Breast Milk Storage and Adiri Bottles When I Go Back to Work

Breastmilk bags are the easiest for storage. I did this with my both my children. I had over 1000 oz of breast milk in a deep freeze at one time. I donated every bit of extra breastmilk I had to the Mother's Milk Bank for premies. The bags made it extreemly easy to store and freeze. Make sure you get the ones with the zip-lock style closing. Not the ties. I wouldn't worry to much about what is the best bottle, your child will choose which one he/she likes better. My second one never took a bottle. Even the one that looked and felt like a breast. Every child is different.

Good luck!

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The way that I storaged my breastmilk was in the gerber breastfeeding bags. They are at target, walmart, and babies r us they work really good. Also they that breastmilk storage contaniner that all you do is put the storage bags in there so they stay in place. You can put that in the frig. or freezer. The bottles that I love and used for my boys are the playtex nurser the ones that have the disposable bags. They work great. And also the healthflow bottles by munchin works too.

Hope that was helpful

B.

I actually used Medela storage bottles that you can buy in addition to the Medela kit and can be found at Target or BRU. They are a 12 pack of bottles that are slightly smaller than the bottles that come with the pump and they are made to go in the freezer in addition to the refridgerator. I liked them because I could pump right into them (they attach right to the pump) and then put them in the refridgerator for storage that night and just get new bottles for the next day. Since there were 12 of them and 4 of the regular bottle, I didn't have to be pouring milk into the storage bags every night and constantly washing bottles to be ready for the next day. It saved a lot of time.

Oh and one other time-saver note - buy the steam cleaning bags that Medela sells that go in the microwave - they are WONDERFUL for quick, sanitized cleaning of your pump accessories!

Hi L.. I just returned to work. I work in an ER and do 12 hour shifts. I pump my breast milk in to the medela bottles that come with the pump (I have 4 of them). Each time I pump I combine the milk until the bottle is full to the 5oz line. I try to pump every 4 hours and hope to get 4 oz each time. When I get home I transfer it into the Lansinoh storage bags and put it in the freezer. This system works very well for me.
Unfortunately I dont know anything about the bottles you are asking about. We use the Playtex drop-ins and they work well.
Good luck!!
A.

I am the mom of a 2 month old. I hated the Adiri bottles...leaked everywhere. I use the medela bottles and born free (whole foods, babies r us) which are both BPA free and work great. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

The adiri bottles are nice, but #1 they do leak when you are filling them #2 you can't use a bottle warmer, you have to warm the milk before putting it into these bottles. So, if you plan to use these bottles you should store you milk in something that can be warmed first, then put the milk in the adiri right before you are ready to feed, otherwise you just run the bottle under warm water but don't tip it down or the milk will leak out.
My suggestion is not to purchase too many bottles before the baby arrives. They may not like the type you've purchased & then you have to try something else. I'm currently experiencing this......I purchased Born free which is also BPA free, and the nipple is too long for my baby right now & she gags on it. The adiri bottles are nice, I have 2 of them, but they are also expensive. I'm getting ready to try a 3rd type (recommended by a LC to be similar to the breast), but they aren't BPA free, so I'm a little unhappy about that.
Good luck! Pump frequently. You can store your milk in a large freezer(that is separate from the fridge) for 6 months, just time & date your milk.
Good luck! I'm excited for you, I now have 2 beautiful daughters after 2 miscarriages and many other obstacles. It wasn't easy getting them here, but it is WONDERFUL!!!
Congrats!

Hi! Like the rest, same pump. What I have not seen as a suggestion that MIGHT make your life easier is the Madela bags. If you are going to be rushed at all, they may be good for you. I too, hate transferring from the bottle to the bag...I do it all the time, but I am not working. BUT the Madela bags have a tab on it that allow you to attach the bag directly to the pump and avoid the transfer. So literally it is just that one step. HOWEVER, I did rip the tab a couple of times because I was careless and the bag fell off. Whoever said, "don't cry over spilled milk" never pumped their own!!:0) I do know several people that swear by these and pump straight into them...I am sure my experience was more "operator malfunction" than flawed design. I agree 100% that the milk thaws quicker in the bags than the bottle, so that might be another thing to consider when baby gets fussy...you want the quickest fix you can get! Best of luck.

L.,

there are also milk storage bags, which seal up and you can write the date on them and even freeze them if needed.

