PIS cleaning ???

[amyjean13]

How often do I need to sterilize and clean the breast pump? My EDD is Feb.27th. I am planning on pumping several times a day, do I need to wash it after every pump? I thought I read somewhere that I could put everything in a ziplock in the fridge and wash it at night. I have the PIS traveler.

[Momof3Labs]

I wash my pump parts by hand in hot soapy water after every pumping and rarely sterilize, though I do run them through the dishwasher when there is room. Medela also makes sterilizer bags for the microwave that you might want to check out.

Edited to add: Since I know you said you wanted to exclusively pump and bottle feed on another thread, you might want to keep in mind that you will be pumping more than a few times a day. Probably 10-12 times a day for the first month or six weeks, and then as your supply stabilizes, you can drop off pumpings very gradually. So if you decide to go this route, definitely pick the least labor-intensive way to clean your pump!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I steriized once when I first opened the pump and that was all. I put the parts in the refrigerator after each pumping and clean them with hot soapy water once at the end of the day. I too run them through the dishwasher every now and then. (but not the valves, tubes, etc.! dishwasher will ruin them)

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

[momma_boo]

Hi,

Good luck on your last month!

I sterilized everything the first time out of the box. After 4 months, just before I went back to work, I resterilized everything except the tubes.

I'm currently pumping 2x a day at work. After my morning pump, I rinse it out with water. I clean everything with soap (not the tubes) after the afternoon pumping. I haven't sterilized it again. At this point, I probably won't sterilize everything until I'm done pumping for good (my goal is to BF until DD is 1 y/o.

Medela has these microwave bags that you can use to sterilize. But I haven't used those - they do seem convenient, though.

[farsk]

Hello!

I think I must be a steralizing freak.....DD has been EBF for six months and I wash and steralize after every pump....and that's a lot of washing and steralizing! I have the quick clean wipes and microwave steam bags....love them both! A real must have for a work-out-of-the-home mom.

Good Luck!

[sarahfran]

Uhhh... I'm probably doing things incorrectly, then, because I have been putting the valves in the dishwasher (they're the yellow part with the white flaps, right?). I haven't had any trouble, though!

-Sarah
Mom to Dylan, 8/18/03

Motherhood is such a joy!

[wagner36]

I would highly recommend just investing in additional horns and valves. They are not expensive at all and having a bunch of sets would make a huge difference because you would only have to wash once or twice a day (especially if you are only going to use EBM - because then you really will need to pump as often as you baby would eat for quite some time until your supply is regulated). Unfortunately, pumping is never as effective at emptying your breasts as an actual baby, so, if you're serious about exclusively pumping and you don't want to feed "from the tap" so to speak, I would consider renting a hospital grade pump for a few months?

I'm pumping at work, but my PIS just wasn't letting me pump enough to completely meet my son's appetite, so I have been renting a hospital grade Medela Lactina for a month ($45 a month) and it has been making a huge difference. I now even have a big freezer stash!!

[earthymomto4]

Hi, my name is Maurenne. I am a registered nurse and a mother of 4. Another mom referred me to this site because I had not heard of the book or the site. What a great idea!

To answer your question, I have a lot of experience with the PIS because I've used the PIS with 2 babies (used a Medela Classic with the first two) and I also have been a Medela retailer for over 6 years. Based on my experience as a mom and an RN, my advice would be first to remember that the cleaner your breast pump parts are, the lower bacterial count you will potentially have in your milk and thus it will stay fresher longer (theoretically).

I occasionally sterilized my pump parts using a boiling method. I sanitized the breast pump parts in the dishwasher. I placed the tiny parts, like the white membranes and the yellow valves, in a large tea strainer in the dishwasher so they would not get lost. I sometimes washed them by hand with a bottle brush because they did not look clean enough to me. I also had several spare pump parts (Breast Shields, Valves and Membranes) so that I did not have to clean them until I stuck them in the dishwasher. I carried them home in a gallon sized Ziploc baggy.

As far as milk collection, I used either the CSF bags for collection or generic bottles, like Gerber or Evenflo. I kept my milk cool in either a refrigerator or in the cooler and used it within 5 days of pumping or froze it.

The Medela Microwave Sterilization bags and the Antibacterial wipes are handy but I would not recommend putting your tubing in them. I have heard reports about them melting in the Microwave Sterilization bags. I think Medela is trying to remedy that situation. Your Medela PIS Traveler should have come from your retailer with a sample of both products included.

I bet you will find a routine that, through trial and error, will work well for you. You've been offered a lot of good advice. Best wishes to you for a blessed birth!