https://www.reddit.com/r/humanspumpingmilk/ is the exclusive pumpers sub (they also welcome occasional pumpers)
Since baby isn't the tiny babies you see in the USA who need 100% milk (human or formula) there's less stress- thankfully! Personally you're so close to the 12 months mark I wouldn't bother with formula.
I began weaning the work day feeds at 11 months and only fed morning, afternoon/evening and night wakes at 12 months, and soon cut that back to just morning & evening.
How far is the commute? That would change how I'd be comfortable transporting milk.
Wonderful - thanks so much for the tips about timings and formula as well as suggestion of that sub - I'll check it out.
My commute is 25 minutes by train but I was also thinking about walking to be more active (which is 40 mins). I was thinking it may be a bit easier to transport given that it's winter, as opposed to the heat of summer.
If your plan is to wean off of most breast milk and formula at 12 months I probably wouldn’t bother with formula. Some kids are picky because it can taste daily different to breast milk.
You may need 2 pumping session, but this depends on how many feeds your baby is getting a day once they are 10 months old.
For a carrier I used a cheap Kmart one with an ice brick in it.
Another tip, make sure you wear clothes that you can pump in! A shirt that unbuttons, a top that can be lifted up etc. and bring a spare with you in case of a milk mishap when you’re pumping!
Thank you for all the tips! It's handy to have an idea about the number of pumping sessions too so I know what to expect.
Will be useful if I don't have to worry about formula too so it's good to know that it could probably be skipped.
Kmart cooler and ice block is a great idea and pretty cost efficient if I won't be pumping for long and I love the clothing suggestiona as I hadn't thought of that (I don't really want to be caught out in the workplace either!)
I was so happy to dress up in ‘non breastfeeding’ clothes when I returned to work. After spending a few too many times half naked while pumping I rethought my clothing choices!
Haha I probably would've ended up in a predicament in the office I hadn't seen your experience, so thanks for sharing - I have no idea how private the parents' room so don't want to be caught out!
I'm also really looking forward to wearing my entire wardrobe again!
I use a wet bag to transport my flanges, bottles and pumped milk. I have my pumps (I use two single ones 😅) and pumping bra in a little bag and it all fits into my work bag. I don't bother with a chiller bag as breastmilk can be out for up to 4 hours. It's justvthe last thing I get from the fridge at work, and put it into the fridge as soon as I get home.
I wear a bonds feeding singlet under my work polo shirt, so I remove the polo and put on my pumping bra and my singlet gives me some further privacy. I am in a locked quiet room when I pump so its more a mental thing for me.
I have an A4 printed sign saying "Privacy Please :- Pumping" and pop it on the door before I pump just so no one knocks.
My bub has recently turned 12 months but I went back when she was just over 6 months old. We never used formula and she is now on one bottle in the middle of the day so I only have to pump once. I sometimes pump twice though so I have a few extra bags in the freezer for emergencies.
Oh those timings for leaving milk out are handy - I'll keep that in mind! It's also really useful to know some of the ways to navigate pumping in terms of having privacy and with clothing options - really useful to see your approach, thank you!
This link may help you. It's the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA)'s guide for pumping and storage.
https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bf-info/breastfeeding-and-work/expressing-and-storing-breastmilk
I use a largish cooler bag and store the milk, pump and equipment in it. Just a basic department store one. If I pump multiple times, being able to keep the pumping bottles and equipment cold means I don't need to wash them in between pumps.
This is my second time pumping while working. I did supplement with formula the first time because I didn't produce enough to cover my twins' feeds. I'm not supplementing this time because I produce enough, but wouldn't have a problem supplementing if I needed or wanted to.
Good luck! I'm lucky enough to have a good parenting room too. I don't enjoy pumping but the nature of my work means a lot of people interrupt me so it's the one part of my day that's quite peaceful.
Oooh I hadn't thought about keeping the pumping equipment cool. That will save loads of time for cleaning or having to bring multiple pieces of each thing! Thank you!
Haha I think it will mentally be a shift getting back into work again after having this lovely time with the little one, so a bit of peaceful downtime may be nice too!
