https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:26:31 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll/page/2#post-2529567 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 10:14:03 +0000 hellobeeboston 2529567@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: ahh, thanks... OK - i'm going back to my old way of pumping/storing then! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll/page/2#post-2529550 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 10:05:02 +0000 PawPrints 2529550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hellobeeboston: It's probably not a big deal and I've done it a few times when I ran out of clean bottles, but correct storage guidelines say not to do it.</p> <p>From Mayo clinic:<br /> Can I add freshly expressed breast milk to already stored milk?</p> <p>You can add freshly expressed breast milk to refrigerated or frozen milk you expressed earlier in the same day. However, thoroughly cool the freshly expressed breast milk in the refrigerator or a cooler with ice packs before adding it to previously chilled or frozen milk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll/page/2#post-2529519 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:47:52 +0000 MrsKoala 2529519@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd wipe the flanges and put them in a ziploc bag and store them in the fridge. I'd then put caps on the bottles and store them in the fridge as well. I'd fill new bottles the next time but reuse the flanges. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll/page/2#post-2529515 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:46:09 +0000 hellobeeboston 2529515@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: @mrs.shinerbock: @LulaBee: OK yes, I guess I'm really wondering about this - adding warm milk into chilled milk. There seems to be a mix of opinions!</p> <p>I have a dedicated pumping room at my office with a couple of other pumping mamas and we share a fridge in the pumping room. I noticed they stored their items differently.</p> <p>What I used to do:<br /> Pump 1: pump into bottles, combine milk into 1 bottle, cap it, wash flanges and other bottle, store in fridge<br /> Pump 2: Same, now I have two bottles of milk - 1 from the first session, 1 from the second.<br /> Pump 3: Last pump, combine new warm milk into the other two bottles.... therefore, mixing the warm into the cold.</p> <p>The other mamas said to save time, they just pumped into the same two bottles all day for their three pumps which made total sense to me - so now that's what I'm doing. I just keeping everything together in the fridge all day (saving a lot of time washing) and I rinse at the end of the last session - then give a good clean at home....</p> <p>The milk seems to be fine, and it's always drunk the next day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll/page/2#post-2529506 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:38:05 +0000 PawPrints 2529506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JenGirl: Gotcha, yeah in that case I would put the pump parts in a Ziploc. There will be some drips but as long as the bag is cold they won't dry up and get sticky, they'll remain liquid. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529316 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 07:34:00 +0000 LulaBee 2529316@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I disconnect the flange from bottles, store them in a container in the mini fridge in pumping room (no sink, or I would rinse in hot water), cap milk, and use new bottles for next pump. Wash it all when I get home from work in hot soapy water. Although I actually did add warm milk to cold bottles this morning without even thinking, oops! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529302 Wed, 20 Apr 2016 07:19:09 +0000 JenGirl 2529302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: &amp; @littlebug: Actually, my concern was more about mess than about people seeing my pump parts. I put my bottles of breastmilk in the lunch room fridge and nobody ever says anything. And I talk to people (men and women) about pumping all the time. I was more concerned with residual milk from the parts making a mess in either the fridge or the reusable bag. But it sounds like that isn't as much of an issue as I imagined. I just know that when I used breastmilk on my son's rash, it gets super sticky. And while I think my work people are cool with pumping/breastmilk, they are definitely not cool with making a sticky mess in the communal fridge. Plus, it gets really crowded in our communal fridge (which is why I don't put the bottles in a bag, it takes up more space that way). </p> <p>Maybe I'll try the fridge trick.But I also timed myself washing/drying parts yesterday and it took me less than a minute, so I don't think it makes a big difference either way. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529199 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:53:17 +0000 Bluemasonjar 2529199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I put the flanges in a zip loc bag in the fridge in between pumping sessions. I clean everything at the end of the day and use the steam bags once a week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529194 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:36:48 +0000 lilyofthewest 2529194@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I voted keep flanges attached to bottles in fridge, but I only do that at home where I have room to stand them up in a stable way without touching other things. At work I keep them in a big ziplock in my cooler bag and put lids on the bottles after transferring milk to storage bags. </p> <p>If I'm pumping in a room where I can rinse the flanges and bottles, I do. If not, I just put them in the cooler as is. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529192 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:31:36 +0000 MamaCate 2529192@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I throw the flanges in a gallon ziploc bag inside my pump bag in the morning. After my nothing pump they just go back in the bag. Breast milk is fine at room temperature. Pump stays plugged in on my desk. Milk gets capped and put in fridge in cooler bag. At my afternoon pump I get the cooler bag from fridge, our new bottles on flanges, and pump. Then I pack up the bag right then. </p> <p>Wash everything when I get home. Repeat forever! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529190 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:30:51 +0000 Miss Ariel 2529190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like others I used disposable bags, so no better bottles. In between sessions I kept them in a plastic bag, technically a microsteam bag, in my pump bag which was next to a cooler. Once I got home I'd clean the bottles in the sink and let them soak. Before bed I'd pump again and then run everything through the microwave in a microsteam bag. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529178 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:08:29 +0000 PawPrints 2529178@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs.shinerbock: I'm not understanding how you would leave the flanges attached to the bottles. That would imply you're planning to pump fresh milk on top of cold milk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529177 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 21:08:25 +0000 littlebug 2529177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: I did pretty much the same thing. I would pump into 1 set of bottles and cap those off, then at my 2nd session pump into a second set of bottles and cap those off, then at my 3rd session I'd combine the first 2 pumps (since both were now cooled), rinse out the 2nd set of bottles, and pump into them again. </p> <p>@JenGirl: If you're not comfortable putting everything into a shared fridge, you can keep it all in a cooler bag with an ice pack. That's what I did. Milk is fine in a cooler bag with an ice pack for up to 24 hours. