how do i keep breast pump sterile on the move?

[mariamenendez]

Hi, I'm leaving my dd with dp on saturday morning to go to first aid course (BLW preparation!) and want to express while I'm there. How do I keep my breast pump sterile while travelling? Do I just sterilise in morning, put together and stick in cool bag?? That doesn't seem too hygenic. It is a Medela pump so doesnt have covers for the funnel like the Avent. My dd is 5 months so am still sterilising everything.
I'm probably a bit OCD (hence first aid course!) but want to be sure...

Ooh thanks for replying so quickly. Yes I will just be expressing the once. So the pump will be fine just in a bag then? I have never expressed away from home before so it will be good practice when I return to work (boo)

hmmm, not sure that's true hanaflower. I think that when the milk becomes exposed to air it needs to be treated in the same way as cows milk (or indeed formula milk). If you're not planning to feed your baby the expressed milk then you needn't bother sterilise the pump though.

A new ziplock type plastic bag is actually sterile inside when you first open it, so just plonk pump inside it.

Plenty of cool blocks for the milk, and my top tip is that one of those rapid wine chiller sleeves gets a bottle of milk cooled v quickly and efficiently

I am planning to give my baby the milk eventually. I was going to bring it home in a cool bag and freeze it. Thanks CMOTdibbler for the ziplock tip, will get one of those, and make sure I have cool blocks for the milk. I suppose lots of mums do this every day when they're at work.

Medela now sell a cooler bag that holds four bottles and a cooling element that you stick in the freezer overnight. You can buy it from Mothercare. I've found it invaluable.

For actual cleaning in between pumps, you can get special Medela wipes for this purpose. I used to use them when expressing for DS.

I've never sterilised my pump, or the bottles.