My plan for expressing at work - please check this sounds reasonable

[popsycal]

BAck to work on monday just for 4 days then 6 weeks hols!

The plan:
bf at home around 7
express briefly at work at 10:30 for as long as I can
express or meet up to feed ds2 around 1
rush home for 4 to feed

DS2 will have a bottle at around 10ish and 1ish
I am going to leave 3 4oz bottles - will this be enoguh? I may try to leave an extra one.....he has only taken 3oz from a bottle so far

now for the pump..is this right
Sterlise it the nigth before. Wrap in clingfilm and put it in cool bag....use it at work, wash with washing up liquid and bottle brush. wrap it up again. put it and milk in cool bag with ice packs.
when i get home, put it in fridge for use the next day
is that safe?

thanks
am very very anxious about leaving ds2.

also on thurs we are off on a school trip and i wll only get the chance to expres at lunchtime (if i am lucky).....apart from exploding....my supply will be fine the next day wont it????

[NotQuiteCockney]

How old is ds2?

I wouldn't wash up the pump after use - I'd reuse it without washing (just store the milk in it, in the cool bag), and then rinse it out at night and sterlise it.

[popsycal]

18 weeks

[popsycal]

so add more fresh milk to the #cooled by the ice packs' stored milk?
really?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Given he's so young, it might make sense to squeeze in an extra expressing time at home sometime, if you can? Maybe express on one side, and feed on the other?

How often does he feed normally?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Yes, you can add fresh milk to it, no problem. Express as many times as you like, within 24 hours, into the same bottle.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Otherwise, how will you express at 10:30 and again at 1 (if you can't meet up with ds2 then)?

[Ruthiebaby]

Sounds good. I admire your dedication to it. I'll be returning to work next month and I think I'll find it too much to try to express at work.

One little thing that you don't mention - I'd rinse the pump and bits out with cold water after you have washed it as you don't want any washing up liquid traces getting into his milk.

Also, whenever I go out (for a social life on the occasional evening) I leave my son enough feeds to see him through however many hours I'll be away, but I also leave one extra just in case. Last thing you want is an upset hungry baby. But if you're confident that you are leaving enough then I'm sure that's fine.

The milk will be safe if you do as you say.

One other thing - I was told that you don't top up your bottle of expressed milk with more warm milk if you express later. So I would take two sterilised bottles with me for each express.

Good luck !

[popsycal]

wasjust going to attach another bottle to the pump....

[popsycal]

actually thinking about it, i will leave one extra bottle......
I still dont know properly how much he will want as we have only just got him to have a bottle...

i am sooo dreading this
its only 4 days
then i have the whole summer to get him sorted properly
i feel sick

[Ruthiebaby]

Why don't you do a few 'trial runs' this week ?

[popsycal]

i am going to...just need to make sure i have enough milk to leave for him on monday first.....

I am so dreading this but sheer bloody-mindedness will make this rubbish expressing thing work.

Why do i have to sit in a cupboard like daisy the cow three times a day when i shoulld be at home with my baby
sorry
that is a different thread

[Ruthiebaby]

Well it's only for 4 days like you said. Will soon be over.
See how it goes.

[Gillian76]

I take it you are a teacher? I did this with DD1 and found it so difficult to express at all during the morning interval. Think it was a combination of the lack of time, stress from the morning's teaching and worrying that I was going to get enough.

If you can put some in the freezer before then I would definitely try to build up a "back up" supply.

Good luck

[popsycal]

yes i am gillian....
this is what i am worrying about....especially on the thursday (thogh i wont need the milk for frisday as we are off)

From september i dont even have my own classroom....but i will talk to the boss next week and sort something out for september....

it has all just hit me....

[chipmonkey]

Popsy, your plan sounds fine. Apparently you can leave the pump, unwashed in the coolbag but just date the milk from the time you first expressed i.e 10.30. Leave one extra bottle if you can. With ds2 if I was leaving an "extra" bottle, I left formula as he never drank it!