As for bottles- my boys are all teenagers now so the choices were not what they are now. I used playtex with all three of mine. I liked the soft bags because I could get all the air out. I didn't have any colicky babies. I've seen the Medela ones and they seem very nice.

I would advise against buying too many of one type because babies can be very particular about bottles and nipples. My oldest would only use the playtex nipples (even the pacificer only from playtex). The middle one -it didn't much matter, the youngest liked the playtex bottle but only the clear rounded nipples. Too funny.

Enjoy your time with your son.

That's the pump I had and it's wonderful!!!! They sell storage bags at walmart and places like that. You don't have to keep them in the bottles. I had to freeze some because after a while I did pump more than he could eat. Which was good for times that I needed to be away and could not pump. With bottles it's really up to you. Sometimes it's up to the baby!

Good luck!

Medela has great storage bags that you attach to the pump. Also Dr Browns attach to the Medela pumps. I hear they are out with glass bottles now if thats what you are looking for.

L.,
You can pump your milk into the supplied bottles then pour it into either your choice of feeding bottles or into breastmilk storage bags that you can purchase wherever you buy breastfeeding supplies. I am not familiar with the kinds of bottles you are talking about, but whatever kind you choose, make sure you introduce the bottle well in advance of returning to work so your baby will be used to it.
Congratulations on your baby boy!!!

First congratulations for your pregnancy. I am deeply sorry for your losses. I have lost 2 babies myself - daughter who was stillborn at 38 weeks and an ectopic pregnancy. I pray the reminder of your pregnancy goes well. On the issue of breastfeesding, I breastfed both of my boys for a little over a year. I worked part time and pumped with the Pump in Style. I think they have improved the machine since I bought it 7 years ago. It worked great. I used the Avent bottles. I stored breastmilk in the Medela storage bags at first. Then I started using the Avent storage bags and used the disposable bottles. I am not familiar with the Adiri bottles but I want to check into them. I am pregnant also and due in June.

CONGRATULATIONS on your baby boy on the way! I am so happy for you.

The Medela pump is great. You pump into the bottles, then store the milk in baggies; Medela makes baggies, but also Lansinoh makes very good bags.

I used Avent bottles, but I don't know about the BPA issue with them. That didn't come up in the news until after we were past bottles...lovely, huh... If they are safe, then they worked great for us.

I also used the Medela Pump in Style while I worked with my two little ones. I used the bottles that came with the pump to pump into, then when I got home I would transfer into storage bags for the fridge/freezer. My favorite breast milk storage bags are the Lasinoh brand. I have tried several different brands but these are by far the best. They seal twice and the bag is very thick so doesn't leak.
I don't know much about the Adiri bottles. I wanted to try them with this new baby but hadn't read much as far as reviews go.

1 - the medela comes with a great ice pack that can store anything for 24 hours. 2 - you can use any bottle that he/she will take in my opinion although for some reason medela does not include nipples with the whole pump set so you have to find nipples seperately. I am still tackling getting my 3 month old to take a bottle (I didn't realize my medela pack didn't come with nipples and wasn't able to run to the store to get any for several weeks so definitely introduce the bottle sooner than I did!!!). I asked for advice on getting my son to take a bottle and several moms raved about the Adiri. Also - you have to pump directly into the medela bottles, avent is the only other kind that work, or you can buy freezer medela bags that can be pumped into. Best of luck!!!

My youngest child is 11, so I do not know about the Adrir Natural Nurser. I looked it up online and am amazed how natural it looks. When i was nursing I used the Advent nurser when my daughter was at daycare. I too pumped at work using the Medela Pump( i rented the Pump from a medical supply. It worked very fast, you pump both sides at one time. What i did was pump into a normal bottle, and then pour it into a Playtex bottle liner, tied it with a twist tie or clipped it with a liner clamp. then bought ziplock snack size bags and put the liner in the bag so it was double baged(ex: line 1 bag ziplock 2nd bag)This worked out very well. I pumped 2 times a day at work. What i would do is when i got home was freeze it, Then in the morning i would take enough out for that day so they could thaw out. It worked out great. The Advent bottles worked great, also they have sippy cup attachments so when you start cup training you can just change the lid. Good luck!

It depends on how long you are going to be before you give the milk to the daycare. If you are going to be 24 hours before you need to store it in the freezer so that the milk will keep longer. Otherwise the fridge will be fine. I always stored mine in Breastmilk storage bags because they were not bulky and it allowed me to sanitize the breast pumps bottles sooner then waiting. Plus the bags have more room in them. We used the Platex droppin bottles which kept down the air bubbles in the babies stomach. Good luck with your endevors.

