you store milk, does it matter if you store it in bags or bottles?
    Lastly, can you just use any brand of storage bags, or would they need to match the bottles for some reason?
  • Ditto to everything @clebl24 said! 

    I think the only bottles I know of that still use liners are the Playtex drop-ins. And I don't really know anyone who uses those! 
    Married 03.09.09
    Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
    Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
    Little Brother Due 05.22.17
  • I see some women make washing pump parts their H's job. I'm going to try to make this happen, I dont think it will, but I'll certainly try! Obviously they cant go in the dishwasher? :/
    I was thinking this was such a great Idea....but DH can't get any of our dishes clean without me having to re-wash them. So I don't think I can trust him with a pump. 
  • Anyone plan to express colostrum prior to delivery? I'm trying to figure out how that works, since I can't get my pump from insurance until after the baby is born. And because I have insulin controlled GD, there's a good chance baby could have low sugars at birth so it would be nice to have some colostrum on hand for that.  

    So, hand expressing or buy a cheap hand pump? Since I'm being induced at 38 weeks, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to start with the colostrum around that time. Best case scenario it triggers natural labor and I don't have to have induction. 
  • I EP'd, so I had lots of pumping pieces to wash.  I got the microwave bags and rarely used them.  During the day, I just rinsed them out after pumping and threw them in my milk fridge bag and kept doing that throughout the day.  I had the little wipes for whenever I was pumping in the car and wasn't going straight home.  At night, I took the membranes off and threw the rest in the dishwasher every night.  I had three sets, so I always had at least one that wasn't in the dishwasher.  
  • @fbmandy55 if you can get any colostrum before baby is born your best route would be hand expression. If you try to use a pump you will probably waste some of it since likely it will only be a tiny amount. You can hand express onto a spoon and then use a syringe to suck it up.
  • @lrwardrop Thank you! I've watched some videos of hand expressing. I've had one boob that I've noticed keeps letting out a single drop but I don't want to start messing with it this early (33 weeks). 
  • Definitely recommend using aeroflow for anyone looking into getting the spectra s1, was able to go through insurance, pay an upgrade fee ($95), and all of this from them request to receiving the pump took about a week, they submit all request to insurance and to your doctor for prescription. They made the process so easy. They can also cover supplies for the pump through insurance that get sent out every 90 days, and will give you some free medela bottles (only downside is you will have to buy the converter attachment).  Don't normally recommend companies but figure for anyone else that feels stressed with may fast approaching this could help.

  • Anyone use the Hygiea before? That's the one I got this time.  I have PISA that I used last time that I'll be using again but got a 2nd pump for work and wanted one that was compatible with madela parts which I was told the hygiea is.....

    I also used YummyMummy for my pump with insurance and they are great to work with....

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  • kat81kat81 member
    Hi all,

    I finally got pump info from HR and I'm looking into it. The list they gave me of providers lists the pumps that are offered and NONE of them are battery pack operated. I had a freestyle for my first two kids (now it's pooped so I need a replacement) and I REALLY want either that same pump or something like that.

    But then I went to the website of one of these providers and there is a chance that maybe they offer the freestyle either for an upgrade or just anyway. I'm going to try to get it if that is an option, even for the upgrade fee.

    However, I am considering the Spectra S1 (battery pack). It is the same situation as the freestyle -- might be offered for an upgrade fee. If both of these are available, does anyone have any recommendations for one over the other? I know the freestyle well and it worked so well for me. But any thoughts on the Spectra S1? I feel like it might be better than the freestyle?

    Now if neither of these are available to me, let me know what you think of any of the following, especially for someone who likes hands-free pumping, multitasking, portability, etc:
    Ameda Purely Yours
    Medela Pump In Style Advanced
    Hygeia Q Pump
    Freemie Freedom -- I have no idea of why this doesn't have a battery pack given that the whole point of it is these freedom cups so you can pump in public....
    Also, "Medela Advanced Personal Double" and "Medela Personal Double" are mentioned...not sure these are different from the PISA?

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  • @kat81 I just ordered my Spectra S1 tonight! I'm really excited to try it because I have only heard great things about Spectra pumps in general and I love that the S1 has a rechargeable battery. 
    I had a Medela PISA previously and had no issues with it, so I figured why not try something new this time! 

    Also I could choose the S1 with no upgrade fee so I went for that one over the S2! 
    Married 03.09.09
    Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
    Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
    Little Brother Due 05.22.17
  • @kat81 I've heard that the 12 volt medela battery pack works with the Spectra S2. Do you have one of those?

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  • kat81kat81 member
    @kat81 I've heard that the 12 volt medela battery pack works with the Spectra S2. Do you have one of those?
    I don't but if it's something I can buy I'd be very willing to do that.

