+1 On manual pumps. Since I rented from the hospital at first, they sent me home with two sets of the valves and whatnot, which each also had the manual pump attachment. Mine was Ameda, and you can basically switch between electric and manual in like 5 seconds flat. In my last few months of pumping, I found I could pump twice as fast manually.
Canadian here, called my insurance company (I think blue Cross, still have to check with sunlife) and for me they said they won't cover it unless baby is born 37 weeks or earlier or if he won't latch and I need a Dr referral. Thankfully I'm on the military version of permanent medical disability so I'm home regardless and can feed whenever, just like the thought of a pump too especially so DH can take part and feed him too. But also doing my baby shower 3 weeks after LO gets here so from what I'm hearing (baring medical complications where he won't latch) it'll give some time to adjust first and hopefully get one for a shower gift lol.
Just ordered a Medela PISA from my insurance company and I already received the one I ordered from work (also free). It's nice to have the back-up. Part of me wanted to get the freestyle, but I just don't think it's worth the lack of suction and battery challenges.
@Creedon778 Does the Free style have the lack of suction all of the time or just when running off of battery? The PISA that I used last time did not do as well on battery. I got the Free Style this time and am wondering if I should exchange it
@WeddingNotes13 I don't have personal experience with it but it sounded like overall it was slightly less suction and then when you used the battery it lost suction as the battery power went down. The convenience of not being tied to a plug sounded awesome but I just put suction power above all else. There are lots of reviews on Amazon if you want to read through them.
@Creedon778 Thanks to that insigh. I may have to rethink my purchase. I read several of the reviews last time, which was why I ultimately went with the PISA last time. I was in the mood to try something new when shopping this time. Perhaps I should have stuck with what I know works.
@WeddingNotes13 I used the Freestyle last time around, and I didn't notice a big difference in suction when the pump was and wasn't plugged in. My biggest complaint was that sometimes the parts leaked, even when they were freshly clean.
Requested my free breast pump from my insurance through edgepark. I filled out the forms online yesterday and received an email this afternoon that it has shipped! No hassle or back and forth calls. They did all the work! Thanks ladies for recommending them!!
With my son, I had to pump at work, and I only had the one pump, so I brought it back and forth daily. This time, insurance has provided me a new pump, and the old one still works (it might be on it's last leg, but for now, it works). I was thinking of having it as a back-up. For those of you who had two pumps last time, what did you do? Leave one at home and one at work? One in the car? Not sure what my plan should be.
With my son, I had to pump at work, and I only had the one pump, so I brought it back and forth daily. This time, insurance has provided me a new pump, and the old one still works (it might be on it's last leg, but for now, it works). I was thinking of having it as a back-up. For those of you who had two pumps last time, what did you do? Leave one at home and one at work? One in the car? Not sure what my plan should be.
I leave my best pump (Symphony) at work because that's where I do the majority of my double pumping. My PISA lived in the car last time so I could use it while out/commuting. I had a hand pump at home for those time I needed something, but I mostly fed on demand at home and did little pumping there.
@chiquita928 I work from home three days a week and go in to the office two days, so I kept my less nice pump at work. It was so convenient not having to lug a pump for my commute. I had a hard enough time remembering all the parts!
@chiquita928 I am wondering the same thing. Last time I carried mine back and forth but now that insurance has provided me a new one, I'm thinking of leaving one at work. Since that's where I did majority of my pumping last time, I'm guessing I'll take the new one to work? I never pumped in the car (well actually I used a manual one a couple of times in the car just to release some pressure) so maybe the old one at home and the new one in my locker?
The thing I was always weird about was how to store my milk at work. We have a fridge but it's PACKED with nasty old food and it just feels gross. But I always felt like my cooler bag didn't keep it cool enough! Gah... I forgot the stress that comes with pumping!
I used to just store my milk in the same Ziploc gallon bag that I kept my pump parts in, in the fridge.
If I have to EP again I will keep my new PISA here and bring my old one to work to leave there. If this baby will go back and forth from breast to bottle easily and empties me so that I don't get clogged ducts then I will leave the good one at work. I hated lugging it around!
TTC: 1/2014
BFP: 9/24
EDD: 6/8/2015
Sorry for the poor man's siggy...ticker won't load regardless of how many tips I read.
So I know a bunch of folks have said they didn't use their bottle warmers since the microwave is easier. But the microwave is not recommended for the pouches, so it looks like milk stored in pouches can only be warmed by letting it sit in/run under warm water or with a bottle warmer. I have the Kiinde system, but the Kiinde bottle warmer isn't rated so well (a bunch of people are saying it broke after a couple months). Any recommendations in this department? It seems like warming milk in a warm water bath/under the tap would make it difficult to get a precise temperature, so I'm hesitant to rely on that.
@lph4248 honestly I think bottle warmers are completely unnecessary. I would just use he warm water, it really is the easiest. I guess I didn't know there was a "precise" temperature. I know people use the back of their hands? And really, you never know, my son hated warm breast milk...it had to be cold.
