Pumping at work (or anywhere for that matter) is not for the weak. It is truly a labor of love for our babies, and I commiserate with (and applaud) anyone who is sticking with it. You go girl!
Here are a few of the products that have made my pumping experience a little bit more convenient and comfortable.
Pumpin’ Pal Breast Pump Flanges – This is probably my favorite pumping product I’ve come across. These flanges are great for two reasons. They are angled downward, so the milk doesn’t build up in the flange if you aren’t leaning forward. This allows you to relax a little bit more while pumping. I also like that they leave more space around the nipple so there is way less rubbing. They work with many different pumps, including Medela. The set comes with three different sizes, and I am able to use two of them. This was a great purchase for me.
Simple Wishes Hands Free Breastpump Bra – This is an obvious one, but if you are serious about pumping you are going to need a hands-free pumping bra. Personally I recommend having two so you can switch them out every other week while you are washing the other one. The one I linked is adjustable to almost any size so you can ensure you have a snug fit.
Nuk Seal N Go Breast Milk Bags – Sure, any breast milk bag will do the trick, but these have proven to be my favorite. They are pretty thick, so I am not concerned about tearing, and they lay flat in the freezer (which helps optimize space). From my experience the Medela ones expand into a triangle shape which is harder to store, and the Lansinoh ones are very thin and have ripped during the freezing process.
Pro Tip – fill the bags with a little bit less than the maximum number of ounces they hold. This will help them freeze flatter and will reduce the chances of them leaking.
Medela Breast Milk Cooler Set – I always tease my husband about having way too many coolers, so when I ordered this he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at me for adding to our collection. It holds four of the Medela bottles I pump into perfectly and has an ice pack specifically made to fit between the bottles. This keeps my pumping bag organized and makes me feel confident my milk won’t spill.
Medela Quick Clean Wipes – I use these to wipe down my pump parts between my three pumps at work. Are these wipes that much different than regular baby wipes? I honestly don’t know. But I don’t want to risk getting any unknown ingredients into Adeline’s milk, so I continue to use these for peace of mind.
Extra pump parts – I can’t stress enough the importance of having an extra set or two of your pump parts. This will keep you from having to clean, dry and repack all your parts every single night. I just throw all mine in the dishwasher, and run that every couple of days. Read my post here about my new favorite dishwasher gadget.
Medela Hand Pump – Lastly, I am so thankful for my hand pump. I have used this on long car rides, when I’m in a situation where I don’t have direct access to an outlet, and when I accidentally left my electric pump at the office (whoops!). I have an extra one of these at work, and one for the house.
Hope this is helpful to some of you pumping mothers out there. You are doing a great (and hard!) thing for your tiny human, and you should be proud!
Read about my breastfeeding journey (and what all I learned) here.