[KiwiKate]

Oh Popsy - good luck. I had something similar with DS1. You are turning into a milk cow because you are a good mum and want the best for your baby. Take a photo of DS with you to help stimulate the milk.

You'll miss him, but you'll get through it (and treasure the time you have with him even more).

All the best.

[alux]

medela makes bags that fit over leccy pumps. I found them on

www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk

I'm a teacher too. Saw my timetable for sept and I teach 6 out of 6 lesson on Tues and Thurs so I can't see making the time to express ever happening on those days. Is the workplace only needed to provide a place but not the time to express?

[popsycal]

i have that problem too....
mears linked me to a brilliant site a few weeks ao about expressing in the work place.....serach my name and expressing and it should come up

[Magscat]

Popsycal - I'm expressing at work - have been for about 6 weeks now. DD is 6.5 months (i.e. just 5 months when I went back.

I found that she goes longer between feeds & is quite happy to do so when I'm not around. I.e. at the weekend she still wants to 'snack' b/f but in the week it goes like this:

7am b/f
10.30 - bottle of ebm
2pm - bottle of ebm
5.30pm - b/f (dropped this about 5.5 months)
6.15 - Proper b/f after bath
Night time - b/f on demand - usually at least twice (e.g. 11pm & 3am)

Expressing:

-Sterilise as soon as I get up (my Avent steam steriliser says keeps sterile for 3 hours but I'm sure overnight would be ok)

• Express after 7am feed
  
• Sterilise pump again & wrap up in cool bag for work
  
• Express at work at lunchtime. Run pump under tap.
  
• Wash pump properly after work & sterilise again
  
• 10pm ish - Express again
  
• Wash pump & store in steriliser for the morning
  
  TBH, it's easier now she's on 2 solid meals a day. She has 2 x 7oz bottles and that's enough. Before that she needed a 4oz one about 5pm on the days I couldn't get back that quick.
  
  I've had some odd comments at work but mostly supportive. You need to have somewhere you can relax & be private. Have you got that?
  
  Good luck anyway.

[popsycal]

magscat thanks so much for that

to be honest I am dreading the reaction at work...i have been feeling really down about it today and your information has really helped me to realise it is possible
thanks so much

[hunkermunker]

Popsy, I expressed at work - went back when DS was 6mo and expressed till he was about 10mo at work, then did some at home only, then gave EBM and cow's milk mixed for the bottles he had till he was one.

I did one eight-hour and one ten-hour shift a week to begin with. I expressed once on an eight-hour shift and twice on a ten-hour. I took enough bottles to be able to express into a clean one each time, and sterilised the pump before I took it into work, but didn't bother washing it between expresses.

I had the Avent out and about kit which includes an Isis pump and a nifty coolbag with a separate drawstring bag for the expressed milk bottles. I used to put the gelpacks into that bag with the milk I'd expressed, then put the pump covers on, put the pump into the bag and put the whole thing into a carrier bag in the fridge.

Please don't worry about missing one expressing session - and remember, it's only four days. Once you've done one, there are only three left, two and you're halfway through and three and you only have tomorrow left - hooray! You will be fine, so will yuor DS.

[chipmonkey]

I used to find that when I was expressing for ds2 that my supply would dwindle a bit as the week went on but boosted right back up again after the weekend. (And in my job the weekend is usually just Sunday!) Babies usually get more than pumps. The only negative responses I've had have really just been the attitude that I'm making a lot of work for myself but I don't mind that!

[hunkermunker]

I didn't really tell people what I was doing unless they asked. Some people asked what was in the bag, and said "Oh, right" when I said breastpump.

[chipmonkey]

I had the same kit as hunker and I usually didn't have a fridge at work so used the coolbag with an ice-pack in it rather than the little gel packs Avent give you. Am tempted to get a little mini-cooler this time, have seen them cheap in Argos!

[popsycal]