Already a member? Sign in
What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.
Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.
How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!
I pump exclusively due to my daughter still being to weak to breast feed. My question is when you want to go places what do you do about pumping? Like going over to a friends house for a cook out do you pump at there house, do you leave and do it in your car, or do you just wait?! I am so lost on this one and tend to not go anywhere because I don't know what I should do!
Good for you for pumping!
I just stopped pumping after 15 months. When I went anywhere I took my pump with. I would ask if there was a private spot that I could use for 20 minutes or so - my friends and family all understood and supported what I was doing - and I would bring my own cooler along so I didn't risk making anybody uncomfortable by asking if I could store my breast milk in the fridge.
I pumped exclusivley also, and I have done it all! : )
We have a car adapter(bought it at BJ's) so i was able to plug the pump in and do it in the car. I bought one of those shawl like things that women use for breastfeeding and I would put that over me while pumping in the car so other people couldn't see anything. I have also pumped at other people's house's, just asked to use an upstairs bedroom, basically a room that had a door that locked so no one would walk in on me.
If we were going somewhere that was an hour or two car ride I would pump in the car before getting there, and then pump after leaving(if it was a 3 or 4 hour stay) that way I didn't have to use one of their rooms.
Take a cooler and ice or ice packs so you have somewhere to put the bottles or milk bags when done pumping. I have also asked whoever's house it was if they had room in the fridge to put the cooler. You just have to make sure that the milk stays cold unless you were going to pump and dump : )
You shouldn't worry about asking someone to use a room, they should understand, it wouldn't be any different if you wanted to breastfeed in private.
also, take a couple sets of bottles to pump just in case...you never know how long you may wind up being there for. I would put all the clean things in one bag and have another bag to put the dirty things in. You can also buy the Medela(or other brand) microwave sterilizing bags. They come in handy when you need to sterilize when away from home.
I think that about covers it : ) I won't lie, it is a pain but it is worth it to be able to get out and go places.
I pump and i just take it with me and do it in the bedroom or something...it really is kinda pain tho! The cooler idea is good! I just put it in their fridge! lol
I also just pump wherever we are. People understand, and once you get over the "kinda weird" feeling, it's not that bad. I store my milk in my pump bag with ice. I did buy a battery pack for my pump because I've been given rooms that are private, but no outlets! HA! Like the other posters said, it's so awesome that you're pumping- you're doing great by your baby. Try to feel proud of that instead of uncomfortable! ;)
If you are at a friends house, just ask to go into a bedroom or bathroom. Most likely the person that you are visiting knows about your situation. Otherwise get a car adapter to pump in the car. Use a blanket or get one of those sun things that cover up the windshield. I have a van and I would sit in the way back where the windows are tinted. I've also been in a couple places where I just used the manual pump in a public restroom stall. Usually it's not good to wait because your production will go down or you will get a block or infection. That's what happened to me if I waited to long. Good Luck! I know it is a lot of work, but baby's that are born early really need the breastmilk! You are doing the right thing!
I have pumped everwhere from the airplane bathroom to the VP's office of a company and the front seat of our care driving. Thank goodness ffor medela handsfree. I dont care and people need to understand
At friends or relatives houses I used to pump in a bed room. Just as if you can use a bedroom, they will understand. We used to joke I was a jersey milking cow, lol! MOO!
If you are going some where you don't know or shopping or something. I used to pre-pump. I'd take frozen milk in a little cooler with an ice pack. I used the water tap on coffee machines to warm it up. Just put the whole bottle of milk in the hot water. Beware though it gets really hot! It's also a good on the go pacifier sanitizer...
P.S. our babies-r-us has a "Mommy's Room" for nursing and pumping. I thought that was SO neat and considerate.
I also pumped because my daughter would not latch and I to took my pump everywhere and just found a private place to do it. I would bring cold storage for the milk so I could get it back home. Good Luck
It depends on how much your daughter is drinking...when my son was in the NICU, I ended up being able to pump so much that I had over 30 bottles in my freezer so if we went out, we just used those extras...
