What’s in your pumping bag?
I saw this super cute bag and it almost made me want to pump at work again (side note—I have a tote bag collection, slash problem).
The pandemic has completely thrown the standard back to work after 12 weeks thing out the window. There are so many different situations right now-working from home and nursing full time, working from home and pumping, or working away from home like "normal".
For those of you working outside the home, let's talk about what's in your bag. Of course you'll need your pump and all of your parts (don't forget those duckbills or valves!!!) Then you'll have to decide what you are going to do with your collected milk. Are you going to transfer it into other bottles or containers-perhaps directly into freezer bags? If you are pumping directly into whatever you are going to store it in, you'll probably need more sets of those unless you only pump once in the day, like if you work less than a full day shift.
You’ll have to decide where you are going to store the milk that’s pumped. Ideally, you have a fridge that you have easy access to, that feels totally safe and secure. If not, you could use a cooler, maybe an insulated lunchbox. Milk can stay in the cooler for 24 hours (in case you forget to take it out when you get home… #mombrain.) There’s also a cool new product called the Ceres Chill that is designed specifically for keeping milk cool on the go, and you can even pump directly into the container!
Another consideration is how you are going to clean your parts in between pumping sessions. You could put them in the refrigerator, following the theory that any milk residue won't go bad if it's in the fridge like the rest of your milk. If you have the space you could do a quick wash and air dry. Or in a pinch you could leave the parts in your cooler bag.
You might have extra sets of parts, and you could bring multiple sets to work. Then at night you could just put all of them in the dishwasher if you have one.
If your baby is under 3 months you'll want to be more careful about cleaning pumping parts and bottles. Once you hit 3 months you can relax a little bit because baby's immune system is more developed.
Here's another thing: it can be hard to respond to the pump and have a letdown in the middle of your workday. A lot of moms find success with looking at pictures or videos of their baby, or even bringing a blanket or onesie that smells like baby.
I've given you a lot of options and information. Let me sum it up here, you are going to need:
*there will be variations depending on what pump you have.
Pump
Power cord if you don't have a battery powered pump.
Tubing
Flanges
Valves
Backflow protectors
Storage bottles or bags
Back up hand pump
Cooler with ice pack—if you don't have access to a fridge or you might want it if you have a long commute.
Cleaning brush or wipes
Bag for wet parts to store in fridge.
Paper towels just in case
Pictures/videos of baby or baby blanket or clothing
Snacks
Water
Did I miss anything? Let me know! You can submit a comment, email me at margo@mamamilk.org, or find me on Instagram or Facebook.
If you are having trouble maintaining milk supply after going back to work, first of all, don't feel bad because I hear this all the time, and second of all I'd be happy to do a virtual consult and help you figure out what is going on.