ETA: Frozen BM can be super difficult sometimes. For example, my BM was high lipase, so my son wouldn't even drink frozen. It had to be fresh or from the fridge. Babies are so picky about everything. Honestly, it's really easiest to wait and see about everything.
We have an electric kettle here and it's super fast. I used it when we got here to defrost/warm milk for DS2 and I plan to get one when we get back to the US for this baby.
But I also just got my kids used to cold milk, so that was the easiest option when available.
@lph4248 FTM here, but people told me to boil water on the stove and stick the bottle in there. I was interested in a bottle warmer too, but everyone made it seem like a waste of money.
@lph4248 we went through 2 kiinde bottle warmers because they both broke. They also took an absurd amount of time to heat up frozen milk. We bought the avent one for this time around that said it takes like 3 minutes because heating up water and then defrosting the milk was just as long. Oh well. If I do formula I'm getting one of those makers.
TTC: 1/2014
BFP: 9/24
EDD: 6/8/2015
Sorry for the poor man's siggy...ticker won't load regardless of how many tips I read.
@lph4248 I always microwaved a mug of water then stuck the milk in the warm water. My son had a pretty particular temp he liked (similarly to @BabyBump2, he liked it almost cold).
We have an electric kettle here and it's super fast. I used it when we got here to defrost/warm milk for DS2 and I plan to get one when we get back to the US for this baby.
But I also just got my kids used to cold milk, so that was the easiest option when available.
I cannot scream this from the rooftops enough. I would run it for a few seconds under the hot tap water in the beginning, but it wasn't long before DS would drink it straight from the fridge. Or I would leave it out for a little while when I knew bottle time was getting close.
Also, I never sterilized bottles. I washed them with soap and water or threw them in the dishwasher.
@cait32 He took it warm from the breast or cold from the bottle. I never remember him rejecting it once.
Mine too, for both of them. The only time I ended up heating water for milk was after I'd lost supply and we were going through the freezer stash and using formula.
Also, I sterilized my bottles when they were brand new and between each kid by boiling them in a large pot of water, but never bothered sterilizing them regularly. They went in the dishwasher with every other dish my family eats off of.
Ditto @xath. I think the bottle sterilizer is another waste of money. It's a relic of times when drinking water wasn't always safe. If your water is safe to drink, hot water and soap do the trick. If you want to go a step further put them in boiling water the first time you take them out of the box or between kids.
Also, I sterilized my bottles when they were brand new and between each kid by boiling them in a large pot of water, but never bothered sterilizing them regularly. They went in the dishwasher with every other dish my family eats off of.
Yeah I was out saying I might sterilize once them before using them this time, but that's only bc they've been in the attic.
@lph4248 FTM here, but people told me to boil water on the stove and stick the bottle in there. I was interested in a bottle warmer too, but everyone made it seem like a waste of money.
You don't even need to boil water. I just got hot water from the tap and it was warm enough. You definitely don't want to get the milk too hot.
I agree, skip the sterilizer. Boil the bottles once when they're new and then just wash them in the dishwasher. I recommend getting a little cage to hold small parts in the dishwasher though.
Some babies are picky. So if you end up with one that will only drink the bottle at a precise 98.6°, then worry about a fancy bottle warmer later. But don't borrow trouble.
My first DS was not at all picky. He would drink anything I gave him, from any bottle. I only had to run it under warm tap water enough to get the fatty part unstuck from the side so it was mixed well.
Re: All About Breast Pumps
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
I'm sad. I was excited for my Willow.
The thing I was always weird about was how to store my milk at work. We have a fridge but it's PACKED with nasty old food and it just feels gross. But I always felt like my cooler bag didn't keep it cool enough! Gah... I forgot the stress that comes with pumping!
https://www.llli.org/faq/milkstorage.html
They say you can store it in an insulated cooler for up to 24 hours.
CP 3/2019
ETA: Pretty sure it came with that Medela storage kit thing, with the tray, 5 oz bottles, skinny bottles and pump bags.
Edit: apparently tagging names is hard for me
If I have to EP again I will keep my new PISA here and bring my old one to work to leave there. If this baby will go back and forth from breast to bottle easily and empties me so that I don't get clogged ducts then I will leave the good one at work. I hated lugging it around!
ETA: Frozen BM can be super difficult sometimes. For example, my BM was high lipase, so my son wouldn't even drink frozen. It had to be fresh or from the fridge. Babies are so picky about everything. Honestly, it's really easiest to wait and see about everything.
But I also just got my kids used to cold milk, so that was the easiest option when available.
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
Also, I never sterilized bottles. I washed them with soap and water or threw them in the dishwasher.
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
I agree, skip the sterilizer. Boil the bottles once when they're new and then just wash them in the dishwasher. I recommend getting a little cage to hold small parts in the dishwasher though.
My first DS was not at all picky. He would drink anything I gave him, from any bottle. I only had to run it under warm tap water enough to get the fatty part unstuck from the side so it was mixed well.
And I also plan to just use hot tap water for bottles. The less pointless/expensive kitchen gadgets sitting on my counter, the better.