CLeaning, sterilizing...bottles/PIS...what do you do?

[brittone2]

Hi again girls,
I'm a new mom to be (due 2/21/04) with a little boy. I'm planning to BF and eventually pump so DH can do some feedings or we can have a night out while grandma babysits;) I'm planning to go ahead and buy a PIS and I registered for 3 different bottles (one Dr. Brown's, one Avent, and a Vent Aire starter pack w/ 2 bottles) so that when the time comes down the road (I'll be sure not to give baby a bottle for at least the first 6-8 weeks) for a bottle we have a few to try.
Anyway, my question is this...how do you go about cleaning the PIS? Is it a pain? How often does it need to be done? DO you have to sterilize it? How about w/ bottles...are they clean enough if they are washed in the dishwasher? I have no idea about what is necessary vs. over the top.

Can anyone recommend a website to look for cheaper PISs? I know you can save some money depending on where you buy from, but I didn't know if anyone had a good experience w/ a specific online retailer? Also, which model is best for someone like me? I wouldn't need to pump in the car...I'd be pumping at home 95% of the time I'm sure. (I'm going to be a SAHM). There are so many versions of the PIS out there now I am curious as to which one is best for my situation?

TIA for all the help:)

Beth

[lizajane]

hope you are having a great pregnancy!

i wash bottles in the dishwasher, or with hot, soapy water. you do not NEED to sterilize them every time, although i am sure many parents prefer to do so. but i know there are a lot of us who just use the dishwasher. i would recommend against a bottle sterilizer, especially if you plan to SAH and use bottles only on occasion. it just woulnd't be necessary.

about the PIS- i can't help you. but i can tell you that i am a SAHM, ds rarely gets a bottle, but i do pump every night so that i have plenty of milk in the freezer for spontaneous nights out, etc. (they are few and far between with dh's recent work schedule! yuck!) anyway-i use the avent isis manual pump. it is less than $50 and many like it just as well or better than some of the electic pumps. it is very effective, comfortable and easy to clean. just an idea, since you will not have to pump several times a day- only every so often.

hth!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I sterilize the pump and bottles once when I first get them, by boiling them. (you just never know what they came in contact with at the factory). After that, I just swish them in hot soapy water and rinse them once a day. (I pump several times at work, but I just put the parts in the refrigerator in between times and wash once at the end of the day)

I find that the dishwasher is not very good at getting the milkfat out of the bottles. I wash them by hand right after I use them and they are easy to clean that way.

For a stay at home mom, you won't really need the PIS. The Avent Isis will be more than enough for you. It is very comfortable to use and just as fast at getting the milk out. (but of course it takes twice as long since you can only do one side at a time)

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

[pritchettzoo]

I just got a PIS Traveler from my LC, and it was about the same price as I found online. I got it from her because I felt I would have someone to call with questions as opposed to a website. A friend got hers from the hospital for $200 without tax, which is the best deal I've heard of in real life, so you might want to check your hospital or area hospitals to see if they have a similar breastfeeding shop. Also, there's a website someone here recommended: http://www.fjroberts.com/sitemap.htm.

If you're going to SAH for the duration of breastfeeding, I would also recommend the Avent Isis. It's supposed to be fabulous. The only reason I returned mine and got the PIS is because I plan to look for PT work.

About cleaning, it's not a pain at all. I don't think it would involve any more cleaning than the Isis or anything else. The milk stays in the bottles and horns (well, it goes all over you too, but that's user error!). I had the impression that the milk somehow went through the clear tubing until I saw it working IRL.

HTH...
Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[heva]

Just posting to say I have the PIS Traveler and love it - very easy to clean. I'd recommend getting the Medela steam sterilizer bags that you can use in the microwave. Very inexpensive and easy, even if you only sterilize once a week or less.

Also, be careful about waiting 6-8 weeks to try a bottle...My LC suggested that if breast feeding is going well by week 3 and you plan to use a bottle at least some of the time, you should try then and reinforce it periodically. We started around week 3 and have been giving DS the bottle about 3x per week since - never had any trouble with nipple confusion.

[houseof3boys]

Just wanted to add that I am a SAHM with a PIS traveler (the one wit the backpack). I know a few have said you don't need it if you stay home, but I think it is a matter of personal choice. I didn't want a manual pump and I wanted something that would reliably get my milk out quickly so I went with the PIS. I think it is fabulous and I am glad that I have it! I used it early on since my hospital ran out of the pumps since they were so busy. It was also nice to have it in the hospital because I had the LC's show me how to use it. I have also used it in the car when we have been driving for long stretches (vacations). DH was driving and I just used the battery pack instead of the power supply and 20 minutes later I was done!

As folks have said, the bottle/horn cleaning is super easy. I boil because I am paranoid about getting thrush (again) but hot soapy water is just fine. I don't like the dishwasher for cleaning though since I don't think it does a bang up job, all you really need is a good bottle brush.

HTH,

[NancyJ_redo]

For some reason I really hated washing the pump parts every time I pumped. I greatly dislike washing anything by hand (probably due to my years of living in an apartment with no dishwasher :(), so I was incredibly happy to find steralization bags by Medela. They're specifically made for the pump parts (I'm sure you can use parts from any pump manufacturer). One box of 5 bags was like $10 or less, and you can use each bag 20 times. After pumping I quickly rinse all the parts and set them aside (no soap or anything, just a quick rinse so that milk doesn't dry on the parts). When I'm ready to pump I drop all the parts in the bag, add the designated amount of water and put in the microwave for 3 minutes. They come out steralized and ready to go.

