September 2008 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
working moms who pump
what do I need when I go back to work?
I have a hands free bra, bottles and cooler, and pump wipes. I also have extra valve membranes. is there anything else that comes in handy or that I *need*?
Re: working moms who pump
2012 Reading Challenge
I heve the Medela Pump in Style. The case carries / I pack:
- The insulated bag with freezer insert
- 4 empty bottles
- 1 set of tubes
- 1 set of horns
- 1 battery adapter
- 1 wall plug
- Extra valve membranes
- breast pads
- Lanolin cream
- Sharpie (just in case, but never used)
- freezer bags (just in case, but never used)
(I have never used a hands free bra - though I was considering making one out of an old sports bra!)
When I first started back at work I pumped twice a day and would yeild (4) 4oz bottles: 4oz per side per session. After 3 weeks, I got sick and my supply tanked. I am now taking fenugreek and pumping 3-4 times a day and my output is 10-12 ounces (anywhere from 1.5 - 2.5 oz per side per session).
At the beginning C took (3) 4oz bottles at day care and for the past week he has switched to (2) 5oz bottles.
Make sure that you talk to HR before returning (if you need) to work out a space to pump. My HR originally set aside an unused office: glass interior windows and glass doors and only the windows had blinds - clearly this would not be suitable. Besides, they have now filled this office space with an inspector who is at our company for a project for the next few months. So now I pump in the bathroom (they didn't aks me to, it's just where I went). I hate it as I have to lean against the door to make sure that no one walks in on me, but the immediate access to the sink to wash out the parts IS nice.
See if you can have a chair in the room as well. (I don't have one and I think that some days it would be nice, but my sessions only last a few minutes because I have a fast flow.)
Jules, does your company have over 50 people? If so, legally, they have to give you an adequate space to pump, which isn't a bathroom.
2012 Reading Challenge
thanks ladies!
Julia - thank you for the reminder, I keep meaning to email about my space to pump. because I work for a large organization, we already have dedicated lactation rooms but I need to know if there's a schedule I need to get on or anything.
next up I need to decide how much to send. It's a fine line between enough to satisfy Adriana but not so much that they'll have to get rid of it (since regulations state they have to use a bottle within the hour or toss it! ack!)
she takes a 5-6 oz bottle at night, but during the day I've given her 4-4.5oz and she's been fine and lasted just as long as if I nurse her before she needs to eat again. we go for a couple trial runs to daycare next week so I'll test out what I need to do then!
Kara - do the lactation rooms have a separate fridge or will you use the communal fridge?
I used to be the only person using the lactation room, but now that there are four of us, I started putting a luggage lock on my cooler. I know I'm being too paranoid, but it made me nervous that people I didn't know were going in and out of the room/fridge and could access what would be given to Eli. Also, if I ever forgot it overnight (I never have), I would feel comfortable knowing it wasn't tampered with the next day.
2012 Reading Challenge
You can always start with less, say 4oz bottles, and then let them know that if she is still showing signs that she is hungy they should pour 1oz at a time from another bottle into the finished one and give her that and repeat until she is satisfied. Then none should be going to waste. (This is what my day care does for me.)
Yep 55 employees. I know the rules and so do they - unfortunately they don't seem to care. I have no idea who I would contact outside of the company, but honestly, I can't think of a single place they would have me go. It doesn't help that the other women who work here are older and don't see it as a big deal to use the bathroom.
Jules, you have more than 50 people right? You really need to push on that. C's company is pretty big and they offered her the bathroom and then the locker room. Um no. She emailed the fed regs to HR and magically there was a small conference room dedicated to "personal needs" the next day. She was the first pumping mom but now shares with another, so they do have a schedule they follow.
Kara, C EPs, so it might not matter for you, but she has two sets of hookup horns and valve thingies, so one soaks for 12 hrs while she uses the other. Even wiping them out they get kind of gross by the end of the day and I find they get cleaner this way (they are abused though and I prob should order 2 new sets for the next 6 mo...).
Will your DC just put it back in the fridge for you? They're not allowed to use it after 1 hr, but we just asked them not to dump the bottles and they just send partials home (I always send one extra too, so that comes home as well. They feed on a pretty strict 3 hr schedule, and we've never needed it, but I figure in the event of traffic or a bizarre spill of a bottle or something...). In the beginning I sent an extra 2 oz (the skinny medela bottles) in case they needed to be topped off. Once they started polishing off the 4 oz ones consistently, I made 5s, then 6s. They've never finished more than 6. I usually end up bringing home 2 oz each in unfinished bottles and just combine them into their bedtime bottle.
I'm not really sure - the lactation room is in the health center so I think it's the nurse's fridge (i was told to make sure I had an opaque container to hold the milk in). A little lock is a good idea!