A few more expressing/going back to work questions (only 4 days to go, getting nervous!)

[jaggythistle]

Hello,

I'm looking for a bit of advice on all the random thoughts going round my head. DS 5.5 months will be at home with Dad, I am going back to work full time and expressing so DH will be feeding him EBM (and some solids soon I guess).

Firstly, how do you think DH should offer the EBM - in big or small amounts? The most he has ever taken at once is about 4-5oz, he sometimes leaves up to 1oz. I am wondering if DH should try a 'full' bottle or give him 3oz to try and save wastage. It is hard to know how much he'll take, I guess we'll see as time goes on?

Secondly, I will be expressing 2-3 times a day at work, did I read somewhere that I can store the pump in the fridge in a bag in between uses to avoid a full scale clean each time? Not sure what my facilities will be like, all I know is there's a room and a fridge.

I think that's all, I'll be back to add more if I think of anything.

All replies gratefully received, the reality of going back (next week) is sinking in now.

DH is ridiculously chilled out about the whole thing of course

Thanks.

You dont say how long your days are going to be?? If its an 8 hr day then make up 4 oz feeds for the times which he would normally spend feeding depending on what your ds is like obviously. How often does he normally feed?

Make sure you pump enough incase you get stuck in traffic

You can make up 4 oz EBM and store in containers in freezer up to 1 month. So if you start now, you can get a head start...

If you express once in the morning from one breast, and let ds feed off the other, then at work alternate breats when pumping. ( so by the time you finish work you should have 4 feeds done that day ready for the next). Then you can get home and feed ds as usual.

Sorry It's an 8hr day, yes, but I am only 20 mins away from work so traffic not usually a problem.

He is feeding every 3-4 hours on average, sometimes a wee bit longer if he is out an d about or sleeping in the pram etc. So I am expecting DH to have to feed him 2 or 3 times.

I will be feeding him just before I go to work (he seems to wake up about the right time for that) so we'll just have to see.

I have a few 2-3 oz portions of milk in bags in the freezer as a back up already.

I hadn't thought about pumping while feeding in the morning, might be handy, thanks.

I'd do 3 oz portions - if you start the day with 4 bottles in the fridge, then your DH will always have one in hand in case DS wants more. If theres one left over, then as long as it was fresh milk (rather than frozen), he can use that first the next day.

I didn't pump outside work - didn't want more hassle, but double pumped 3 times a day at first - sort of 10, 12.30 and 2.30 ish, making sure I hand expressed at the end to get all the milk out. No problem keeping up with DS. At the end of the day, I poured the milk into the bottles and then froze the rest - if you freeze it in bags laid flat, then it defrosts really fast in warm water.

Yes, just put your pump in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge and it'll be fine. If you share the fridge, then a wash bag makes a good thing to put the milk and pump in so that people don't notice it so much.

cmot once again spot on

I used a coolbag in the fridge as I used it to take it to and from work anyway

my milk didn't freeze well (high lipase) so I mostly pumped eg on Monday to feed on Tuesday etc

I used Axifeed bottles to store milk (google for suppliers) as dd liked the Closer To Nature ones to drink from and they are an awkward shape to store.

If your DH is chilled, then go with that. He'll have frozen milk, stored milk in the fridge, bottles, steriliser, baby all at his disposal and so there is no way your son will go hungry. Let the two of them figure it out. You don't need to worry about it. That's the nice thing about childcare - someone else (in this case your DH who really does care) gets to sweat the small stuff.

Really all you need to think about is expressing at work. You can certainly leave the funnell of the pump in the fridge and use it again. I would have thought twice a day was plenty. Honestly, I pumped twice a day during a full working day and it meant I was away from my desk more than I was really happy with.

Oh yes, axifeed bottles are very, very handy

"funnell" is the French for funnel, in case anyone was wondering

We are like the pumping at work coalition MrsB !

I used a thin washbag (took my lunch in the coolbag, then put milk in it at the end of the day) so that the milk cooled faster

Remember to pack a book so you can do something at the same time as pumping. If you have a pillow in the room where you pump, then it's pretty easy to pump hands free - leaving you able to read and drink coffee at the same time.

Use remaining time to develop a nonchalent look 'Just have to pop and do something..', otherwise you find yourself explaining about expressing at inconvenient times.

THanks again all.

now feeling somewhat mental for complaining about DH being chilled - surely this is a good thing for them both!

I think I may be getting all my [eek I have to leave my baby] panic somewhat misdirected.

I have a coolbag at the ready, am hoping to just leave it in the room I will be using during the day and collect it on the way home.

Had definitely thought about a book - it helps to be relaxed too.

Was hoping to get away with just twice a day, I seem to get a decent amount if I am at all 'full' so am crossing my fingers.

