breastfeeding and pumping supplies

[Bubblette]

I'm due at then end of May and my friends and family have requested a list of things I want/need. I'll be home for the first 6-8 weeks our new baby is here, but after that I'll have to return to school full time.

I've picked the Ameda Purely Yours pump but other than that I'm a bit lost. It looks like the evenflo 4 oz glass bottles will fit the pump and mamas seem to give them great reviews for freezing milk. What nipples would you recommend for a breastfed baby? or would a differnt bottle nipple combo be better? And then once I decide on that, how many bottles do you think I'll need?

On the breast feeding side I'm thinking of asking for breast pads (any reccs?) and some nipple cream (any reccs?) I've got a boppy.

Am I missing anything? any advice from btdt mamas will be appreciated!

Thank you!!

[Spiralshell]

What's your expectation for pumping? Just a little here and there, or going back to work full time? Depending on your answer, you might have different needs.
I have (and like) the Ameda Purely Yours. I'm going back to work soon, and just bought an extra hygenikit (sp?) and spare parts kit so that I have extras of everything in case something breaks, or I don't have time to wash everything every day.
If you plan to store a lot of milk, you will need a LOT of glass bottles. You may want to consider storage bags, like the lansinoh breast milk bags. I freeze milk in these laying flat, and then I can arrange the frozen bags very easily. (They also thaw much faster with a thin layer of milk, than a big clump of milk in a bottle.)
Definitely get some lanolin for your nipples -- lansinoh is good. This also helps me with pumping because it lets the breast shields stick to my breast a bit and prevents milk dribbling everywhere.
If you will be going back/forth to work with your milk be sure you have an insulated cooler bag with cooler packs, and some extra freezer packs in case you forget to pop them back in the freezer. (Easy to forget!)

[Anna Phor]

Bustier or other device for hands-free pumping?

Also, wrt nipples, we use avent slow-flow, but we experimented with a couple of different types to see which he seemed to like best. I think it can depend on your particular baby and what seems most comfortable for them depending on how your breasts deliver milk.

[groovyem]

I have to exclusively pump (6mo now), I would not pump into glass bottles, too much weight. Pretty much any plastic bottle can be pumped into, I pump into more inexpensive bottles and use Dr Brown's for feeding. And yes, use the Lansinoh bags for freezing your milk. It's good for 3-4 mo in a regular freezer or up to a year in a deep freezer. I bought myself a cheap bra, cut a slit in front of each nipple (do while wearing or you'll have numerous cuts!), slip the breast shields thru and then you can pump hands free. My LC gave me a hands free pumping band but I found it cumbersome and it smooshed my boobs too much and the milk didn't come out as easily. Sometimes if I am wearing white you can see the cuts in my bra, these days I just wear a nursing bra over the other. 2 bra's isn't that bad to wear and at least I'm hands free. You don't have to wash your parts during the day, if you have the option of keeping them in the fridge at work, the milk thats on them won't go bad as long as they are refrigerated. This is a great website for you to come to as you will be looking for advice and helpful hints after your little one comes!

[jecombs]

ITA with pps, the glass bottles are going to be too heavy to pump into. Your pump should come with a couple of plastic bottles to pump into and then you can transfer the milk to the glass bottles if you want to. I used the Lansinoh storage bags for freezing because they didn't take up as much space and were more cost-effective than buying a bunch of bottles.

For the bottle nipples, my DD always preferred the clear, silicon ones. With a BF baby you should ALWAYS stick with the slowest-flow nipple, because that will best mimic the flow LO gets from you.

The only other thing I can think of is a small bottle of olive oil. I put it on my nips and areola before I pumped and it really helped cut down on "friction" and made pumping a lot more comfortable. It was suggested my LC at the hospital and she said it wouldn't matter if a little bit got into the BM.

[Bubblette]

Thank you ladies,

I'll be seriously pumping. School will be 8 hours a day 3 days a week and 4 hours a day 2 days a week. The following semester (in February) I'll start clinical rotations so those days will range from 8-12 hours.

I appreciate all the input. Does anyone have concerns with the lansinoh bags? I read somewhere that they clear plastic makes the antibodies in breast milk stick to the bags...

[curious&eager]

I don't know anything good/bad about the bags, but I use them and they work great. I cannot imagine defrosting milk in a glass bottle.

Pads- the lansinoh disposables were worth their weight in gold in the beginning. Some people are not super soakers, but I definitely was. Now I have cloth pads.

Bottle- my DS will only take fat bottles. He does really well with the Breastflow bottle, but he'll drink from any fat bottle.

Cream- I received a tiny tube at the hospital and it was all I needed. I also received a pair of soothing gel pads and they helped with the beginning pain.

I only pump very part time, so I cannot tell you how many to have. I have one bottle that he drinks from. I have four that I can pump into. Only skinny bottles fit onto the pump.

[MommyMad]

Bottles - I found that the Breastflow bottles were the ones that more easily resemble the breast and my LO did not have any issues going back & forth between breast and bottle. How many of these? I started with 8 of the 5oz bottles. Now that sometimes he drinks more than 5.5oz at a time, I have 3 of the 9oz bottles as well.

I would invest in the hands free pumping bra. It willl be great. While at work, I mostly keep it on underneath my sweaters in order to make the pumping session a bit quicker (hey, a few seconds here & there while at work make a difference).

As far as pumps are concerned, everyone is different. I am big chested 34-36DDD, but with very small and semi flat nipples. Having said this, I started pumping with the Ameda Purely Yours and used it throughout the first 12 weeks. During those 12 weeks I had a lot of clogged ducts which I constantly attributed to my LO not drinking correctly. I always had to work my breasts doing compressions and such in order for them to empty. Once I returned to work, I found it was a hassle to carry the pump back and forth due to the weight and having to dismantle the pumping station every morning. My GF was nice enough to allow me to borrow her Medela Pump In Style Advanced to leave at work- wow!!! what a difference the pump made. I was able to empty effortlessly and I have been clog free ever since. So much so is the difference that I went ahead and bought a Medela Pump In Style from Ebay in order to retire my Ameda Purely Yours. Again, everyone is different, but this was my experience.

Bags - I've used the Lansinoh and the First Years as well. Either one is fine. What I do like is the milk storage organizer like this one http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.as...21510&RN=7067&
I only purchased one of these and when it starts getting a bit full I transfer the bags to a separate zip loc bag and store the milk bags flat in the freezer.

I agree with all the PP's in that you will not want to pump with glasss bottles due to the weight.

For pads, I wasn't a big leaker, but I still wore and wear pads so the bra stays clean after a pumping/nursing session. I bought the medela ones - they are on the larger/thin side. I used a Lansinoh that one of my LC's provided me and I really liked that one. However, I read reviews where reviewers are now indicating that the company has changed them and made them smaller. I am now using the Johnson & Johnson. they are on the smaller but bulkier side. I think I still prefer the Medela ones due to my large chest. I don't need/want any add'l bulkiness added underneath my bra.

What else? at least one nursing bra at hand. Once you deliver, you can go ahead & purchase more. However, I found it a bit difficult to leave the house in the early days after my planned homebirth ended in a c-section. I would have loved to have at least one nursing bra handy. You can purchase it as you get closer to delivery.

I think that's it for now. Any other questions, just shoot them here. There are plenty of helpful mommas here.