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Mom life

What You Actually Need For Pumping At Work

February 19, 2021 /

1.       A medium to large bag for all your supplies

I personally preferred a backpack. There was plenty of storage space and it was easy to carry—some days I had my purse, my pumping bag, a lunch bag, a drink, and my breakfast to carry into work.

2.       Milk storage bags or containers

I used tommee tippee bottles like these for Kenely when she was at the sitter, but I also had 6 large bottles like this. I used these bottles to store my fresh milk and send to the sitter the following day instead of sending frozen milk. I ordered these lids to use for storage. The number of bottles you will need, will depend on how many times you pump and how much you get when you pump. These bottles will hold 9oz; I never got more than 9oz in a single nursing session and I only pumped three times while at work so taking 3 bottles always worked for me. You will want to put milk from each session into its own bottle. Once the milk has been refrigerated and reached the same temperature, you can combine them.

3.       Emergency milk storage bags

I am a pretty “on-top-of-it” type of person, but there were still a handful of times that in the rush to get out the door I failed to put new empty storage bottles in my bag. Having a few milk storage bags tucked away in my bag saved me!

4.       Nipple cream

After the first couple months I never used cream very often, but I was glad to have it on hand in case I ever needed it.

5.       Breast pads

I also didn’t use breast pads after the first few months, but I kept them in my bag just in case.

6.       Extra power cord/battery for your pump (if available)

Most pumps probably won’t come with more than one power cord; my work pump (more on which pumps I used & why in an upcoming post) had a USB port for charging so it was easy for me to purchase an extra cord inexpensively.

7.       A cooler bag or dedicated fridge space for storage

If at all possible, I recommend using a refrigerator, the temperature will be more stable and it’s one less thing you have to pack every day.

8.       Gallon ziplock bags

I used at least one ziplock bag every day. When I finished pumping, I placed all my pump parts into the bag and stored them in the fridge between pumping sessions. No, I did not wash them in between. No, I did not rinse them in-between. Some people do not recommend this due to the residual milk that doesn’t come out of the parts mixing with the fresh milk at your next pumping session. I personally never had any problems storing my parts this way, and it made my life easier. Always do what you feel is best/safest for you and your baby. Even if you do not use this method, you will still need some type of bag to store all of your pump parts in