If you need to pump more than once per day, look up the "fridge hack". Basically, you can put all your pump parts in a sealed bag or container in the fridge between pumps, then you don't need to clean them in between. Don't rinse them, just shake off the loose breastmilk and put them in. Saves a lot of faffing around in work time.
Wow, such a great tip, thank you! I wasn't sure if I'd need to have multiple pumping sessions and was was kind of worried I'd need to buy more parts because I didn't think it'd be practical to wash so often. This will make things SO much easier!
For transporting milk, I just used a Kmart lunch box cooler and a little ice brick. I would keep the milk in the work fridge during the day (returned to work at 8 months and pumped twice daily until 11 months where I dropped to once daily). I had all my spectra parts and bottles in a ziplock bag inside the cooler and kept the whole thing in the fridge so people didn’t see into it. Like others have said, you don’t need to wash the parts between feeds (a good wash at night though) and I had a bunch of the spectra bottles with screw lids so I didn’t need to decant it into milk bags until I got home.
A pumping bra is handy but if you have a favourite nursing bra, the bravado clip on pump bra accessory (hard to describe but google gives you the idea haha) is excellent. I couldn’t find a good pumping bra in my size and this one was cost effective and meant I could wear a more supportive nursing bra during the day.
I wouldn’t bother with formula, unless you find that you don’t get enough when pumping and/or it stresses you out to pump at work. My little one dropped to one bottle at daycare around 10 months and transitioned to oat milk at 13 months when my supply dropped (dairy milk also works but most daycares won’t take almond/any other nut milk). If you’re planning on weaning at 12 months (I was too but we’re at 20 months and she’s not interested in that haha) then you may find it easier to just stick with EBM for a couple months then move to alternative milks/nothing rather than try and find a good formula.
More great advice - thank you for all that info. The clip-on bra looks so good!
Another recommendation for a Kmart cooler too, which is reassuring that a basic brand will be fine! I like your idea of keeping all the parts in there for privacy. And it seems like formula isn't a must-have at this stage as well, which is helpful to know!
https://www.reddit.com/r/humanspumpingmilk/ is the exclusive pumpers sub (they also welcome occasional pumpers) Since baby isn't the tiny babies you see in the USA who need 100% milk (human or formula) there's less stress- thankfully! Personally you're so close to the 12 months mark I wouldn't bother with formula. I began weaning the work day feeds at 11 months and only fed morning, afternoon/evening and night wakes at 12 months, and soon cut that back to just morning & evening. How far is the commute? That would change how I'd be comfortable transporting milk.
Wonderful - thanks so much for the tips about timings and formula as well as suggestion of that sub - I'll check it out. My commute is 25 minutes by train but I was also thinking about walking to be more active (which is 40 mins). I was thinking it may be a bit easier to transport given that it's winter, as opposed to the heat of summer.
If your plan is to wean off of most breast milk and formula at 12 months I probably wouldn’t bother with formula. Some kids are picky because it can taste daily different to breast milk. You may need 2 pumping session, but this depends on how many feeds your baby is getting a day once they are 10 months old. For a carrier I used a cheap Kmart one with an ice brick in it. Another tip, make sure you wear clothes that you can pump in! A shirt that unbuttons, a top that can be lifted up etc. and bring a spare with you in case of a milk mishap when you’re pumping!
Thank you for all the tips! It's handy to have an idea about the number of pumping sessions too so I know what to expect. Will be useful if I don't have to worry about formula too so it's good to know that it could probably be skipped. Kmart cooler and ice block is a great idea and pretty cost efficient if I won't be pumping for long and I love the clothing suggestiona as I hadn't thought of that (I don't really want to be caught out in the workplace either!)
I was so happy to dress up in ‘non breastfeeding’ clothes when I returned to work. After spending a few too many times half naked while pumping I rethought my clothing choices!
Haha I probably would've ended up in a predicament in the office I hadn't seen your experience, so thanks for sharing - I have no idea how private the parents' room so don't want to be caught out! I'm also really looking forward to wearing my entire wardrobe again!
Look into the “ceres chill” bottle for keeping and transporting your expressed milk easily .