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  • kat81kat81 member
    hp_momma said:
    @kat81 I just ordered my Spectra S1 tonight! I'm really excited to try it because I have only heard great things about Spectra pumps in general and I love that the S1 has a rechargeable battery. 
    I had a Medela PISA previously and had no issues with it, so I figured why not try something new this time! 

    Also I could choose the S1 with no upgrade fee so I went for that one over the S2! 
    oooh jealous! Well, for now I am...because I'm assuming that I can't get it without a fee. But I'm TOTALLY willing to pay the fee for the right thing!

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  • @kat81 the medal pump in style advance has a battery pack you can buy or you can use an inverter in the car. 
  • @kat81 I asked if there was a battery that would work with the S2 before I ordered it and they said no- the plug is built in so you couldn't swap it out to plug it into a battery. I called Aeroflow and within about an hour they had processed my insurance and the S1 was only a 95$ upgrade fee. I read a lot of reviews that says it's the best pump you can get. You can really adjust the strength on each side and that parts make it work really well- like the back flow prevention piece and there are no little wobbly
    membranes like in a Medela. 
  • A quick search of Amazon found this: Maymom Breastpump Power Bank Kit; Aka Rechargeable Lithium Battery Holder/Charger for Medela Pump in Style, FreeStyle, Lactina, Spectra S1, S1 Pumps https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EG9T9QQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2I81ybZXG1CV8

    I also have a plug in for my car that converts my cAr plug in to a regular "house" style plug in. Like this:  Foval 150W Car Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Converter with 3.1A Dual USB Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H2XD2DY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oL81ybHPBN3XH

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  • kat81kat81 member
    Hi again everyone,
    Thank you again for all of your advice. I am just about ready to get the S1, which comes with a reasonable upgrade fee ($75). The freestyle upgrade fee from various providers was in the $250 range, which was close to what I could find for it new, so I passed on that. The S1 seems very good and worth the bump up in cost.

    I noticed it comes with two bottles, and the bottles are sort of weirdly shaped in the picture. Does anyone know if the S1 system is compatible with medela bottles, which we have like 20 of? As in, when you screw a bottle into the system can a medela bottle go in just as easily as a spectra bottle? This will be a factor in our decision, albeit a small one; I can always pump into one set of bottles and then transfer to the other ones if needed.

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  • hp_mommahp_momma member
    edited March 2017
    @kat81 I believe there is a Medela "hack" for the Spectra pumps! Let me see if I can find it... 

    Here it is! Looks like you can use your Medela flanges and bottles and just need to buy a little adapter (on Amazon for $7) to connect to the Spectra tubing. 
    https://thepumpingmama.blogspot.com/p/hacking-medela-parts-for-spectra-pumps.html?m=1
    Married 03.09.09
    Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
    Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
    Little Brother Due 05.22.17
  • @kat81 I bought a little adapter to use my Medela parts with my Spectra, it was like $7 on Amazon and doesn't require cutting the tubing.

    ~~~~~~~~~Siggy Warning~~~~~~~~

    Me~28 DH~27 

     6-12-2010  Miscarriage. 
    3-16-2012 D&C/Miscarriage.
     Blocked Left Tube. 
    Diminished Ovarian Reserve   
    MFI - Sperm Morphology 2%.  
    MTHFR 
     Abnormal Antiphospholipid Antibodies
    April 2013 ~  1st IUI attempt - 100 mg Clomid- Canceled
    May 2013  ~ 2nd IUI attempt -100 mg Clomid- Canceled
    June 2013 ~ 3rd IUI attempt - 100 mg Clomid+ Trigger+ Progesterone~BFN
     IVF/ICSI #1 May 2014 ~ Freeze All ~ Due to OHSS
     5/1/2014 ~ 22 retrieved, 12 fertilized, 3 frozen
    5/28/2014 ~ FET#1 ~ Transferred 2 Hatching Blasts
      6/1/2014~ **BFP**
    6/9/2014 Beta #1 ~ 1022
    6/12/2014 Beta #2 ~ 3099
    6/16/2014 Beta #3 ~ >5000
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    1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks

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  • kat81kat81 member
    ugh I just found my answer on the spectra site. Looks like you can buy a bottle adapter for $7. So you need to fork over $14 for two little pieces of plastic to use your own bottles. I don't know why this is bothering me, though. Babies are SO expensive and this is just a drop in the bucket!

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  • Ok this may be silly but how many extra bottles do you STM recommend to use with the pump? are there any other accessories that you suggest/make things easier? 
  • edited March 2017
    SWE2 said:
    Ok this may be silly but how many extra bottles do you STM recommend to use with the pump? are there any other accessories that you suggest/make things easier? 