I also saw sterlization wipes at BRU meant for pump parts but never used them. I seem to remember the box advertising the wipes as useful for people who pump at work and don't have a sink available. I figure I'll buy those if I travel.

Lastly, Ebay has several vendors who sell the pumps brand new at great prices.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I have those bags at work, because at first we didn't have any hot water in our kitchen. I found that if I didn't wash the parts with soapy water first, they came out of the bag still greasy with milkfat.

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

[sntm]

we washed and boiled everything when we first got it (sterilize and remove plastic residue)

now i wash after using when I can (have a squeegie filled with dishsoap) and rinse in hot water when I am away from my office. i sterilize using the medela bags once a week on wednesdays, because i am away from my office all day and only rinse. on the weekends i run them through the dishwasher as well. DH also sometimes handwashes them at night when he does dishes.

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

[flagger]

People cringe when I tell what we do but here goes anyway.

We boil the parts once when they come out of the package as others have stated before. WHen we dealt with thrush we boiled them again once a day.

Other than that, I just rinse them out with tepid water and run the brush over them. No hot water, no soap. At least once a week, they all get cycled through the dishwasher. But that's it. The water in the US is really very clean overall and sterilization is not necessary.

[brittone2]

Wow, so many good points!! I guess everyone handles the situation a little differently:) I never heard of the sterilization bags but that sounds like a great idea! Can you buy them at BRU or do you need to go through a breastfeeding supply kind of store?

I probably will end up opting for the PIS even though it may be overkill for our situation. We are debating when to try for #2 as DH may be leaving his job (and his very excellent insurance w/ infertiliity coverage) to pursue a PhD full time in the next year and a half, so we may be trying for #2 when baby #1 is only 6 or 8 months old (we'd have a few months to try before his insurance would end). So that would mean early weaning, which I've thought about pumping extra in advance so that we could bottle feed EBM for a few months after I stop actually nursing. Long story, but that's part of my rationale. I'm also worried about supply because I have PCOS, and while most women w/ pcos do fine in terms of supply, about 1/3 have some issues, so I may try and pump extra to build my supply if needed.

Thanks again for all the advice. I think I'll look for the microwave bags...great suggestion!! Thanks to everyone for sharing how you handle it all:)

Beth

[alkagift]

I thought I would mention one problem I had with the dishwasher which is why I don't use it anymore (your mileage may vary, of course). After washing, I pulled one medela collection bottle, a nipple, and an avent bottle out of the diswasher in which we had plates with tomato sauce...you guessed it, the medela bottle and the nipple were stained by the sauce. It wasn't much, but when you had them side-by-side with ones that had not been in that dishwasher load, you could tell. Icked me out, I have to say. The Avent bottle looked fine.

So, we hand wash all the bottles and the pump stuff with a bottle brush and hot soapy water every day. Once a week or so I'll sterilize with the microwave sterilizer I bought (I have it, I might as well use it!).


Allison
Mom to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[sntm]

i would definitely wash with soap or sterilize frequently though. breastmilk is so fatty that it won't wash off well with just water, and even though it has innate antibacterial properties, is still a major culture media for bacteria.

i operate under the principle of doing at least as much as i would do for myself -- if I had a cup of milk that i refilled and drank from every time i pumped. i'd want to wash it pretty frequently. and with EBM, you are storing it so any bacteria you have in there will multiply over time (at slower rates when refridgerated or frozen but still happening)

hth

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

[mommd]

I just purchased a PIS from Healthchecksystems.com, for $204 plus free shipping. That was the cheapest I found it personally!
It arrived in three days with no problems.

[kransden]

I bought mine from here : http://www.getpumps4less.com/home.html
Candice was great. I also bought my nursing bras from her, they were so much cheaper!

I sterilized my PIS parts once. After that, I just put them in the dishwasher. I pumped twice a day at work and ran hot water between pumpings. Now they have those cool bags. That would have been really nice. Hand washing didn't get all my milk fat off of them.

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[ethansmom]

If you don't mind the extra cost, I think you're smart going with the PIS. BTW, we got ours from a LC for around $225 including tax.

Hopefully, you won't have any problems with BF, but if you do, I think you'll appreciate having the PIS and being able to keep your supply up.

I use the disinfectent wipes when at work. Otherwise, I just wash in hot, soapy water with a bottle brush. Oh ya, I've heard the PIS has fewer parts than the ISIS and is easier to clean.

[s7714]

I have had the Avent Isis since before DD was born, and I did use it a lot when I came home from the hospital because she wasn't latching on one side. After we got that problem worked out, I rarely used it.

I am a SAHM and I'm actually now considering purchasing a PIS so that I can keep up production since DD is has started solids and is sleeping longer. I don't have the time nor interest in sitting and manually pumping with the Isis...it takes longer to do just one side with that than it takes DD to finish off both sides in one sitting! If I could do things over, I would have gone ahead and gotten a PIS to begin with.

Jennifer

Annalia 03/03/03

[Laru]

I also purchased my PIS from Healthchecksystems and had some issues. The yellow faceplate was cracked, and when I called them, they referred me to Medela. A new one was sent next day at no charge. Then after using the pump about a month, it started loosing suction. Called Medela again, and found out the pump was broken. They sent a replacement pump at no charge, and I payed to send the old pump back. I was impressed with Medela's service.

Also really like the Medela steam sterilization bags. Without them, I probably wouldn't sterilize. FYI - I did the tubing and it did get cloudy, but cleared up with some rubbing alcohol run through. Also really like Medela nursing pads.

Laru
Mommy to Kathryn 5-19-03