My friends all told me that once I became a Mom, I would become a super efficient worker because I had ZERO time to waste and they were right! Between trying to fit in pumping sessions and doing all of my work with a deadline to leave work to pick up my baby... I had no time to waste.
Here are my best tips for saving a few minutes during your pumping sessions.
1. Buy a double electric pump
I know that not every insurance plan covers a double electric pump and they can be expensive, but they are SO WORTH IT if you're planning on doing a lot of pumping. They will cut your pumping time in half, if you were to compare pumping a single breast at a time. I also had trouble with my hand cramping by doing manual expression or with my manual pump so it was just much slower.
I really liked both my
Spectra pump and my
Medela Pump In Style Advanced double electric pumps. I used both for many, many months.
2. Refrigerate your pump parts between pumping sessions
I never washed my pump parts between sessions. I didn't have access to a sink in the pumping room and I was not comfortable washing them in the office kitchen sink or bathroom sink. I also didn't think the office kitchen sink or bathroom sinks were clean enough!
I simply used a
large gallon sized ziploc bag and dumped all of my pump parts into the bag and into the fridge. I have heard that this may not be safe for babies who are immuno-compromised, but I had a healthy baby who didn't have any problem with this. Check with your baby's healthcare provider if you have any question about whether or not this would be safe! If it's not safe, then buy a second set of pump parts to avoid spending time washing.
3. Wear a hands-free pumping bra
For months after I had my first baby, I had my doubts about whether I really needed to spend the $30 to buy
a pumping bra. I stubbornly held out and just held up the bottles for the pumping sessions and 10 minutes seemed like FOREVER. I finally caved and bought the hands-free pumping bra and I was so glad that I did! It made pumping so much more pleasant and I could relax and produce more milk without worrying that I'd drop a precious bottle! I could also use the time to catch up with my mommy friends by text or do work since my hands were free.
4. Massage your breasts
A lactation consultant told me that by massaging my breasts and "priming" them, so to speak, would help increase production, which would help reduce the amount of time I was tied to my pump! So I gave myself a quick massage before and during the pumping session and I did feel that I was able to shave a few minutes off the pumping session.
Any more tips to add to my list? I would love to hear your time saving tips!