    I think we talked about this above if you want to scroll up and see some more answers... or maybe it was in another thread... anyway... I have about 20 or so bottles and 4 sets of pump parts-flange/connector thing. I sort of went back for forth from exclusively pumping to pumping some and BF some.... anyway this is another area I feel that you cant have too many parts. the more the merrier because the more parts you have you can limit your time washing them. I had enough parts so that I only had to wash everything once a day and enough bottles that lasted longer.
  • SWE2 said:
    Ok this may be silly but how many extra bottles do you STM recommend to use with the pump? are there any other accessories that you suggest/make things easier? 
    Are you going back to work or a SAHM? 

    When I went back to work I only had 4 bottles to pump into. That was enough for the day and I transferred the milk to freezer bags at the end of each day and did a quick hand wash of the bottles.  As a SAHM, I don't need any extra bottles either. 
    Married 03.09.09
    Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
    Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
    Little Brother Due 05.22.17
  • kat81 said:
    ugh I just found my answer on the spectra site. Looks like you can buy a bottle adapter for $7. So you need to fork over $14 for two little pieces of plastic to use your own bottles. I don't know why this is bothering me, though. Babies are SO expensive and this is just a drop in the bucket!
    $7 gets you TWO adapters so actually you only need to buy one set! 
    Married 03.09.09
    Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
    Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
    Little Brother Due 05.22.17
  • SWE2 said:
    Ok this may be silly but how many extra bottles do you STM recommend to use with the pump? are there any other accessories that you suggest/make things easier? 
    I had a ton that the NICU gave us, maybe 150 or so, and definitely didn't need them all.  I am ordering 2-10 packs of the Medela ones this time since they are better quality and I'm not worried about the bottle warmer or dishwasher messing them up.  My plan is to have 48 hours worth of milk in the fridge and freeze once it's a couple days old.  If I need more I'll either use some of the NICU ones I still have of order some more Medela ones from Amazon.

    I have a ton of parts (7sets) so I only had to wash once a day which was awesome.  I used dishwasher baskets and put the smaller parts in those, and the flanges went on one of the prongs in the dishwasher. Washed overnight.

    I also think a pumping bra is a must, I bought an extra since I EPed and could rotate while one was in the wash.  This time one will pretty much live in my pump bag.

    ~~~~~~~~~Siggy Warning~~~~~~~~

    Me~28 DH~27 

     6-12-2010  Miscarriage. 
    3-16-2012 D&C/Miscarriage.
     Blocked Left Tube. 
    Diminished Ovarian Reserve   
    MFI - Sperm Morphology 2%.  
    MTHFR 
     Abnormal Antiphospholipid Antibodies
    April 2013 ~  1st IUI attempt - 100 mg Clomid- Canceled
    May 2013  ~ 2nd IUI attempt -100 mg Clomid- Canceled
    June 2013 ~ 3rd IUI attempt - 100 mg Clomid+ Trigger+ Progesterone~BFN
     IVF/ICSI #1 May 2014 ~ Freeze All ~ Due to OHSS
     5/1/2014 ~ 22 retrieved, 12 fertilized, 3 frozen
    5/28/2014 ~ FET#1 ~ Transferred 2 Hatching Blasts
      6/1/2014~ **BFP**
    6/9/2014 Beta #1 ~ 1022
    6/12/2014 Beta #2 ~ 3099
    6/16/2014 Beta #3 ~ >5000
    6/19/2014 First U/S ~ TWINS!!!  
    1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks

    image image Image and video hosting by TinyPic



  • I use two bottles to pump into then one large glass mason jar or something to pour all the milk in during the day at work. I'll then pour out separate bottles at home. I feel you get a better fat to water ratio if you mix the whole days milk together. I have 5 pumping sets. I keep one at work clean in case I forget them. What usually happened last pregnancy was I'd bring 4 flanges no other part and thankfully I work in a hospital where they sell medela in the maternity store so now I have 5 complete sets and 2 extra sets of cones. I carry a large plastic bag like a gallon ziploc put bottles and pump parts in that bag then put them into a lunch bag cooler with the milk then all in the fridge during work. I would not wash between or bring separate clean supplies. As said before it's not necessary to clean in between if your refrigerating everything every time. 
  • @Yiggle09 do you have a Symphony to use at work? If so I am insanely jealous, that pump is so nice to the bewbs.

