Non-going back to work after maternity peeps, skip this post & I’m sorry!!

So this week is my 3rd week back to work after maternity leave and I can honestly say that the worst part is 1000000% pumping at work. I hate it. Mainly because it’s SO MUCH WORK! And, being someone who doesn’t have an office job or consistent schedule where I can find time to pump at the same time every day, having to pump is really cramping my style. But I’m doing the thannnggg because I gotta keep that baby fed!

THANK GOD for my Elvie pump! Seriously, I already thought it was a heaven sent while I was at home pumping because it allowed me to be hands free and multitask while pumping. Being at work has only increased my appreciation for the Elvie pump. I work in a medical clinic, so being handsfree and able to pump essentially anywhere without needing to be plugged in to an outlet is hugggeeeee.

And really, the worst part about pumping at work is having to clean the pump and for me it only takes like 6 minutes and I still hate it. The Elvie pump is so compact and minimal that I (thankfully) don’t have to worry about cleaning a million parts. This makes the entire process of pumping so much more efficient and allows me to jump right back into work without missing a beat. If I had to clean and carry around a whole plug-in pumping system, I would be in what I’ll refer to as my own personal hell. I just work in a very fast paced environment and don’t have an hour to mess around with a pump and pumping session. But if you do, more power to you!!!

Right now, I’m pumping before leaving for work in the mornings, at lunch around 12/12:30, and then around 4/5pm. All depending on what’s going on in the clinic. If I don’t get around to pumping in the later afternoon I usually just wait to get home to feed Avery. So far it’s been working and I’m not feeling engorged or anything like that throughout the day, which is nice!

Below is a list of the things getting me through my pumping sessions at work!

+ lunch bag: I ordered this lunch bag to store my pump and expressed breast milk. I love it because it’s got so much space and easily carries everything I need! It also is compact enough to easily fit in the fridge at work.

+ Medela quick clean breast pump wipes: These are nice because you can wipe all your breast pump parts and accessories and leave them to dry without needing any water at all! If I have some extra time, I usually sterilize and let the parts sit for 2-3 minutes and then I rinse them with water and dry them.

+ Lansinoh breast milk storage bags: I keep a ton in my lunch bag!

+ Sharpie for labeling the date/time/ and ounces of each pumping session.

+ Lansinoh nursing pads : Good to have a few on hand, just in case. Luckily I have not had any issues with leaking!

+ Hand sanitizer for making sure my hands are always clean and sanitized before and after handling my breast milk.

+ Elvie breast pump and accessories: I bring the chargers for each pump and the extra storage cups so that as one set is drying from a pumping session, I can pop the second one on and continue pumping/have it ready to go for the next session.

My biggest tip for pumping at work is to have everything organized and easy for you to set up. Pack things ahead of time and charge all your parts so that you don’t have to worry about it in the morning when you’re leaving the house!