expressing - special bra?

[weasle]

planning my return to work and have ordered an ameda double pump. my question is, do you have to sit there holding both pumps on? do those expressing bras work? it would be good if i could attempt to multitask, otherwise i will struggle to eat!

also, am thinking of lilpadz to minimise leaking, a cool bag for transportation and some bottles, anything else i need?

I never tried the special bras.

But once you have a vacumn and the thing attached to your boob you can balance them in a regular maternity bra leaving your hands free.

Need to practice first .

I find this very amusing but could have done with one!

My double pump just stayed on - had the suction on full and I was hands free!

I could lean forward with the Avent duo and resat the collecting bottles on my lap but don't know if it would have worked if I'd had perkier norks!

www.richardcassidy.co.uk/axifeed.htm

These are very handy bottles.

With the Ameda bottles on, you can just attach them, and then kind of hold them on with one arm crossed across whilst eating/reading/ surfing Mumsnet with the other.
If, like me you stuff the pump heads into Avent bottles part of the time (only had two Ameda bottles and was too much of a tightwad to buy more just to express into), you do need to rest them on something - a pillow was just about right (but am tall and perky of nork)

Lillypadz are great to stop nipple show through when wearing a non tshirt bra (found expressing left them rather obvious). My milk went in a communal fridge, so I put the bottles in a black microfibre bag (Tescos washbag actually) in there so that it was't obvious what it was, but cooled down quickly. Took it home in my lunch coolbag.

I found a large lockandlock plastic box from Lakeland invaluable as I could sterilise two pump sets (good idea if you'll be expressing two or more times a day for any length of time), and the bottles and put them all in the box which I washed and scalded each night - it was then airtight till the morning. Used stuff got washed out straight after use, and then put in a ziploc bag. Carried everything around in a daypack so it was fairly discreet.

I expressed 5 days a week for a year with my Lactaline, and then when I had to travel for business until I finished breastfeeding a few weeks ago when DS was 2 weeks off 2.

Thanks all. I had ordered those exact axifeed bottles with my pump edie

yes, gordon, that is what i was thinking of (agree picture funny!). I have a mini electric medela, and that doesn't stay on at all!

thanks for tips cmot. i have heard that 1 sterilisation (or rather dishwasher!) a day for pump would do, so was planning to put used pump back in fridge for next use. Great to hear that you managed to do it for so long, well done.

i need to scout around at work and work out best room/fridge. There is 1 baby changing/feeding room available, but it has no electric socket

I pumped in the first aid room which was v convenient and fairly quiet. When it was in use, I ran on batteries in the ladies shower.
I would have just put everything in the fridge, but it was the canteen one, and tbh, I was pushing the boundaries of the shopfloor guys comfort zones anyway - didn't want to make them too uncomfortable by making it obvious.

I have one of those bras but it is a pain because you practically have to strip off to use it.

right, now have pump. it definitely does not stay on me! much better than medela though; quicker and quieter and can get more out (still not masses...). think i'll be getting a bra and stripping off. clydesdale - how did you know which size to get? no guidance on nct site.

My Lactaline doesn;t stay on by itself but like Dibbler I have perfected the art of holding both sides on with one hand/wrist thus freeing other hand to eat sandwich and turn pages of magazine

I often use the darkroom as it has a lock and a big 'do no disturb' light, but have booked meeting/interview rooms when it's busy.

i cut an old bra to bits (took underwire out first). rather alarmingly, cut holes off the nips and with a bit of stick on velcro could tighten it around the cup thing before attaching myself. i did find that the cups attached themselves anyway, of course, but i liked the extra security. plus, i used to put it on with my other bra undone but still on, so less faffing involved.

Got easy expression halterneck and bustier (no need to strip with that one as it has a full zip) off ebay through supermomz (US). Much cheaper than UK prices even after postage and found customer service really good. As I mostly express with a little bf, these have been indispensable!

I used a couple of hairbands threaded through each other like a reef knot and slipped one end round the breastshield and hooked the other one onto the clip of my nursing bra and that kept things in place well enough to be able to surf mumsnet during expressing

I also got the Easy Expressions bra and I wish I'd got it sooner (got it when ds was about 3 months but I exclusively expressed for nearly 7).

It was fab and the panic I felt when I needed to express and it was in the wash just showed how invaluable I found it (would throw in the drier on its own to dry it quickly).