Tips - Always have enough milk

One of the challenges that is unique to EPing is having enough milk on hand to feed your baby, both at home and on the go. If the baby gets hungry and we're out of milk we don't have powdered food with a long shelf life that we can quickly add water to, and we can't feed them straight from the tap either. Sure, we might have our pump handy but that takes time, which a hungry, screaming baby doesn't understand. So here's a few things that I personally do to make sure there is enough milk.

1. I always keep at least one extra full bottle in the fridge in case Thumper is hungrier than normal or somehow I lose the milk he would have had due to spills or spoiling.

2. I make sure there is at least one full bottle out of the fridge, ready for when he is hungry. Thank God breast milk lasts so long out at room temp! Thumper does not like cold milk so this saves me having to warm it first, which takes time. If he drinks this bottle, and I'm not due to pump for a while I take the bottle that was in the fridge out so that it can 'warm up' to room temperature and be ready if he gets hungry again.

3. When travelling, always pack more than enough milk, even if you plan to pump while away. I've had way too many instances where I was certain I had packed enough milk when lo and behold Thumper finishes everything I bring and is still hungry before I get a chance to pump. That is not fun. I usually pack at least one full bottle that he drinks out of and two full bottles that I pump into, one of which is usually my extra fridge bottle, more if we are planning to be gone for longer periods of time. The nice part is the bottle that was in the fridge keeps the other bottles chilled when we're out and about. If you're worried about the milk going bad just bring a cooler and an ice pack.

4. I keep a manual pump in the diaper bag with some 'Pump & Save' freezer bags at all times just in case. I have not had to use it yet, but it seems like it would be more discreet and require less setting up if I'm out of milk and just need a quick few ounces to tide Thumper over.

I'd love to hear what you do to make sure you have enough milk on hand, do comment!

Tips: It's in the bag #2 - extension cord

If you ever pump on the go, adaptation is the name of the game. Sometimes you get lucky and people will bend over backwards to accomodate your situation - once after an eye appointment the clinic staff let me use an exam room for over half an hour, so I had a closed door, a nice chair, magazines to read (did I mention my daughter was with the babysitter?)...ahhhh, that was the life!

...And other times you end up in a bathroom stall, or your car, or a storage closet, or worse.

It's not always idea, but pumping moms perservere. Another tip to make it easier on yourself: carry an extension cord in your pump bag. Even a 6' cord could make the difference between sitting on the floor under a desk (i.e. my first time pumping at work) or reclining in a nice office chair (the rest of my days, after I threw a Dollar Store extension cord in my bag!).

I am too cheap to run on batteries when I don't need to, and I've always felt I got better suction plugged in (and almost too much with the car adaptor, but that's a different story). A short indoor extension cord doesn't take up much room or add much weight, and comes in very handy when pumping in new environments.

Read all of our "In the Bag" tips here - and feel free to share yours via pumpingmomsblog@gmail.com

Tip - It's in the bag

Most EP moms get pretty used to schlepping around our pumps, be it to work or out on the town. But even the most practiced pumper among us has probably forgotten a part once or twice and cursed themselves when they realized - which was probably when we needed to or had already begun pumping!

One part that is often forgotten: bottle caps! I know I've done it at least twice...usually on Monday mornings.

My solution (besides throwing a couple of extra caps into my bag) is to always keep a pack of freezer bags in the side pocket of my pump bag. They don't take up much space, and they're a LOT cheaper than buying emergency bottles if you find yourself in a bind. They come in handy if you find yourself without caps, or if you end up needing to pump again into a single set of bottles they can be used for additional storage. And since there are many bags in a package, even if you forget a few times you're still covered :)

What's in your pump bag?