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Pumping Question

719 views 12 replies 13 participants last post by  caseyreneah 
#1 ·
I'm going back to work in January and plan to pump for my 4-month-old dd. my office is going to provide me with a conference room to pump in, but I've been trying to decide how/when I will clean the everything between pumping sessions. What do you guys do? Use the office kitchen to rinse everything off?

Any other tips/advice will be appreciated as well!
 
#2 ·
I sometimes used the office kitchen to wash - I brought my own sponge and dishwashing detergent. The computer guy was really interested in what I was doing one day! Medela also sells individually sized wipes if you are really in a time-crunch. Plus, they sell sterilizing microwave bags - stick your pump parts in, 2-4 oz. of water, microwave for 30 seconds, and you're good to go!

BM has antibacterial properties, so unless you have thrush you don't really *need* to wash thoroughly every time (although I was kind of a freak, and always did).
 
#3 ·
My pediatrician (who is herself an AP mama) told me that I didn't need to worry about cleaning my pump parts between sessions (I pump 4 or 5 times in an 8 hour day, so this saves me a lot of time). I only wash at the beginning of the day (in the office kitchen), and then bring it home on the weekends for a more thorough cleaning. I've never had a bottle of milk go bad.

I'm only at work 3 days a week though - if I were there all week I'd probably be better about cleaning it in the middle somewhere.
 
#4 ·
Medela also sells microwave bags to sterilize your parts. The best thing about them is that you can carry your parts around the office without anyone knowing whats in the bag


I used to just go to the break room, rinse the parts off, put them in the bag, nuke them, drain the water and then leave them in the bag until the next time to pump.
 
#5 ·
I take two sets of horns & bottles with me to work. That way I only wash one time in the middle of the day. I use the shop sink since its right outside my office and bring my own bottle washer & dishwashing soap. I primarily work with a bunch of men - they were curious the first few times, but they are used to it now and walk right by and talk to me while I'm washing them. Several of their wives pumped, so they are pretty used to it anyways.
 
#6 ·
Sounds like I'm pretty typical.

I bring two sets, and depending on whether or not our office sink is gross or not, I may or may not wash at work. I only pump 2x/day, because I go see dd to nurse at lunchtime.

I bring my own sponge and detergent, too. And a towel to lay the pump parts on to dry. I'm kinda a washing fanatic. I like to clean them after every use, though I know it isn't necessary.
 
#8 ·
I had 2 sets of horns which I rinsed with hot water when finished pumping and dried with paper towels then back in the bag. I used to sterilize them once/week in a pot of boiling water but gave that up quickly. I put the horns in the dishwasher on the weekend, but otherwise I just rinsed with hot water and dried.
 
#9 ·
I started out washing my pump parts after every use, but my skin on my hands quickly starting cracking from all the abuse. I guess I could have worn gloves, but I didn't. I pumped 3 x a day at work and would rinse the parts in hot water after the first 2 x and then wash with dish soap after the final time. I took them home at the end of the week for a good soaking/sterilizing in the dishwasher. We had a sink just for pumping Moms, but if I'd been in your situation, I think I would have just used 2 sets and washed one at lunch or something.

Manda
 
#10 ·
I don't have a convenient place to wash other than a water fountain, or at quite a distance away, a restroom sink, neither of which appealed to me. I started out fully washing and then microwave-sanitizing everything after every pump but that got old really fast. A friend of mine told me she never washed or sterilized in between her pumping sessions at all, never even rinsed. Breastmilk is supposed to be "good" for up to ten hours at room temp so assuming your first pump is at, say 9 am, and your last pump is at 3, you don't actually need to wash the parts between pumping sessions at all. I just put the parts in a drawer in between pumping sessions. Then I put everything in the dishwasher each night. My son was never sick and I never had any milk go bad.
 
#12 ·
Here's a couple things that helped me out with the washing logistics. I kept in my office a plastic bowl big enough to store all the pump parts. That way, when I was done pumping, I would put everything in the bowl and haul it to the sink. It also worked to let the parts air dry in the bowl.

Another thing I did was haul the parts to and from work in ziploc bags. I used the sturdy freezer type and would wash and re-use them.
 
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