I pump milk into Lansinoh storage bags while I'm at work. I have the same pump that you registered for and I just tape the bags at the top onto the pumps and fill the bags up. Now bottles - hehe - I bought every one I could find to see what she liked best. Hope this was helpful.

This may to complicated and you are probubly looking for something more convenient but.... I went back to work after I had my son and breastfeed him at work. When he was 3 mths old we started taking him to someone. I used the Medula - I pumped into the 2 they give you, but I bought Evenflo bottles at Target (this was the only place I could find them) They do not have a nipple they had the disk that capped off the hole. I stored milk in these. I used playtex bottles with the liners, so I could warm the milk in the bottles and pour into the liners. I know this sounds crazy, but it really worked for us. My son after 3 weeks would not breastfeed anymore, so I pumped for about 6 months after that. He was actually bottlefeed and this method really worked for us. I guess because I pumped all my milk.

With the Medela pumps you can either pump into the bottles and store it until you get home in the cooler that comes with the pump or attach a milk storage bag. You get a couple bags along with instructions with the pump. The pump comes along with great instructions for pumping and storing at work, along with how long milk stays good in refrigerator and freezer environments.
I chose to go with the First Years Breast Flow bottles. They simulate the breast as well plus I can get them at Babies R Us. They are also BPA Free. My son is slowly taking to them better than anything else. I never tried the Adiri bottles.

My son is almost 3 yrs old and I had the same situation as you. I used the Medela Pump in Style at work and pumped into the bottles that came with the pump but I then poured the milk into the breast milk storage bags. We had a big refrigerator at work so I stored the milk in there. I didn't have to worry about anyone messing with it as my work place is a small hair salon. When I got home I'd put the milk in the freezer so it would stay colder the next day or if I had extra it would be safely stored. (Always use oldest milk first but you're getting all that info from the classes.) I used the Dr. Brown's bottles and loves them! The Adiri bottles came out after we needed them and I haven't heard anything about them. Good Luck with your new baby!

Congrats on your baby boy. I use the pump in style and love it. I have 2 kids 2 years old and 3 months. I use the Dr Brown bottle for both of them. If you get the skinnier ones that are in the starter kit they fit onto the pump. When I am at work I pump into the bottles that come with the pump and store the milk in lansinoh storage bags.

L.,

Congrats on your soon to be here little one! Being a mother is such a joy. I agree with Kim L--that is what I did. I pumped into the bottles that came with the Medela pump and I also used the small plastic 4oz breastmilk storage bottles that came from the hospital. In fact, they will give you quite a few if you ask.
I would bring a small cooler bag to work and place the bottles in the bag after I pumped and would put the bag in office refrigerator--no one even knew what was in the bag.
My little one is 13 months and still nurses in the morning and evening. Pumping is a lot of work but just as Kim said it is so worth it! I pumped at work and even traveled with my trusty pump on business trips. Good luck and be encouraged the first several weeks are difficult but after that it becomes easier!

Also I did try the Adiri (the older version)--but my daughter preferred the Avent

Congratulations on your little boy - they are so wonderful! I personally would not recommend spending too much on breastfeeding supplies until you know for sure it will work for you. I had planned to breastfeed my son - but after 8 days of trying, almost no milk coming in, and a breast infection my lactation consultant told me to just let it go. I was exhausted from trying to pump all night and upset that I felt like I was "failing" my child by not being able to breastfeed. But we started him on formula and he has done great - he's been very healthy and happy!

Long story short - I had spent a lot of money on all the breastfeeding accessories - and ended up returning some of it and giving away what I had already opened. I truly hope that breastfeeding will all work out for you - but in a lot of cases it doesn't.

I have a Medela Pump in Style (which I love). To my knowledge, you have to pump into the two small bottles, but you can pour your milk from those bottles into anything you want. I use Lansinoh breastmilk bags for long-term storage (freezer). My first child preferred Platex bottles, but my second likes the First Years Breast flow bottles. These bottles are probably a lot like the Adiri. I like them and they haven't leaked on me. You just need to make sure you are putting them together right (which is not hard). The other thing that you have to watch is how slow they feed on these bottles. It really is more like the breast, which means it will take 15 to 20 minutes (or more) for the baby to take a bottle. Most daycare providers who are used to just giving formulas aren't used to this and probably need to be told that this will be the case. I left my daughter in the church nursery with a bottle, and when I picked her up they told me that she didn't really take it. When I looked at the bottle she had eaten the whole thing, so I am assuming they said that because it took so long. Anyway, God bless!!

