What should a breastfeeding brand new mom register for?

[aliceinwonderland]

I'm pretty sure I'll get the Avent "Back to work" set, which in my case should be called back to school, as I'll be starting law school when my little one is approx.4 months old. That includes the pump, and I think a couple of bottles. What other bottles (if any) should I get? Should I vary sizes? Also, what bottle warmer (if any) do you find works best? Not too worried about the price on this particular sector. What else in terms of my own and baby use should I register for or plan to buy? Thanks so much in advance!

[kaitlinsmommy]

I'm not an expert on the bottle front but will offer MHO. First, if you are going to school and plan to exclusively bf, I highly recommend an electric pump. They work a lot better & you can get a lot of milk quickly.

Maybe you can just get a starter set and make sure your baby is fine with the Avent nipple before getting a bunch. You will probably want to introduce a bottle in the first month or two and you can buy more once you're sure Avent works. You will only need the 4 oz. size in the beginning so have a couple of those. If you want to register for more, go ahead, but I'd keep the receipts.

We never had a bottle warmer, but dd never had that many bottles. As a lot of moms do, we just ran them under hot tap water to warm them up.

You should also register for breast milk storage containers. I used Avent & Evenflo storage bottles but if you will be pumping a lot and need more room in your freezer, you will probably want to use bags. I think Gerber bags are fine.

You will definitely want breast pads too. I liked Lansinoh disposable ones. I tried the washable ones and hated them. Maybe I leaked more than average but the Lansinoh ones never soaked through.

Congratulations on law school! DH just took the bar this summer and we're waiting for the results next week. I admire you for going to school with a little one. I'm sure it will be challenging and fulfilling.

[heidi_timms]

I would agree on getting an electric pump. It cuts your time in half. I would get the Ameda PY or the PIS. It's worth the money, trust me!!! You can get the PIS about $100 cheaper if you purchase it online. I got my PIS at www.fjroberts.com.

I would also recommend the Boppy pillow or the Brest Friend pillow for nursing.


~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[megulis]

I definitely recommend a boppy and a comfortable chair. I don't have a glider, but I have a Lazy Boy recliner/rocker, a sofa recliner/rocker, and a leather $199 recliner type with an ottoman. I use the leather one upstairs, and it works really well. It holds whatever angle of position you want, and, if you really want, you can sleep on it.

I would recommend the boppy over the brest friend because the boppy is more like a pillow. If you fall asleep, the boppy will contour to the baby's body so that the baby will be snuggled up against you. I could be totally wrong, but I heard the brest friend is more firm. It is possible while you are asleep that the baby could start rolling away from you.

I would recommend the Whisper Wear Pump for hands free pumping. I bought mine at lilbunz.com , and there are tons of reviews on Amazon.com .

[teddy]

I think the FOOTSTOOL was the best thing I got. It helped position me better while I nurse on the couch or a chair. I didn't want a glider (no room for another piece of furniture) and and ottoman is just too high. I tried to get away with just using pillows on the floor but they sank down too much.

I have the Medela footstool. It's great!

Get tubes of Lanisoh, too.

[aliceinwonderland]

Thank you ladies. I'm only getting the Avent as I will only be pumping for 2 months (I plan to breastfead until 6 months), and a lady here at work uses it everyday, and is very happy with it. But if the Avent doesn't work for me, I'll definately look into the electronic ones.

Thanks a million, this board is such a lifeline!!

[momma_boo]

You never know, you might surprise yourself and breastfeed for longer than 6 months!

Before DD was born, I set a goal to BF for at least 6 months. She is now 7 months old and I set a new goal to continue until she is a year old. BTW, I do work full-time and it is a hassle to pump all the time, but I LOVE nursing her.

We don't have a bottle warmer (someone gave us one as a gift and DH was so sure we would need it ... still sitting in the closet until I go back to BRU and return it). Hot water works fine to warm up expressed milk (it heats up really quickly if it's stored in the bags... use Lansinoh or Gerber, they have the ziploc-style bags).