I have never been much of a leaker since the first few weeks - did anyone find they sprung any embarrassing leaks once they started being away and expressing? Have packed emergency breast pads just in case.

I have just got a few extra bottles to fit the Medela Swing that I have and will be bringing home the milk in them. The frozen stuff is flat in bags for easy defrosting/heating. We are feeding using the Closer to Nature ones as he seems fine with them so they are at home for DH.

Yeah my nonchalant look will probably be pants.

I didn't spring any leaks, but you will need a flannel/tissues just to dry yourself before putting norks away. Tis embarrasing to drip milk in your bra then see it seep through...

When I was expressing I worked in a factory setting - kept my milk in the canteen fridge, expressed in the first aid room. It was soon widely known what I did. But my most brazen expressing was my first overnight away for work after mat leave when DS was 6 months - couldn't just slip off as planned, so had to tell the physicist I was with that I needed to express. Although male, we were in Sweden, so they were very sweet about it. I expressed in all sorts of weird places after that (back of car, whilst on a conference call, airplane loos), so got quite brazen about it !

I'm in a factory type place too, I have a similar location to express in so I'll let you know how I get on. better not forget the tissues/cloth for drying!

Make sure you have a sign for the door too - 'Room in use - knock and wait' so that people don't just walk in. Nearly had an embarrasing incident once !

The lads were actually very nice about it - strangely it was women that were more snarky

re "emergency breastpads" packed. Once you've leaked its too late to use the pads and the embarassing wet spots are already there!

I will take an emergency top too...I know what you mean but I didn't want to wear them just in case - I have been out and given DS EBM for a few hours before and not leaked so am hoping I'll be ok!

I can actually imagine a few people that might be snarky, I aom hoping they'll surprise me

When I started pumping for dd, I did spring leaks pretty often but this was only cause I let my breats get too full...if you pump regularly youl be fine. I did it, sort of as and when which wasnt a good idea (now have saggy boobs as they were nearly all the time engorged)

Good luck jaggythistle! Good on you for going through all this to make sure your baby continues to get his breastmilk.

I have been expressing at work for about a month now. I too use a medela pump, but I purchased a few spare sets of the parts that come into contact with the milk (funnel, valve, bottles etc) so I could have sterile sets ready to pop onto the base unit throughout the day rather than having to clean and re-sterilise one set. I figured that it would be good to do that anyway as they'd get pretty heavy use and one set would wear out pretty soon. There's a website called poshmums which sells medela spares. Make sure you know whether you need the "new" or "old" style funnel.

I also invested in medela's citystyle bag for transporting my pump and parts. It does the job - is big enough to hold the black coolbag that comes with it (it comes with an ice pack and can hold 4 medela bottles), the pump unit and 3-4 assembled funnel/valve combos. I don't think it's necessary to spend the £30-ish it cost for the bag, as any coolbag, icepack etc will do, I'm just lazy and this was convenient! It also worked for me as a smart-looking bag to discreetly carry from office to first aid room.

Other tips are - as above, take tissues to mop up after pumping as you do tend to drip a bit as you take boob away from pump. Take breastpads and a change of top - I haven't had any problems leaking, but I wouldn't want to count on it. Going back to work is stressful enough without worrying about that! Rinse out your pump parts after using them, even if you don't clean/sterilise until you get home, to prevent milk drying hich is harder to clean.

Our routine is to transfer the milk from the medela bottles into the closer to nature ones our son uses at the end of the day, then the medela ones are empty and ready to clean/sterilise for the next day.

Good luck!

islandmummy Re the Citystyle..guess what I bought earlier this week? I wouldn't have spent the money on it normally either, but as it came with the spare bottles etc it seemed nice and convenient (ok I'm lazy too). I'm hoping to squeeze in my book and some water too so I don't forget to drink.

I have been looking at the spare parts and was going to get the valves/membranes and maybe some tubing but I suppose a funnel would maybe be helpful, hmm...

I normally end up dripping on my trousers, so as well as taking tissues, I might pinch one of baby's muslins to sit underneath so catch any!

Will check out the poshmums site.

Thanks everyone for your help, I'll let you know how it goes.

Not going especially well so far - the room was busy just when I was planning to use it so I had to go in a bit earlier and was in a total rush

Only got 2 and a bit oz - will the stimulation be enough to help my supply even if I am not always able to express what I can when I am relaxing at home?

I am doing not too bad mentally though - was having a wee wobbly yesterday about missing the boy. I was a bot sad when I kissed him goodbye but am ok. He barely woke up for a feed before I left which was good because he wasn't messing about poking me in the eye instead of feeding

Hope it goes better this afternoon...

a bit sad even