L.,
I breastfed my baby until he was seven months and pumped with the Medela pump, I just pumped into the provided bottles and then transferred it to breastmilk storage bags, and froze them. You can store those for up to three months in the freezer. It worked very well for me, the only thing I didn't like is that sometimes the bags got little tears and when we were unfreezing them, they would leak and we would lose breastmilk! But we learned to just put a baggie over them and then unfreeze them!
I don't know about which bottles to use, I used the playtex dropins and loved those! He never got nipple confusion! But I also never fed him from the bottle, I only breastfed him until I started weaning him, then I fed him the bottle myself.
I hope this helps! Good luck and Congratulations!!!! Babies are the most precious blessing God gives!
H.

As for storing your expressed milk, you can actually pump directly into these great milk storage bags and store - either refrigerate or freeze - in them, as well (I bought a small plastic food storage container just to keep them in one place - squishy bags full of breast milk don't stack well!

Pretty much any store that carries baby stuff will have them - look in whatever section has the nursing pads (also a HUGE necessity, BTW!!)

Good luck and have fun with your little one - sounds like you've been waiting a long time for your little miracle!

I pump into the Medela bottles provided so I don't have to throw away more plastic (important to me). I purchased more bottles to be able to do this. I am not familar with the bottles you are considering using.

Good luck and relax. Enjoy your baby.

I am not sure if anyone else has already said this, but the Medela bottles are BPA free so if that is a concern, you can definitely use those bottles. I use the Medela bottles, but also use Born Free glass or plastic bottles. Their plastic bottles are also BPA free (and glass doesn't have any health concerns). Sounds like everyone else has given you good advice. I just started back to work this week and had one day where I did not pump very much at all. Don't get discouraged. If you have extra stored up, you'll be fine and it will even out after you adjust to pumping at work.

I recently came upon these bottles for my 7mo old. He's completely breastfed and does not like a bottle too well (as all our other 3 kids did). This line of bottles is BPA (chemical free) which you were looking for. I don't know how well they perform cause I haven't received mine yet. As for storage...you'll find that when your milk comes in you will have more milk than the baby takes in which will be a great time to start storing your milk. I use the storage bags. You can freeze breastmilk and you'll always have some saved for when you need it. You do need a good pump...either rent from the hospital or do get the Pump in Style (I have it and it works just fine but I think the hospital rental was a little more productive but not by much). GOOD LUCK!

I tried a variety of bottles/storage for my milk and the best and easiest I found were the medela freezing and storing set -here is the link:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2815289

I like these bottles because you can store (they attach to the pump and then you freeze them) and feed all from the same bottle. We used the medela nipples (from the hospital or pedi's office - just ask the dr for some). They have great flow and are very similar to nursing. Hope this helps.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and I hope all continues to go well. I know nothing about adiri bottles so I can't help you there. But, I do have a "pump in style" breast pump from medela if you are interested, I used it for my four children, but I wasn't a big pumper and so I didn't use it much, but it is 7 years old. If you are interested, I could sell it to you for 50.00 $$$, it works well, but I only have two of the bottles to go with it, I think it came with four. Anyways, let me know and good luck.