[aliceinwonderland]

Thanks. I keep hearing about these bags: Are they sturdy enough to store breastmilk in? I just can't see putting breastmilk in a ziplock bag!! But I can see where they would be easy to warm up...I guess some people use these in the freezer too?

Thanks so much, can you tell I'm clueless!!

[lisams]

I third the electric pump suggestion (like the Pump In Style). I stay at home and wish I would have bought a nice electric pump.

Lisa

[nitaghei]

If you plan on pumping for 2 months, renting a Lactina might be the best option. A two month rental would be cheaper than buying a PIS. A double pump is so much faster, and trust me, you will value every single minute as a 1L.

Nita (who graduated from law school in 2002)
mom to Neel 01/05/03
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[stillplayswithbarbies]

They are thicker than a ziploc bag, even thicker than the disposable bottle inserts.

They are specially made to store breastmilk, and to be frozen. I had my whole stash in these, until I converted to the pumpmate system ( http://www.pumpmate.com ) which is even more convenient than the bags because I can slip them into the bottles, put them in the fridge while they are still frozen and they thaw by the time the babysitter needs them the next day.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[sadie427]

I was just like you, and I'm a medical student. I heard such good things about the Isis, so I just got that, didn't think I'd need an electric pump. I'm not in school now, but I'm studying for a big licensing exam in Nov, then will be going back full time when the baby's 7 months. So since I'm mostly home now, I thought I wouldn't need the electric pump, and also only planned to bf till 7 months. Well, at about 6 weeks, when Sammy was still waking up every 2 hours all night long, and I was pumping every morning so that DH could give him a bottle and I'd get 4 hours of sleep, I bought the PY. Yes, it's expensive, but it's worth it. I now have him with a sitter a few hours a week so I can study, and if I only had the Isis I'd be using a lot of that precious time pumping. I also have a pretty good stash of frozen milk. The Isis is a decent, efficient pump, amazingly efficient for a manual, but since you only can do one side at a time it's always going to be slower for most people, and if you do end up pumping every day it's probably not the best. So I agree with what has been said here-either plan to rent a pump, or get the electric. And good luck with school!

[kaitlinsmommy]

I might totally be in the minority but I just want to say that I never got more than an 2 oz. when I used a Lactina. The first time I used the PIS I was screaming with excitement over how much milk I got. I agree renting a professional pump may be a good way to go but I never understood why I couldn't let down with it.

[wreckgirl1]

I'm a fellow law student here. The Isis might just be what you need, since portability may be a big issue for you. I bought the PY, which I love and use every day, but I went back to school 2 weeks after having my DD and plan on breastfeeding for 6 months to a year. It is light...1 lb without the batteries, and around 2-3 lb with them. This is probably obvious, but make sure to register for bottles that fit your pump...standard size bottles (instead of the wide-mouth Avent) if you go with the electrics. Even if you feed with a different kind of bottle, you'll want something you can pump directly into & store.

I second the Lansinoh breast pads. _Lots_ of them. They work well and are individually-wrapped, which means you can keep a few buried at the bottom of your backpack.

If you haven't already, you should talk to a dean or a 1L counselor or someone at the law school to see if there is a nice _place_ where you can pump. I know I wouldn't want to do it in the bathroom stalls, and as a 1L you'll be on campus long enough to where you'll need to pump probably at least once a day at school. Maybe there is an empty office you could have a key to or (if it is big enough) a pumping room for faculty and staff that you could have access to. I actually have an office through my journal that I can pump in. But I'm sure my school would give me access to a decent place to pump if I didn't already have that space.

Good luck!

Cynthia
Mom to Julianna, 9/7/03

[aliceinwonderland]

Thank You all. I think i'll give the Isis a fighting chance while I'm still at home (first 4 months) and then rent or buy a more efficient one if I realize I'm spending too much time. Like Cynthia said, I guess I can't see myself carrying a professional pump to school, along with laptop, books, and oh, baby too so I can drop it off at daycare. LOL.
Also, thanks re: the advice about a place to pump. I was thinking about it yesterday. I was very worried that I would be the only parent in my 1L class, but I am assured that is not the case. Maybe the only nursing one.
Thanks again!