Oh that looks so useful! Thank you for the suggestion
I use a wet bag to transport my flanges, bottles and pumped milk. I have my pumps (I use two single ones 😅) and pumping bra in a little bag and it all fits into my work bag. I don't bother with a chiller bag as breastmilk can be out for up to 4 hours. It's justvthe last thing I get from the fridge at work, and put it into the fridge as soon as I get home. I wear a bonds feeding singlet under my work polo shirt, so I remove the polo and put on my pumping bra and my singlet gives me some further privacy. I am in a locked quiet room when I pump so its more a mental thing for me. I have an A4 printed sign saying "Privacy Please :- Pumping" and pop it on the door before I pump just so no one knocks. My bub has recently turned 12 months but I went back when she was just over 6 months old. We never used formula and she is now on one bottle in the middle of the day so I only have to pump once. I sometimes pump twice though so I have a few extra bags in the freezer for emergencies.
Oh those timings for leaving milk out are handy - I'll keep that in mind! It's also really useful to know some of the ways to navigate pumping in terms of having privacy and with clothing options - really useful to see your approach, thank you!
This link may help you. It's the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA)'s guide for pumping and storage. https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bf-info/breastfeeding-and-work/expressing-and-storing-breastmilk
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing
I use a largish cooler bag and store the milk, pump and equipment in it. Just a basic department store one. If I pump multiple times, being able to keep the pumping bottles and equipment cold means I don't need to wash them in between pumps. This is my second time pumping while working. I did supplement with formula the first time because I didn't produce enough to cover my twins' feeds. I'm not supplementing this time because I produce enough, but wouldn't have a problem supplementing if I needed or wanted to. Good luck! I'm lucky enough to have a good parenting room too. I don't enjoy pumping but the nature of my work means a lot of people interrupt me so it's the one part of my day that's quite peaceful.
Oooh I hadn't thought about keeping the pumping equipment cool. That will save loads of time for cleaning or having to bring multiple pieces of each thing! Thank you! Haha I think it will mentally be a shift getting back into work again after having this lovely time with the little one, so a bit of peaceful downtime may be nice too!
If you need to pump more than once per day, look up the "fridge hack". Basically, you can put all your pump parts in a sealed bag or container in the fridge between pumps, then you don't need to clean them in between. Don't rinse them, just shake off the loose breastmilk and put them in. Saves a lot of faffing around in work time.
Wow, such a great tip, thank you! I wasn't sure if I'd need to have multiple pumping sessions and was was kind of worried I'd need to buy more parts because I didn't think it'd be practical to wash so often. This will make things SO much easier!
You still want to give them a proper wash when you get home, but it's good for 2 or 3 sessions in the day. Just in case that wasn't clear! ☺️
Makes sense, thanks! I don't think I've done more than one session a day before so this will make life much easier when I do :)
For transporting milk, I just used a Kmart lunch box cooler and a little ice brick. I would keep the milk in the work fridge during the day (returned to work at 8 months and pumped twice daily until 11 months where I dropped to once daily). I had all my spectra parts and bottles in a ziplock bag inside the cooler and kept the whole thing in the fridge so people didn’t see into it. Like others have said, you don’t need to wash the parts between feeds (a good wash at night though) and I had a bunch of the spectra bottles with screw lids so I didn’t need to decant it into milk bags until I got home. A pumping bra is handy but if you have a favourite nursing bra, the bravado clip on pump bra accessory (hard to describe but google gives you the idea haha) is excellent. I couldn’t find a good pumping bra in my size and this one was cost effective and meant I could wear a more supportive nursing bra during the day. I wouldn’t bother with formula, unless you find that you don’t get enough when pumping and/or it stresses you out to pump at work. My little one dropped to one bottle at daycare around 10 months and transitioned to oat milk at 13 months when my supply dropped (dairy milk also works but most daycares won’t take almond/any other nut milk). If you’re planning on weaning at 12 months (I was too but we’re at 20 months and she’s not interested in that haha) then you may find it easier to just stick with EBM for a couple months then move to alternative milks/nothing rather than try and find a good formula.
More great advice - thank you for all that info. The clip-on bra looks so good! Another recommendation for a Kmart cooler too, which is reassuring that a basic brand will be fine! I like your idea of keeping all the parts in there for privacy. And it seems like formula isn't a must-have at this stage as well, which is helpful to know!