Hi L.---

I have the Medela Pump in Style, as well and I just used the bottles that they gave me to pump into and then I transferred the expressed milk into the Lansinoh breast milk storage bags. In my opinion, I think the lansinoh breast milk bags are the best even better than the Medela. I used the Medela bags adn I didn't like them as well as I did the Lansinoh, plus they are cheaper than Medela. All of the Lansinoh products come in purple boxes so you can quickly identify them. The have the double zipper lock and can hold up to 8 or 10 ounces of expressed milk i think.
Of course at first you won't be pumping out but a few ounces at a time! You can also purchase additional medela bottles to express your milk into.
I used the Dr. Brown's bottles you can get them at Babies R Us and Target I believe. They are a bit pricey but well worth. They have a barrel that you place in the bottle and while its a pain having to clean out the barrel they are AWESOME! Basically what the barrel does is it blocks air from getting trapped inside the bottle, which prevents gas, and spit up. My sister and I were pregnant at the exact same time and she and I used the exact same things bc they were such great products. also my OB GYN recommeded to me the Dr brown bottles. I got the bottles that have the groove for your hands, its perfect for little hands to grasp when they are learning how to hold their own bottle and also for larger fingers such as your husbands. They are somewhat indented in the middle creating that groove, those are the only Dr Brown's I used rather than just the basic and they cost the same. They also have Dr. Brown sippy cups for when he gets older. You can purchase a starter set of Dr Brown's at Babies R US for like $40 adn thats what I would recommend, it gives you small bottles to start with and 1 or 2 larger bottles that hold 10 ounces for when he gets bigger. And they have different nipple flows to control how fast the milk comes out. IT will give you all the info about the bottles plus the extra barrel brushes you will need to clean out the barrels.
Also if you are using a medela breast pump, I would also recommend to you the medela sterilization kit, its a box of about 5 bags that you can sterilize your bottles, tubing, and any accessories from your pump. Basically you add a small amount of water and throw your accessories into the microwave for about 30 to 45 seconds and it sterlizes them for you. Plus you can use each bag up to 25 times! So you definitely get your money out of them. You can also sterlize babies, pacifies, nipples, and barrels from Dr. Browns! If you need any info feel free to shoot me a PM! I love both of these products and highly recommend them to everybody! thanks and good luck!

I breastfed my first son for 10 1/2 months and my second son I breastfed for 14 months. I also had the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump and I have used both the bags and the bottles. I did NOT like the bags at all though - it made it messy to transfer into the bottle - which ever type you decide to use. The medela bottle that come with the brest pump are GREAT and I bought a bunch of extra bottles from Medela. I have never used or had any experience with the Adiri bottles so I can't help you there. We used Advent bottles with the boys. Good luck and congratulations!

The Medela Pump In Style Advanced is truly an awesome pump; you made a great choice. When I went back to work (my son was about 3 months old), I pumped into the Medela bottles that came with the pump. I brought all 4 to work along with its cold pack and bag, all stored in the pump's backpack. When I got home, I transferred the milk into storage bags; at first Medela but then Lansinoh when I needed to store more volume (Lansinoh holds 8 oz). I found at work the Medela quick clean pump wipes were life savers.
I don't know much about the Adiri bottles. On the nights I worked, my husband fed our son with Avent or Playtex bottles without issue.
Remember to stay well hydrated at work. Try to pump at those times you'd be normally feeding the baby.
Congrats with your pregnancy and enjoy everything!

With my first child, I used Medela and LOVED the whole thing. It was extremly easy to use. They have plastic baggies to pump into and freeze or you can store fresh milk in the small bottles. I used Avent bottles to feed him with, turned out really well. I have actually never heard of Adiri brand, but I am sure you can look that up easily on line.

I just weaned my 11 month old this month and I work full time and pumped to be able to give him breastmilk at daycare. I also used a Medela pump and style but an older version that I still had from my first son. I love the Avent bottles I used them with both my sons. You can get caps to use in place of the nipple for storage and they work great. You just pump in the bottles that come with the pump and store/refridgerate in the avent bottles with a cap. Also, I recieved at the hospital complimentary diaper bags stuffed with freebies from Enfamil and Similac. Both included small plastic 4oz breastmilk storage bottles, freezer packs and one included a small carry bag to slide the packs into. Make sure you ask the hospital for them when you deliver. Sorry though I don't know anything about Adiri bottles, I used Avent for both mine. Let me know if you need any more information on the whole breastfeeding thing, it's alot of work but so very worth it.

I used that same pump and bottles. I would then store my milk in First Step baggies. They worked great for me no leaking of any sort. As far as the bottles go I have never heard of them, but I am sure they are great. We used platex drop-in's with my daughter. With my son he wouldn't take them so we tried several different kinds until finally he would take Avent. I would have liked him to use BPA free bottles, but he had other plans. I would just make sure to never but them in the dishwasher. I would probably buy a few of them and some other brands just incase he picks for you.

The avent manual pump is awesome!! I personally couldn't use the others battery powered or otherwise I had to use this pump. The bottles and things you store the milk in are also great. I pumped and stored mine in the deep freeze even in the little plastic baggies. Avent has so me bottles with seals you can store in and pop a top and nipple on.

Hi L. -
It sounds like you have gotten lots of great advice on pump and bottle styles. It looks like someone above also mentioned the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas as well! They provide collection containers free of charge and have many easy drop off locations located throughout the Metroplex.

Best of luck to you!!

