Expressing at work: advice about breast pumps

[Fourteeth]

Help! Going back to work in 2 weeks. Need to express at work for DD (8 months old). Feeling confused about what equipment i'll need. Already using basic Avent electric handpump but this takes 20 mins per breast. I will need to express from both boobs as quickly as possible whilst at work. Some have suggested the double electric Ameda Lactaline. This appears to be really BIG - have some of you had experience of leaving one of these at work? I travel to work on a bus and also picking up DD from childminder so lugging this around not really an option. Does it really cut down on the time? Anyone have any other recommendations e.g. have heard about the Medela brand? Also, all seem really expensive - anyone tried hiring?

Hiya... have never done it myself but a collegue at work and another friend uses medela swing pump and finds it really good. I know that in general the medela brand are good as we provide them for mothers in the hospital and they always comment on how much milk they get! There's a function that pumps how a baby sucks ie, short, fast 'sucks' at first to stimulate let down process, then slower 'sucks' once the milk comes through. If you don't feel icky about second hand pumps, they go a lot cheaper on ebay than they do new. AFAIK the pumps you hire tend to be hosital grade ones so very large/ heavy and probably not ideal for work (though I could be wrong)

Hope this helps a bit

I used a lactaline to express for ds aged 8-12 months. I used the 1st aid room at work for expressing. I simply set up a cold water steriliser in there and kept the collection sets in that. Each morning on arrival to work I would go in and change the sterilising solution, so that by the time I needed to express all was sterile. I actually carried the main electric part of the pump to and from work, as I used it at home as well. It was heavy, but actually quite compact. I found I needed the heavy cable & plug too, as it wasn't as efficient when running on batteries. I could have kept it locked in my desk drawer, had I not needed it at home. I did actually do this occasionally, but on one fateful occasion I left my keys at home. Cue frantic calls to bf helplines and internet searches to quickly learn how to hand express into a narrow necked bottle .

I found it a very efficient pump. I found that double pumping really helped, as when one breast got going it stimulated the other one to have another let-down. Remember expressing when separated from your baby is very different than trying to extract milk over and above your baby's needs. I was never the best at expressing, but used to manage 4-6oz twice a day in about 30 mins total time (including walking down and up 2 flights of stairs to the 1st aid room).

Good luck!

PS you can also indepentently adjust the speed and suction on the lactaline. It was thisfeature that I found to be key for triggering let-down -I needed gentle fast sucks to do that, followed by long slow sucks to draw the milk out. I'm sure other pumps do this too and would be equally effective.

Me again I found that after a couple of months hiring worked out as or more expensive than buying. Remember the pump will probably have a resale value on ebay. I did have 2 different hired lactaline pumps at one stage. One was relatively compact and the other was enormous, extremely heavy and looked like something out of a dairy!!!

It is really reassuring to hear that expressing whilst apart from your baby is easier! At the moment it seems like a superhuman task... Do you know how much milk I should be giving my baby during the day - he will be missing 2 feeds. If not where is a good place to get more info? He is also BLW so not taking in a very concrete amount of food to supplement the milk yet.

I am looking on e-bay now. but lots of models for Medela - any idea which your friend used or anyone else out there with experience?

... and sorry to have so many questions but Grendle do you have a rough list of which accessories were essential - did they come as part of the basic kit?

I used the ameda lactaline for several months at work. I expressed once a day at lunchtime and Grendle is right, it seemed easier to express when away from my baby to replace breastfeeding rather than expressing over and above normal. And absolutely double pumping is more efficient.

I carried my equipment home every night that needed sterilising, but left the lead and actual pump at work (except weekends in case I wanted to use it at home). I didn't think it was too heavy to carry about, just easier to leave at work if I probably wasn't going to need it at home iyswim.

I also worked out that hiring would be more expensive over a few months and I plan to sell my stuff on ebay and recoup some of the cost as I'm not using it anymore.

You will need some way to keep the milk cool on your way home - I bought the ameda n carry tote bag, which is a cool bag with 3 freezer blocks and 6 bottles complete with lids. I found this very handy and didn't actually use a fridge at work because it keep the milk cool enough all afternoon until I got home.

Good luck, expressing at work is a bit of a PITA but worth it

that should be ameda cool n carry tote bag

I expressed for a year at work, and then still hoiked my pump round the world with me until DS weaned at 23 months.

The Lactaline really isn't that big or heavy to carry around - I had a small daypack rucsack, and into that I fitted my pump, 4 pump sets (so I could express twice without sterilising or washing) 4 - 6 bottles, my book and my lunch (in coolbag that milk would go home in later). I put the milk in the canteen fridge in a drawstrong washbag, and then put it in the coolbag on the way home. In the summer I used iceblocks, but not a problem otherwise.

Having another pump set is great as it cuts down the faffing, and the flexishields are essential imo. You don't need all Ameda bottles as wide necked bottles can be stuffed onto the pump (they don't attach, but are fine) - so I could pump into the feed bottles which saved on washing.

Bought my pump on ebay, and sold it for about half what I paid, so much, much cheaper than hiring.

I pumped twice a day aged 8-10 months and then once a day 10-12 months. It was more to do with what I could manage around my job, as I had a lot of meetings and found it hard to fit the sessions in. Ds used to be offered whatever I managed to express, so mid morning and mid afternoon initially, then later only mid morning. We were apart for 12hrs including travel time. I also expressed each evening at about 11ish, around 3 hrs after he went to bed, and then that lot used to go on breakfast for him. I guess he had a total of 10-15oz expressed milk a day (inc breakfast) aged 8-10 months. He used to feed more at night from me and on the days I didn't work, as I only did 3 days a week. If you let them feed on demand when you're around, then they tend to take what they need (look up 'reverse cycling').

Ds was also baby-led weaned. His solids intake increased quite a lot from around 8 months or so. It can take them a little while to get the hang of it, and then they're off.

I transported the milk in an insulated bottle carrier that I got cheap from babies R us. It was basically a polystyrene tube. Then I inserted tiny thin bendy freezer packs that I think I got from Lakeland. My travel time was 1hr 40 mins each way. The milk stayed fresh fine this way, but I did always use it the following day if it had travelled with me. Then if there were days at home in between ds's next nursery day, I stored up my evening expressions and sent them for his milk to drink, IYSWIM? He had his milk out of a doidy cup at nursery. I also had a bit of a freezer stck built up from the months inadvance, but he wouldn't drink defrosted milk, only take it as a smoothie or on cereal .

It was a huge faff all round, but worth it IMO. All of this was a huge part of deciding to go self-employed after dd. Feeding from the breast is so much more straightforward. If I were in the same position again, I would still do it all over again, though.

thank you so much for all of that info very much appreciated. so... looks like i'm about to embark on another chapter in this epic baby rearing saga....!