[sntm]

Though it can be done! I may look like a pack mule sometimes, but can carry my PIS, laptop, totebag with books, diaper bag, and carseat with 15 lb Jack inside. And occasionally a lunchbag. And a coat. Maybe that's how I lost the baby weight?

Amazing mommy strength!

Definitely set up ahead of time a place for pumping -- preferably at multiple locations. I pump in my office when I'm in the lab building, the lactation room when I'm in the hospital, a conference room next to my classroom, and could still use another place or two! Was trying to find a private sanitary place to pump in the surgery offices the other day -- locked myself in the copy room and had some annoying woman pounding on the door the whole time!



shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[heva]

Just want to mention that you do NOT have to pump into bottles (one less thing to pack/carry). I have a PIS Traveler and I like pumping directly into Lansinoh freezer bags - all you need is a long twist tie to attach the bag to the valve end of the pump parts. Granted, that only lightens my load a little bit, but I can fit more stuff in the backpack since I'm not toting bottles, and I freeze in bags, not bottles anyway, so there's no transfer necessary. And you never have to sterilize storage bottles.

FWIW, I love the PIS Traveler - all the functionality and suction of a real electric pump without the bulk. Check it out.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

get the Ameda Purely Yours! I carry just the pump back and forth. It weighs just one pound and fits right in my computer backpack. A small sandwich sized cooler holds the milk. (use bags not bottles, they take less room)

the PY doesn't need a separate battery pack, they go right in it, so that is something to consider.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[jennifer13]

The Avent is a good pump to have, even if you eventually go electric. Personally I didn't like the Lactina, so if you go the rental route you might see what else is available.

And I want to echo the other suggestions to register for the Medela footstool, or if you are getting a glider with ottoman, some come with a nursing/angled thing in the ottaman. The footstool really really helps get a good nursing position, comfortable for both you and baby. And the Boppy is great too, especially for sitting up in bed. You will probably find yourself with nursing "stations" around your house/apartment- i had the boppy on my bed, glider with ottaman in the nursery, and the footstool by the couch.

oh! re: bottle warmer- we had the Avent warmer and it SUCKED! Now we have the munchkin warmer (Target, haven't seen it at BRU) and it's much better and half the cost. Warmers are convenient esp for childcare/babysitters, and quicker. They just don't always work all that well. Also, FWIW, you might also consider registering for the Avent microwave sterilizer. Not a necessity by any means, but it is convenient for sterilizing the Isis pump, bottles, etc.. You probably wouldn't spend your own money on it, but it would be a good gift to receive.

And I just want to offer you support in your goal of BF for six months- that's an excellent goal. You should feel proud of yourself for breastfeeding for any amount of time. The first few weeks are hard but it gets MUCH easier. Good luck!!

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03

[Jacksonvol]

O.K., this is not a "traditional" baby gift, but I suggest you request a rolling trial bag. I have just gone back to work after six weeks at home with Emily. The trial bag holds my rented Lactina pump, the tubing and "kit" in a ziplock bag, the insulated bag I store collected milk in and whatever books and files I took home the night before. It is huge, as it was originally intended to hold a laptop, books and huge files, and it rolls nicely on in-line skate wheels. I wish I had it in law school instead of the backpack I used. Anyway, you can use the bag long after your child is grown and you have passed the bar. Good luck on both new ventures!

[n2ou]

I did the exact same thing. I went back to school (16 h) went dd was 4 months old. I pumped a little bit before, so I already had a pretty good amount in the freezer - less pressure to produce. What I found very helpful was the Avent disposable adapter. This way I need less bottles because I freeze EBM in bags. IMO, playtex bags (sometimes at $1.50 at Big Lots) work better than the Avent.

Simone

[Momof3Labs]

I'd skip the bottle warmer. Try your baby on cold EBM first - that will save everyone some work! Colin takes cold EBM fine, and has since he was 5 weeks old.

[jennifer13]

That is the BEST advice!! Live and learn!

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03