    ~~~~~~~~~Siggy Warning~~~~~~~~

    Me~28 DH~27 

     6-12-2010  Miscarriage. 
    3-16-2012 D&C/Miscarriage.
     Blocked Left Tube. 
    Diminished Ovarian Reserve   
    MFI - Sperm Morphology 2%.  
    MTHFR 
     Abnormal Antiphospholipid Antibodies
    April 2013 ~  1st IUI attempt - 100 mg Clomid- Canceled
    May 2013  ~ 2nd IUI attempt -100 mg Clomid- Canceled
    June 2013 ~ 3rd IUI attempt - 100 mg Clomid+ Trigger+ Progesterone~BFN
     IVF/ICSI #1 May 2014 ~ Freeze All ~ Due to OHSS
     5/1/2014 ~ 22 retrieved, 12 fertilized, 3 frozen
    5/28/2014 ~ FET#1 ~ Transferred 2 Hatching Blasts
      6/1/2014~ **BFP**
    6/9/2014 Beta #1 ~ 1022
    6/12/2014 Beta #2 ~ 3099
    6/16/2014 Beta #3 ~ >5000
    6/19/2014 First U/S ~ TWINS!!!  
    1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks

    image image Image and video hosting by TinyPic



  • I also mixed all of the day's milk together.  I know there's some warning out there about mixing temperatures but I never had issues.  I would hold off on stocking your bottles until you know what your LO prefers though.  You wouldn't want to buy 20 medela bottles and discover Dr. Brown works best.  We were successful with the regular Medela.  I think I had about 10 5 oz bottles and 4 of the bigger bottles.  I used the bigger bottles for all day storage after pumping at work.  Whether you EP or EBF or EFF might change how many you need too.  I fed from the tap whenever I was with DD so she only got bottles at daycare when I went back to work. We didn't need too many for that arrangement.  

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  • I also mixed all of the day's milk together.  I know there's some warning out there about mixing temperatures but I never had issues.  I would hold off on stocking your bottles until you know what your LO prefers though.  You wouldn't want to buy 20 medela bottles and discover Dr. Brown works best.  We were successful with the regular Medela.  I think I had about 10 5 oz bottles and 4 of the bigger bottles.  I used the bigger bottles for all day storage after pumping at work.  Whether you EP or EBF or EFF might change how many you need too.  I fed from the tap whenever I was with DD so she only got bottles at daycare when I went back to work. We didn't need too many for that arrangement.  
    Good point, I thought she was talking about the plain pump/milk storage bottles.

    ~~~~~~~~~Siggy Warning~~~~~~~~

    Me~28 DH~27 

     6-12-2010  Miscarriage. 
    3-16-2012 D&C/Miscarriage.
     Blocked Left Tube. 
    Diminished Ovarian Reserve   
    MFI - Sperm Morphology 2%.  
    MTHFR 
     Abnormal Antiphospholipid Antibodies
    April 2013 ~  1st IUI attempt - 100 mg Clomid- Canceled
    May 2013  ~ 2nd IUI attempt -100 mg Clomid- Canceled
    June 2013 ~ 3rd IUI attempt - 100 mg Clomid+ Trigger+ Progesterone~BFN
     IVF/ICSI #1 May 2014 ~ Freeze All ~ Due to OHSS
     5/1/2014 ~ 22 retrieved, 12 fertilized, 3 frozen
    5/28/2014 ~ FET#1 ~ Transferred 2 Hatching Blasts
      6/1/2014~ **BFP**
    6/9/2014 Beta #1 ~ 1022
    6/12/2014 Beta #2 ~ 3099
    6/16/2014 Beta #3 ~ >5000
    6/19/2014 First U/S ~ TWINS!!!  
    1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks

    image image Image and video hosting by TinyPic



  • We talked about best nursing bras in this thread somewhere, right? I want to get a couple. I also need something for now as everything is tight plus my newly acquired extreme tenderness.
    Married 6/5/14 in Ireland
    1st Baby 5/12/17, Henry
  • kat81kat81 member
    hp_momma said:
    kat81 said:
    ugh I just found my answer on the spectra site. Looks like you can buy a bottle adapter for $7. So you need to fork over $14 for two little pieces of plastic to use your own bottles. I don't know why this is bothering me, though. Babies are SO expensive and this is just a drop in the bucket!
    $7 gets you TWO adapters so actually you only need to buy one set! 
    Where? On their website it was $6.99 and it was like, "this only has ONE adapter. If you want to double pump, you need to buy two." I'll search around; you don't have to answer my question. :-)

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  • Married 03.09.09
    Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
    Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
    Little Brother Due 05.22.17
  • @chickyclg yes I have two pumping rooms with the Symphony at work and a friend who bought one is gonna lend hers to me to pump as well. I'm certainly pump spoiled  
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