Questions about going back to work & Pumping

So I am returning to work right after New Year's and am trying to prepare, mentally and physically for this change!

I EBF my son but pump quite a bit already. DH gives him bottles so he is fine getting fed that way (and from anyone, really). My questions are really around pumping / supply / transporting milk...

1) Ladies who pump at home & work - do you carry the pump to and from work every day? I commute into the city and would need to carry it. Or do you have 2 pumps and leave one at work?

2) What bottle bag do you find works best for storing at work in the fridge and transporting? I plan to pump 2X a day and guess I will get about 12-16 oz.

3) For ladies that have a frozen supply before going back to work, when do you plan to use this milk? I don't have much (~70oz) so it will be gone in a week or so if we use some every day.

4) What do you do when you have to go on a business trip? I have to go to D.C. for the day right after going back and want to make sure I can pump, provide milk and keep my supply up...awkward though. How do you deal with this situation when traveling with colleagues and meeting with clients?!

Re: Questions about going back to work & Pumping

1) Ladies who pump at home & work - do you carry the pump to and from work every day? I commute into the city and would need to carry it. Or do you have 2 pumps and leave one at work?

I use a hospital grade pump and bring it back and forth every day. I would make sure to have an extra set of parts at work. one day you will forget them and you will be grateful to have these.

2) What bottle bag do you find works best for storing at work in the fridge and transporting? I plan to pump 2X a day and guess I will get about 12-16 oz.

12-16 oz you have great supply!!! I use the bag that came with my pump. I use the freezer pack too.

3) For ladies that have a frozen supply before going back to work, when do you plan to use this milk? I don't have much (~70oz) so it will be gone in a week or so if we use some every day.

I have a huge freezer supply. I am rotating it now. I try no to keep the milk in the freezer longer then 6 months. You should not need to use your freezer supply if you are pumping at work. Your LO will just get the milk a day late.

4) What do you do when you have to go on a business trip? I have to go to D.C. for the day right after going back and want to make sure I can pump, provide milk and keep my supply up...awkward though. How do you deal with this situation when traveling with colleagues and meeting with clients?!

I have not had to go on any trips and be away from my twins yet. However, you should be able to find time to pump. All of my colleagues know where I am during lunch. It is not a secret.

Re: Questions about going back to work & Pumping

1. I was a SEIT and traveled from case to case. I brought my pump with me everyday and it stayed in the car while I worked. I kept a bottle of water plus medela wipes to wipe everything down after pumping.

2. The bottle bag I used was the one that came with the Medela PISA pump. I didnt have the luxury of putting it in the fridge since my job required me to go from house to house. The freezer bag worked really well with the ice packs I stuffed it with. I would leave it in the car for 8 hours and it would still be ice cold. Usually by the time I got out of work, the ice packs had started to melt. I would pump 3 times and get between 20-24 ounces. I

3. When i went back to work, i had a freezer stash of 400 ounces. I just rotated them. Oldest ones used first. However, he was never fed milk older than 10 weeks, so a lot of the stash went to waste. Eventually, I donated some. I was/am very fortunate with my supply, so never an issue.

4. During long conferenceS, I would just excuse myself, and do what I had to.

Re: Questions about going back to work & Pumping

1) Ladies who pump at home & work - do you carry the pump to and from work every day? I commute into the city and would need to carry it. Or do you have 2 pumps and leave one at work?

I was carrying it back and forth because I pump in the morning while DD is sleeping but it got SO heavy and cumbersome I was able to get an extra one from my sister and I have one at work and one at home.

2) What bottle bag do you find works best for storing at work in the fridge and transporting? I plan to pump 2X a day and guess I will get about 12-16 oz.

I got the free Lansinoh cooler bag and I put all the milk and parts in the bag when I go home. I found it was easier than carrying a HUGE cooler bag. I have a short commute home.

3) For ladies that have a frozen supply before going back to work, when do you plan to use this milk? I don't have much (~70oz) so it will be gone in a week or so if we use some every day.

We used our supply right when I went to work, the baby sitter and DH needed to feed her and when I get home I pump and also feed her.

4) What do you do when you have to go on a business trip? I have to go to D.C. for the day right after going back and want to make sure I can pump, provide milk and keep my supply up...awkward though. How do you deal with this situation when traveling with colleagues and meeting with clients?!

Sorry I cant help you with this answer.

Re: Questions about going back to work & Pumping

1) Ladies who pump at home & work - do you carry the pump to and from work every day? I commute into the city and would need to carry it. Or do you have 2 pumps and leave one at work?

When I went back to work (part-time, 3 days a week) I rented a hospital grade pump. I used that at home and then brought the freestyle with me to work and left it there. My office has lockers in the nursing mother's room, so I could have also left the Symphony there, which I would have done if I was working full-time.

2) What bottle bag do you find works best for storing at work in the fridge and transporting? I plan to pump 2X a day and guess I will get about 12-16 oz.

I pumped twice a day and I would leave the milk in the fridge in the nursing mother's room. Then I took it home in the cooler bag that came with my Freestyle. I think it holds 4 bottles or something like that, it was plenty of room for me.

3) For ladies that have a frozen supply before going back to work, when do you plan to use this milk? I don't have much (~70oz) so it will be gone in a week or so if we use some every day.

I think I kept the frozen stuff I had as backup milk, and only unfroze it if I knew I was going to use it that day since you only have 24 hours to use it after unfreezing it.

4) What do you do when you have to go on a business trip? I have to go to D.C. for the day right after going back and want to make sure I can pump, provide milk and keep my supply up...awkward though. How do you deal with this situation when traveling with colleagues and meeting with clients?!

I never had to go away for work while pumping, but I think I would just make it known to whoever you are travelling with that you will need 2 30 minute sessions to pump. I guess that only works if you feel comfortable with that person, but if you are scheduled to be in meetings all day you are going to have to come up with something.

Good luck!!!