Question for mothers who use breast pumps

[Glorianna]

I am expecting my first baby in December and it's a boy! However, I feel totally clueless about certain aspects of taking care of him. I want to breast feed him but I am going to have to continue working so I need to be able to pump for him. I want to use BPA free bottles, bags, etc. I looked into Medela and their bags are pretty expensive (20 for $8.99 at Babies R Us) and I just can't afford that. They also don't seem to have a storage system that is reusable except bottles that are pretty small.

So... my question is this: What breast pump system / storage system would you recommend that is BPA free?

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[jgonz]

I'd recommend the Medela Pump In Style for a working mom. You can fit bigger bottles onto the pump parts, but it's possible you won't need bigger bottles anyway~ you'll just have to wait and see how much milk you get at each session.

 

[Glorianna]

Wouldn't I have to buy those expensive Medela bags then?

 

[Hadassah]

We are using glass bottles. It was just much easier than the two plastic bottles we were given. Easier to clean, and we only have to fuss with the tops, nipples and sealers.

We had been using a hospital grade electric pump. It was the only one getting most of the milk I had, and great when I had oversupply. Things have finally calmed down and now we have no real need for a pump, so I'll be returning it (once we clean it) to the pharmacy this week. If things get really hectic again, then we'll rent the pump again.

The bottle that it used is BPA free, and we would just pour it out into the glass bottles and store in the fridge for a day or two, sometimes three at most in the back of the fridge. We never had enough supply to freeze... DH would use the milk at night when he couldn't wake me up. Now he's just scooting the baby closer and helping me nurse.

I'm finding the baby has gotten greedy if/when we use the bottle and choking himself or causing spit-up issues, so we try to use them now only for fennel tea or water. He does much better that way and only drinks what he wants/needs after a feed or if he gets too warm and sweaty.

We tried the hand pump, and it just didn't get everything, it was painful and the rubber lever piece inside (the part that helps in suction and allowing the milk to go into the bottle) decided to "break" in the sense that it kept slipping out of joint and I'd have to refit and adjust it 10x or more each breast. It isn't supposed to do that, but according to our local apothecary, it happens a lot more than many people know with the Avent and Medela... so we asked the OB/GYN and them what they suggested, and both said the hospital grade pump for oversupply times to help stave off mastitis.

So far, so good.

 

[jgonz]

Wouldn't I have to buy those expensive Medela bags then?

No, unless you're planning on building up a big freezer stash. Most working moms (in my LLL group anyway) will pump a day or two before needing the milk, so they'll keep the milk in glass or plastic bottles (hopefully BPA-free) for the sitter. Then in the evenings, night time, and weekends they'll just nurse... or nurse on one side while pumping on the other side for work the next day.

I pump every day, every 2 or 3 hrs because my baby can't latch properly. I pump into the smaller bottles, then pour the milk into a big bottle in my fridge. Then at night I fill up individual bottles (mixture of formula & breastmilk) for the next day. I know my situation is weird... that's why I mentioned the working moms in my LLL group above.

 

[~Mrs. A2J~]

Wouldn't I have to buy those expensive Medela bags then?

I don't know how the Medela PIS works but with the pump I used the bottle screwed straight onto the pump. I would then either leave the milk in the bottle or pour the milk directly into the storage bag of my choice.