Thank you for the advice! I hope to be able to pump at least for 6 months so I need to get over my issues with asking people lol !
I pumped for three months. I was very consistent and purchased the pump with the car adapter and battery pack. I would pump pretty much anywhere I could. My friends were all very understanding. Since my son was premature, the hospital gave me a letter stating that I needed the pump for medical reasons for my child. My insurance reimbursed me 70% of the cost of the pump. May be worth looking into. Don't be embarrassed about having to pump at a friends house or even when you are out. The cover ups work really well. I had even pumped in the car when we were going to be out on the road for a few hours (obviously I was not driving). I knew I was doing it for my baby and it just became a normal part of my everyday.
Good luck with it!
I am going on 8 months of pumping also and just pack it up! Sometimes I will pump 2 times a little closer so I can run out shopping and not deal with it...friends houses...sometimes I just pump right there with them! (my great friends of course) I have learned to cover myself up. You get so used to it..
For example, I am pumping right now..great time to get computer stuff done :)
i too use the medela handsfree. this is my second time around pumping, so i'm already used to doing it in weird places. we don't get out too much, due to health concerns, but i've even used private rooms at our church. i don't care what people think, i'm going to pump for her until she's 18m at least - 18m adjusted, that is. best of luck!
I am going on 12 months of pumping and plan to stop on my son's 1st birthday. I have pumped in the car which is really funny I think, and my hubby and I laugh the entire time talking about how crazy it is! LOL. But when I go to other peoples houses, I just pack everything up, use a bedroom and store it in the fridge. I didn't even think about what the other people must think about having someone's breastmilk in their fridge!! It was just the norm for me. Oh well! When people come over our house, I just go into my bedroom and pump or if it is my best friends, I just do it with them sitting next to me. I guess after the pumping room in the NICU, you are used to other people around while pumping.
Also, I have learned to kinda work around my pump schedule and run errands in between. I tend to do like one or 2 errands per day instead of everything all in one day due to pumping. It's a pain, but I hate dragging the pump around.
Good luck to you and great job!
I have a really stupid question, but thought one of you pumpers may be able to help me. I have a nice Medela electric pump that I only used for a few months - is it ok to donate to someone, or is that a no-no? They're so darn expensive, I would love to donate mine to another mom, maybe in my NICU - thanks!
mygirlsmom-
You can definitely donate it! I am sure someone would be thrilled to not have to spend $300-400 or more on a darn pump! They would buy their own equipment kit and just wipe down the pump. I rent my hospital grade pump for $60 a month, and have a travel medela one that I plan to give to my friend that is pregnant.
Donations are wonderful!
I pumped at work, at family and friends' houses, at church, etc. I live in southern California, and a lot of public locations have nursing rooms set aside for moms. Disneyland, believe it or not, has one of the best babycare facilities I've ever seen. Right off of main street, it has booths with curtains for private nursing and/or pumping, outlets everywhere, free-use bottle warmers, nice couches and changing tables, hangers for bags. A lot of major shopping centers are attempting to set up the same thing (our local mall is a little unsanitary, but I'm close to larger centers that really accomodate). How comfortable I was pumping didn't depend on the people around (although I did have an interesting moment with my father-in-law walking in one afternoon), it depended on how sanitary the location was. I was OCD about safe and sanitary milk storage. I rented hospital grade since James was in the NICU, but I'm thinking of buying the handsfree this time around with giftcards. It sounds like it would be worth it, especially with my two-year-old son and neice, and my newborn nephew around and busy. :) I'd love to hear more about the hands-free.
Oh, I forgot. If you are pumping exclusively (I had to, too, since he never would latch after leaving NICU), don't wait while you're out. It's easy to get infections that way. I didn't think waiting 5 hours to pump instead of 3 would make a difference for that, but it did for me. It'll also keep your supply up. Just make sure everyone knows why you're doing it (our little ones are the best reason in the world) and that you'd like privacy. Most will respect it. If some don't, reconsider visiting.
Add to the discussion