Pack Your (Pump) Bags

I’ve spent the last few months honing my routine and the necessities for my pump bag, for maximum effectiveness and minimal bulk. Fair warning: pumps are heavy af, and you don’t want to be carting around Game of Thrones on your seemingly never-ending treks to and from wherever you pump. Here’s what I don’t leave home without:

• Pump and bag – I use the Medela Pump in Style, which I got through insurance and upgraded to the Advanced model with a tote. I’ve also heard good things about the Spectra, but I don’t have personal experience with it.
• Bag with pump accessories like flanges and tubes (I use a Ziploc bag since something permeable would get the inside of the pump bag wet)
• Milk storage (I prefer these bottles from Medela, but I always have a few of these bags packed in case mom brain kicks in and I forget to pack the bottles or their lids)
• Some form of entertainment (like a tablet or phone. My smartphone is multipurpose: entertainment, an alarm to track pumping time, the Baby Tracker app to keep track of milk output, and a way to stare adoringly at pictures of baby to encourage let-down)
• Lactation supplements, if you use them (quick soapbox minute: I can’t prove that lactation support capsules actually work, but I have no shame in this specific placebo game. The dosage is one pill 3x a day, so I just take one at each work pumping session so I don’t have to remember if I took the right amount or not.)
• Pumping bra because hands-free is the way to be (there is a cool nursing bra hack floating around on the internets, but I prefer my Medela tube top)

Also, do yourself a favor and grab a water bottle on your way to the lactation station. Hydration makes a huge difference in milk output and it will make you feel at least a little productive and healthy.

Good luck to you on your breastfeeding and pumping journey! 

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