L.,

I breastfed my daughter for about 9 months (i found out i was expecting twins. :) ). She was a preemie so she spent 100 days in the NICU, so they provided be with sterilzed bottles to store her milk in. They took up a lot of room so I switched to bags. I used the Lansinoh storage bags. They have a double zip on them. They worked great for me. I'm breastfeeding my twins now and i use the same bags. As for pumping, i pump into the bottles that came with the pump and then i pour the milk into the storage bags.

I also had the Pump in Style (great pump!) and used the Lansinoh and Dr. Brown's storage bags - they both seemed the most heavy duty for freezing. I pumped into the bottles provided by medela to get an accurate amount pumped to write on the bag and then poured into the bags.
For bottles you just never know what your little one is going to take. I bought 1 of several kinds of bottles to try after breastefeeding was established and several weeks before daycare. I kept all the packaged sets I received as gifts until I knew which bottle he was going to take. He ended up liking the platex nursers with drop in liners the best so we went with those and I returned the rest to babies r us (love their return policy). Getting him to take a bottle in general was another story - that bottle was not mommy and he knew it.
Fortunatley the Playtex nursers he ended up taking a liking to has a pumping kit where you can pump directly into the bottle liners! I was litterally prepping his bottles while I was pumping saving me extra time at home.
Sorry I don't have any recommendations on the Adiri bottles, that was not one we tried.
good luck!

As far as storage goes...I breastfed my 2 sons. I stored my milk in breastfeeding storage bags. You can find them in the baby section anywhere: Babys R Us, walmart, grocery stores... I found it easiest pumping into a bottle first, then pouring it into the bag. They close like a ziploc and have a place to write the date you pumped. I believe you can store it up to 6 months in the freezer. You may want to recheck that, it's been almost 2 years since I breast feed. Most hospitals have a breastfeeding support center. Good Luck!

Good Morning,
I too am using the pump in style and love it. Being a first time mom, I take any advice that I can get, so hopefully I can help you out.
I pump into the medela bottles and then pour them into a storage bag. I really dont have any preference to which bag. I guess I just figure, it holds the milk, then it works for me. I also would suggest the microwave bags from medela to sterile your parts. I love them!! Well worth the money.
As for a bottle, I have not heard of the bottle that was suggested to you, but my daughter had some trouble taking a bottle at first, so I finally found Thd First Years- Breast Flow at Babies R Us. It is shaped like the breast and had a chamber to simulate breast feeding. My daughter imediately took it and loves it. She easily switchs back and forth from breast to bottle and back to breast.
Every baby is different, so hopefully this will work for you.
Good luck to you!

Hi, my name is O.. I have an eight month old baby and I am now weaning him off my breast. My advice is this:
1. Store the milk in breast milk storage bag that can be placed in the freezer. I really beleive that they are all the same. For me, I never needed to freeze it! My son ate enough that the only thing I had to do was put the storage bottles in the fridge. I used Medela so the bottles that I used to pump into(with the yellow tops)were the ones that I used for storage in the fridge. You can freeze those too, but I never had to. While one of my friends had a freezer full of so much milk she was considering donating it, my son was a bigger eater and milked me dry!LOL.
2. I don't know about Adiri but I know about two others. Playtex(what I used with my first) had one with a removable tiny disk shaped vent at the bottom. Those bottles worked great but were very annoying to clean. Trust me, cleaning bottles is worse than changing diapers so you are gonna want easy cleaning bottles. I use ADVENT. They sometimes leak but it's usually because I need to unscrew it and rescrew it again. Choose one that's good and easy to clean effectively.
Extra advice: If your pump one day doesn't seem to be working check the small white "membrane" at the bottom of breast knozzle. It's about the size of a dime. That thing must be laying flat. I wish someone had told me that before I started beating up on my machine. God bless your new journey. Babies are the best kept secret to a happy life. They bring more joy than anything.

About the Adiri bottles, I've not used one yet for my daughter. But my lactation consultant did recommend it. So I'm going to try them out. My DD is 10 weeks old now & I've been trying to get her to use the Dr Brown with no luck! I did wait till she was 8 weeks old to introduce the bottle. I hear it's best to start between 4 to 6 weeks.
HTH.

