Expressing Milk

Certainly do what is best for you and your family but let me share with you this... I have spoken with so many women who went back to work and pumped using either a hand pump or a cheap electric one and gave up after a couple months and just switched to formula. Even with the best equipment pumping and working is tough. I never felt like I had enough time. If you can, I would STRONGLY urge you to get a good electric pump. I used the Medela pump and really am glad I did. If you can't buy one, most hospitals will rent them to you. Also, check with La Leche League to see if they can help.

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You can order them online (even Amazon carries them), but they really should not be too hard to find. Walmart, Target, even some supermarkets carry them.

Personally (I used a pump) I found the bags to be too bothersome and used bottles for storage. Evenflo glass bottles are super cheap, come with a stopper that goes in place of the nipple and for me even worked well for freezing and thawing.

Good luck.

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Not to deter you from your descision, but have you expressed milk by hand for a full session? That is a LOT of work. I had hand pumps and I had to mostly do hand. I didn't get a lot. Just an insight. But I second the playtex drop ins. Poking a hole in it, wouldn't allow any control and mostly likely your baby would choke on all that would be rushing out.
Whole milk is at a year. I started mixing the milk at 10 1/2 months, but wasn't 100% till 1.

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Hi, M.,

I used the Playtex Drop Ins system with both of my children. You can buy sealing disks to use when freezing them. Go to Amazon.com and do a search for "Playtex Storage" then read the reviews....there are some really good tips about pumping and storing (for long term...not just one day in advance).

On another note, I do not mean to discourage you, but have you tried expressing by hand? I would recommend that you try to express by hand a couple of times BEFORE you go back to work so that you can see if it is something that you can handle. Try to do the full expressing session to see how long it takes you and whether or not your hand falls asleep. ;) I exclusively breastfed both of my children to about 12-13 months each. For me personally, there is no way that I could have expressed enough milk by hand in the time that I had at work, so I got an electric double pump to use at work. If you can afford to buy one, then you might seriously consider getting a pump. I have the Ameda "Purely Yours" which is much cheaper then some of the other pumps out there. If you buy it on Amazon.com, there are a lot of things that they will deliver right to your house for free.

Good luck!

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Do not put a hole in the plastic bag. He can choke. Not safe.
Put it in the bottle.

You can find milk bags/manual pumps online.

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I never could do hand expression but I pumped at work for 7 months. I eventually found it was easiest to just pump the milk into bottles and store it that way. I would just freeze the bottles. They make flat plastic pieces that can be put in place of the nipple on a bottle and it makes them pretty spill proof. Good luck to you. If you're storing your milk in bags, I'd just transfer the milk to a bottle after it's warmed up in hot water.

I think it'd be best to pour it into his bottle. Actually, I found it convenient to pump directly into bottles. Whatever I expressed one day, my daughter would drink the next day, so pumping directly into her bottles saved some time. I used Lasinoh milk storage bags (they sell them at CVS, the grocery store, Target, Babies R Us, online) to freeze the milk I pumped on Fridays. On Sunday night, I'd put frozen milk into the fridge and it would thaw in the fridge overnight, then Monday morning I'd pour it into bottles for my daughter to drink that day. Good luck! :)

Do you have a walmart near you? I know they have bags. I bought mine there. I also have a brand new box that I have never used. I am debating on whether to take it back. I know for sure at walmart(atleast where I live) they have 3 or 4 different brands of milk storage bags. I don't plan on using my bags, if you can't find them or if you don't mind giving me your address I will be more then happy sending you my extras. I hope this helps.

Do NOT just put a hole in a bag. That is not safe. Of course, you should empty the milk in a bottle! Do you have a Walmart near you? A Target? Many grocery stores even carry them now. You have the internet, so you can obviously order some online. Order some bags and thaw it for a BOTTLE, not from the bag.

I put milk into cups using my thumb and did great. I never owned a pump of any kind. I hope you are able to do this successfully as I was. My baby was about 2 weeks old when I did this the first time and in less than 5 minutes I had about 5 ounces. I poured it into a bottle and daddy was able to feed the baby for his first time! Im thinking you are wanting to know if you should poke a hole in the bag and pour it into a bottle to feed the baby. Id say you should untie the top or whatever youve tied it with. If you poke a hole it will probably squirt all over and spill. Id express into the cup and pour into bottles, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen, Id put the lids on and save for later.

http://www.diapers.com/products/Lansinoh-Breastmilk-Stora...

You can order bags online and pump into them. You an freeze and store in these bags and then let them thaw in the refridgerator and pour into the bottle. They are a great combination of durable and inexpensive.

Good luck!

The pump I used was expensive but definitely worth every penny. You definitely should be able to find milk storage bags at Babies r us or Target. You can use the Medela brand bags even if you don't use the Medela pump. It sounds as if many people think you mean put a hole in the bag and let the baby drink from the bag? I'm assuming that you mean, cut a hole into the bag to let it drain into a bottle before giving it to your baby. The bags you buy, though, are able to be fastended with sort of s twist tie or ziplocked so that they don't leak.

You should be able to buy some online. We used ones that you could use in like drop ins in the drop in type bottles. I don't remember the name.

Dr. Jane Morton has a great link regarding hand expression; she's done a lot of research at Stanford about pumping getting out of hand and how hand expression can actually yield more milk. I hope it's ok to include it: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/HandExpression...

That being said, you can find breast milk storage bags just about anywhere, including your local grocery store, so that stinks if you haven't been able to find them. You can always order them online from Walmart, Medela, Target, Gerber, Lansinoh, etc. Regular ziplocs, etc aren't recommended because they aren't sterile like milk storage bags. Same with bottles and anything else you can think of that you may need :)

I hope I'm not wrong here, but I think there's a misunderstanding about what you'e asking here in regards to how you should pour the milk in the bottle?? I would definitely recommend untying the bag rather than poking a hole in it. However, if you're able to get the milk storage bags, they zip and are very flexible and easy to pour the milk into the bottle.

check with your insurance. many insurance companies will cover the cost of purchase or rental of a breast pump. if you qualify for w.i.c. they also will provide a breast pump. talk to your ob/gyn, pediatrician or contact la leche league or a lactation consultant for support and referrals. they can also help you with your questions regarding storage and bottle feeding.

i would start pumping now, before you go back to work, so you can become familiar with how much milk you can expect per session and how long each session takes. plus you will have some extra milk in storage for just in case. think abouot how your day flows at work and how you will work pumping sessions in. your employer has to accommodate you, but if you can go in with a clear idea of what you need, it will make it easier for them to accommodate you - which will make it less stressful for you, thus making it easier to pump.

good luck!

You would pour it into a bottle, unless you buy the bottles that are made to work with plastic bags (Playtex bottles).