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529168 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:51:11 +0000 mrs.shinerbock 2529168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: it's an issue of putting warm milk into the already cooled milk, not mixing milk from different pumping sessions. Combining milk is fine as long as you chill the fresh milk first. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529167 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:48:50 +0000 PawPrints 2529167@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One more comment, this got me thinking about the idea of hiding pump parts from male colleagues. As I said I do keep my parts and bottles in an opaque bag, but, at the same time, I've had conversations with most of my colleagues while I was standing at the sink cleaning parts. They're all respectful and I've even had male co-workers express real curiosity about how breastfeeding/pumping was going, which was nice. It doesn't have to be super weird. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529164 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:47:28 +0000 DesertDreams88 2529164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: I've read that it's fine to combine milk from different pumping sessions on the same day; but not to pump (warm) milk into bottles with cold milk.... the whole "combine like with like" rule. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529163 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:45:12 +0000 PawPrints 2529163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JenGirl: Yeah it's a reusable bag. It gets a tiny bit of milk dropping into it but I'm careful about shaking off excess first.</p> <p>Regarding the idea of keeping the flanges connected to the bottles-- you really aren't supposed to combine milk from different pumping sessions into one bottle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529145 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:15:39 +0000 mrs.shinerbock 2529145@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EP and I consolidate all the pumped milk in a mason jar and rinse the bottles and flanges after each pump. Then I throw all or it in a plastic bag in the fridge and wash once a day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529114 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 19:31:04 +0000 SweetCaroline 2529114@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wipe the flanges dry, toss in a wet bag, run water through the other parts, shake off, wrap in paper towel and throw in the wet bag. Throw wet bag in fridge.</p> <p>I used new bottles each time I pumped, didn't make sense to store them with bottles attached.</p> <p>The wet bag was the best addition to my pump supplies. Sure beat using slimy ZIplocs for some odd reason.</p> <p>I then washed at home. I had ~3 sets of pump parts, stored them in one of the veggie drawers and washed them all every 3 days. Who am I kidding...DH is the master pump part/bottle washer! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529108 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 19:20:49 +0000 DesertDreams88 2529108@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Exactly what @PawPrints: said. </p> <p>I keep the parts in a up&amp;up container than is also, incidentally, the perfect size for storing milk. I don't share a fridge, so I don't have to think about male colleagues seeing the parts. I don't keep the bottles screwed in, because I don't have room for them+parts together, and I fill 1-2 bottles every time anyway. </p> <p>[attach=5393/16/o5woyq.600x337.2016-03-15-09.47.00.jpg] </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529090 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 18:56:03 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2529090@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have tons of parts...rinse and throw in a bucket and clean everything once a day or so. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529071 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 18:26:51 +0000 caterw 2529071@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I pumped a lot when I was traveling for work (and brought baby with me to a different state, along with my mom to babysit, but that is a story for a different day). I had the Medela pump wipes that I kept in the pump, so I would just use the wipe in between pumping sessions. I took the flanges off the bottles and kept them in a plastic bag in the fridge. I worried about the bottles tipping over so I always capped them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529047 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 17:41:43 +0000 sapphire 2529047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Rinsed parts after each use and then kept them in the fridge and washed at end of day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529027 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:56:12 +0000 SweetiePie 2529027@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't keep them connected to the bottles. I had to use a new bottle each session. But I did take them off, rinse, and put them in a ziploc in the fridge and only cleaned once a day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529025 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:51:56 +0000 Torchwood 2529025@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I rinse and sanitize every time, actually wash once a day-ish. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2529021 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:44:30 +0000 Mommy Finger 2529021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always rinsed everything between pumps and put in the fridge in a ziploc. I don't always clean every day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2528991 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:22:02 +0000 JenGirl 2528991@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: Like a reusable bag? Does it get messy with milk dripping off the flanges/valves? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2528988 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:20:38 +0000 pregnantbee 2528988@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I pumped, I'd disconnect the flanges from the bottles, but keep the membranes and valves attached to the flanges. Then put everything in my mini fridge without cleaning. Reuse throughout the day, clean at home. Saved SO much time this way. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2528976 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:11:49 +0000 PawPrints 2528976@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JenGirl: I put everything in opaque lunch bags in the fridge. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-poll#post-2528963 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:04:02 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2528963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PawPrints: Yup! </p> <p>I dont keep them attached for risk of them tipping over the bottles. So I cap off the bottles of milk and then put it all in the fridge. I attach fresh bottles for the next session. </p>