L.,
I am a lactation Consultant as well and I agree that the pumpnstyle is a great pump and you can either use the medela zip lock bags or the lansinoh or even the avent lock and stack containers. They each have advantages and disadvantages. What it comes down to is personal preference. The bottles are all reusable and easily stackable and pour easier. Bags are not reusable but if you store a lot of milk can be a much more affordable option, thawing is sometimes quicker and easier with bags.
The Adiri is a great bottle for breastfed babies because of the uniques shape and material that allows babies to have the same oral motor skills at the bottle as the breast. In other words the baby must latch with the lips and the tongue under the nipple and over the bottom gum. It is also warm like the breast. A regular nipple requires the baby to pull the tongue back and latch with the gums biting down to hold suction. That can make a baby irritable and refuse to take a bottle because the skill is so different for them. Adiri addresses this issue. The leaking is usually caused because of not getting the nipple well seated in the lid when filling. There is a plug in the cap that keeps it from leaking but it is a very tight fit. Also the cleaning directions say that you can boil to sterilize or clean in the dishwasher, however we have found that you can't leave it on the hot drying cycle because the threads will sometimes warp causing leaking. There was a problem with silicone breakdown if repeatedly boiled but that seems to be resolved by the manufacturer by slightly changing product formulation recently. Personally we did a product evaluation at The Nestingplace with several babies. Out of 100 bottles there was 2 babies that were breastfed that wouldn't take the bottle, we had several babies that were over 2 months old that would take it and several premies that took the adiri and would go back and forth to mom without confusion. My ddil tells me that she can tell the difference in my dgs latch when the adiri or avent nipples have been given to him. She says he always wants to bite down with the traditional nipples and he doesn't with the adiri.
we still recommend the adiris but we also really explain the potential problems and resolutions to them.
the bottom line is offer the bottle daily before you absolutely have to give one beginning at about 5-6 weeks and your baby will take it. The Adiri is really most like the breast but it may have its downside that you need to be aware of as mentioned. It also btw has an airvent to release air from the bottle via the back instead of thru the baby.I hope this has helped. imho they work well. good luck, K.

I pumped into bags, Lanisoh I think, they were zip-lock style. Then I could freeze them flat when I got home. They stacked easily in the freezer and packed easily in the cooler for his babysitter. I found that with a binder clip, I could zip the bag around the Medela cap on the breastpump (the binder clip just gave it extra security). I used the Avent bottle that the bags fit into. All the babysitter had to do was heat the bag in hot water, slip in into the bottle and he was good to go.

Hi L.,
I used that same pump when I went back to work. It has a wonderful insulated storage compartment and came with two freezable little pouches that stayed mostly forzen all day. After I pumped, I poored the milk into a milk storage bag and stored them in that insulated area until I got home. It worked great (except for the days that I got home so tired that I forgot to take them out and put them inthe freezer. Pregnancy brain does not diappear immediately!! :)
Good luck - that first day back in the office is HELL!!

Hi L.!
First of all, congrats on the new baby on the way! It is such a blessing!
I have 2 children, almost 2 and 5 months and I nursed them both. I have a Medela pump and I love it. The bottles that come with it you will use as you express the milk, then you can pour that milk into breastmilk storage bags to freeze. I have used the Gerber and Lansinoh brands...that way you can write the date and how many ounces are in there.
When I was ready to use the milk, I would defrost and heat the frozen milk by putting the bag in hot running water (in a glass measuring cup) until it is the perfect temperature.
As for bottles, I've never used the Adiri but I love the Playtex nurser bottles (with the drop-in system)...I've never had a problem and mine didn't have gas problems with these bottles.
I hope this helps!
Blessings!
B.

Hi L.,
Congratulations on your upcoming mommyhood! I had similar questions when I was as pregnant as you. I actually just returned to work this week after my six week maternity leave with my new baby. I have the Medela Pump In Style double electric breast pump and it rocks. It's so efficient...only takes me about 10 minutes or so to pump my breasts empty.

As far as storage and pumping at work, here's what I do...I use the Medela bottles that they've provided just for storage in the fridge at work and then when I get home, I transfer the milk to Dr. Browns bottles in the fridge for my baby to have the next day while I'm at work. I also freeze what's left over in the Medela storage bags. It kind of feels like a chemistry experiment everytime I'm transferring milk from bottle to bottle, but it works out for us. Your pump should come with a little storage carrier with a blue ice block and a few bottles. Your milk will be fine in there for several hours if you don't have a fridge handy (check how many...I think it's something like 5 hours). Then get it in the fridge as soon as you get home.

I've actually never heard about the Adiri bottles you mentioned, but I love the Dr. Browns. I had heard they were the best, so that's what we registered for. My baby took to the bottle like a champ. I strictly breastfed her for four weeks and then introduced the bottle a few times a day after that. Of course, I had to pump every time she got a bottle, but she doesn't seem to mind how she's fed. I hope you have the same luck with your baby!

