Working and Breastfeeding: What Supplies Do I Need to Get Started for Working and Pumping?

Moms are always asking, what supplies do I need to get off to a good start if I will be working and pumping?  I have put together a list of things that will be helpful!

For a starter kit to pump at work, you will want:

1. Breast Pump Tote or Backpack with Cooler.  This will keep your supplies at your fingertips and make it easy for you to transport your pump and your breast milk. 
   
   
2. Six slim Hard Ice Packs (3 to use and 3 to freeze for next time) are the best to use.  Soft bags to not stay cold as long as hard ice packs and these slim ones take up less room in your cooler that the chunky ones found at most big box stores. 

   

   
   
3. Pumping Accessory Band (this goes on and off over your nursing bra so no need to change, just add this over your bra when you want to pump hands-free) Hands free pumps don't have the power that plug in pumps have. 

   

   
   
4. Extra double collection kit. Having a full set of extras saves time washing and keeps you from spending extra on expedited shipping when something gets lost or damaged.  

   

   
   
5. Extra valves and backflow protectors aka diaphragms to change every 6 weeks so your pump suction is maintained.                                    
6. Time and milk fat saving bag adapter so you can pump directly into your bag. The more often you move your milk, the more fat is lost so the least number of times you transfer milk, the better. 

   

   
   
7. Breast milk storage bags or extra bottles. If you are feeding directly out of the bottles, it is better to use today's milk tomorrow and leave them in the breast milk storage bottles than to freeze everything as living white blood cells are lost in the freezer. So a good rule of thumb is to use what you pumped today for tomorrow, freeze the milk from the last work day of the week and use frozen milk from the first work day. 

   
   

   
   
   
   
   

        8.  Another must have is a way to sterilize any essential parts at work.  Sometimes you forget to get your parts ready for the next day and of course you never know when something is going drop on the floor and you need a quick way to clean.  The best solution if you have a  microwave handy are microwave sterilizer bags.  

        9.  Our final item on this essential list is a quality air dry bag.  Do not put your parts in a ziplock bag that doesn't breathe.  You are just asking for yeast to grow on your warm moist parts if you do that. Some company make a "dry bag" but that is not the same as an air dry bag that allows air to circulate.

Best wishes for a great start to expressing liquid gold for your precious baby!

Tanya

Is a Wet Dry Bag for Breast Pump Parts a Good Idea?

With all the things you need to buy for baby, is purchasing a dry bag for breast pump parts a waste of money or a good idea? That all depends on whether the bag is actually made in a way to promote healthy drying of your pump parts so we will look at the most common questions moms ask about breast pump parts bags.

Can I use a Ziplock bag?

You should use a sealed plastic zipper bag for your wet breast pump parts.  Besides the environmental concerns of over-use of these bags, the main reason is that moisture and warmth promote the growth of yeast and mold and that is certainly not what you want for parts that are collecting your baby's precious breastmilk. So to answer another common question, do breast pump parts need to be dry?  As you can see from the previous topic of yeast and mold...yes!

What about wet dry bags?

Wet dry bag were designed to put in wet clothing such as your baby's soiled clothes or a swimsuit and keep the rest of the items in your bag dry.  Although you see them marketed as "breast pump  parts bags", they are not any healthier than Ziplock bags as shown below where one brand is obviously growing mold. In my option, while the cute prints of these wet dry bags are enticing, they are a complete waste of money if you are using them for breast pump parts rather than soiled baby clothes.

What should I use?

Bags that have a small weave, but are fully breathable are best for air drying breast pump parts.  We love this one by Breastmilk Bandit.  The Breastmilk Bandit Store and Dry Bag is made with fine breathable mesh, a durable zipper and even a hang-dry loop so breast pump parts dry even faster.  If you are are trying to get Medela tubing dry, the hang-dry method is optimal.   Attaching tubing to your pump and letting it run may work, but it wears out your pump faster and it is much less expensive to replace tubing than the breast pump.

Alternatives that do work are bags like the one below by Pumpin' Pal.  The pros are that it is priced a dollar or two less, but it is draw string instead of the more secure zipper closure that Breastmilk Bandit's bag offers. Air dry bags such as the one from Breastmilk Bandit are less expensive that wet dry bags like the one from Sarah Wells and are a much healthier way to store and dry your breast pump parts.

Here is to safe drying!

Tanya

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2024 UPDATE!  

Breastmilk Bandit Air Dry Bag now includes a carabiner so you can clip to hang dry anywhere!