Oh, another thing to get when you start pumping...the Medela Micro-steam bags. After I pump at work, I throw all the parts in one of those bags (you can use them 20 times), fill it with 2 oz of water and zap it in the microwave for 2 minutes and my pump parts are clean for the next pump session. It's wonderful. You can use the bag for bottles, nipples and pacies as well.

Good luck with your new baby! Enjoy the last couple months of quiet until the baby gets here. There's nothing like having a new baby!

take care,
H.

Lansinoh also has good storage bags. I liked them because they say "my mommys milk" I am weird though. I also used the playtex nurser bottle with the liner system. During the day, I got a small cooler with the freezer things and it worked. I didn't have access to a fridge where I would remember to take it home. Good luck, I breastfed both my kids for 1 year, 10 months was pumping.

I am a Neonatal Nurse and I first want to say I am proud of you for choosing to nurse your baby. It really is the BEST milk for your baby! To answer your questions:
1.) I recommend you pump into the bottles that come with your breast pump machine and then transfer your milk into breast milk bags which are designed for the freezer. You can buy them anywhere, even Wal-Mart. They are heavy duty, baggie style bags with a zip-lock top. They allow you to store the milk flat giving you plenty of room in your freezer or refrigerator. You will produce A LOT of milk and you cannot possibly store it all in bottles. Simply thaw out your milk after it has frozen and transfer it to bottles for feedings.
2.) I would wait and see which bottles your baby prefers!! I am a big advocate for babies and every baby is different. There are new products coming out daily and everyone seems to be better than the rest, but honestly your baby will develop his own preferences. I would buy several bottles and several nipples (typically the nipples are most important to your baby) and then give him the choice. You may find he feeds best with Avanti or Playtex?
Hope this info helps and remember you'll have plenty of time to think things through once you meet your little guy, just follow your baby's cues and your heart!
S.

Well just to let you know lactation consultants can be a little bit overwhelming they are alllllll about the breast no matter what, which is awesome but sometimes you need a break or it just doesn't work :) I have a 4 yr old little boy and a 13 month old little girl, they are both amazing!!! I breastfed my son for 5 months and my daughter for 6 months. I pumped very often, had lots of milk, and i just had an evenflo double pump and that worked great, however my girlfriend has a medela and she loves it:) Storing is no big deal they have brestmilk storage bags and that is what i used, they work great and can hold more milk than those breast pump bottles, and you can freeze them and write the date on them, don't stress about that, trust me you will be plenty stressed just when your little one gets here :) good luck and congrats :)

When I went back to work I pumped into a bag designed for breast milk storage. I could freeze them and then they could be thawed for my little guy. That was 11 years ago so I believe they have probably improved the system. Good luck!

I had the Medela In Style and most standard size bottles will fit onto the pump. My baby wouldn't nurse at the breast, so I pumped 100% of the time for seven months. I pumped into whatever was clean and handy. You shouldn't get to hung up on one type of feeding bottle this early. Your baby may not like the one you choose. I had the full Avent line, and my baby hated them. My ped said this is not uncommon and recommended that we go to Target and buy a wide assortment of bottles and see what she liked. The baby chose Dr.Brown after much trial and error.

Hi L.!

I did not breastfeed thanks to pre-eclampsia causing me to be too big..yes it is possible, don't let them say otherwise, and my second child just was not interested.

However, make sure you label the bottles and keep them refrigerated as with any milk product. I am not sure you can use a different bottle to pump into but is there a reason why you can't pump and then empty into a different style bottle?

I also have no experience with that brand of bottle you are inquiring about. We used Gerber bottles just fine.

Congratulations and God bless you with a healthy baby and wonderful life!!

J. S.

If your baby will be using all your pumped milk at daycare, you can just pump into the bottles that he will drink from. But if you have a good supply of milk and want to freeze it, storage bags are great. Gerber makes a zipper storage bag that I loved. I found the Medela bags had a twist tie, so they leak easier if they are on their side. Also, your milk is good in the fridge for 3 days after pumping. So on that 3rd day, if it hasn't been used, you can freeze it then. I also left some frozen milk at the daycare/babysitter just in case baby was more hungry one day, and every couple months I would have them use the frozen milk and put new milk in the freezer. I haven't heard anything about the Adiri bottles. Good luck and congratulations!