Disclosure: The Workout Mama is a Joovy Moms ambassador and as such is provided with product for reviews. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.
Over the last 2 months I have been going to weekly doctor appointments to see my vein specialist for endovenous laser treatment and sclerotherapy. For this reason I have been pumping, dumping, freezing my breast milk, and bottle feeding my baby for 24 hours at a time.
When I became pregnant with Maisie I wore my compression socks everyday but by the end of my pregnancy my legs were bruised, discolored, and painful. We now had a healthy baby but my legs were a mess and I needed more treatments.
I went in for an ultrasound several weeks after Maisie was born to get the treatment approved by insurance and the morning pumping sessions began. Maisie hadn’t been waking up for an early morning feeding for several weeks when I started pumping. Every morning for the past 3 months I have set my alarm to ring at 5am.
Pumping is a commitment. Props to all you moms who do it full time.
Each morning I pump 8 ounces of milk, I use the Medela Pump In Style Advanced breast pump,
If you decide to use this method each breast milk cube = 0.5 ounces.
Once the milk is frozen I have been placing the breast milk cubes into glass storage wear in my freezer. I bought a set of various sized Pyrex Storage Containers
On days that I have been getting treatment I fill up mason jars with the appropriate amount of ice cubes for Maisie. Because I had been only nursing Maisie up until this point I didn’t have a great idea on how many ounces she was actually consuming.
Based off the recommendation of her pediatrician I offered 2.5 ounces of breast milk per pound of body weight each day. For example, Maisie weighs 12 pounds, I gave her about 30 ounces of breast milk in a 24-hour period. She is eating 6 times a day so I put 5 ounces of milk in each bottle. Some feedings she would drink less but for the most part 5 ounces each feeding worked out perfectly.
When it is time to feed Maisie I remove a mason jar for the fridge and set it out on the counter 30 minutes before her feeding. After letting it sit for 15 minutes I make a hot bath for the mason jar by placing it inside a Pyrex Prepware 1-Quart Measuring Cup
While the cubes are melting and heating up I occasionally swirl the milk around inside the mason jar. It is important to swirl and not shake the breast milk. Shaking causes the nutritional content of the milk to break down faster.
Once the milk is ready I pour it into my favorite bottles EVER. When Caden was an infant we bottle fed him occasionally but he hated it. Thankfully I was able to work my personal training clients and group fitness schedule around his feedings so he rarely needed a bottle. I was a little worried and apprehensive at how Maisie would be especially knowing that a bottle would be her only to way to nourished for multiple 24 hour periods.
Shortly before my first treatment we tested out the Joovy Boob Baby Bottle and all my worries soon faded. She devoured the bottle without any discomfort or hesitation. This bottle is amazing! No leaks, easy to clean, and they come in a variety of materials ranging from high quality and medical grade polypropylene to glass.
If you are on the fence about purchasing glass bottles I highly recommend these! We haven’t had any break and the protective silicone sleeve works great in case the bottle gets knocked around. The glass bottle when clean looks brand new even after multiple uses, no streaks or discoloration.
Like I mentioned earlier these bottles come in a variety of material and we also own the durable polypropylene plastic boobs. Each bottle is individually shrink-wrapped to deliver the highest level of cleanliness and is free from BPA, phthalate, and lead. Joovy has put together a Boob PP Baby Bottle Set that would be perfect for the mom who plans to bottle feed their little one, it has everything you need from 5 and 8 ounce bottles, brushes to clean, lids, pump adaptor so you can pump directly into the bottle, and extra nipples.
Each of 5 ounce bottle comes with a stage 1 nipple. Maisie is 5 months and I still prefer this slow flow nipple to the medium flow nipple (sold separately). I felt that the stage 2 nipple, which is recommended for 3M+, was a little fast for her and still is. There is also a CleanFlow Vent Ring that is placed on the bottle before the nipple and collar are tightened. This is what ensures there is no leaks and also that the baby does not inhale additional air.
Cleaning these bottles is very easy. I rinse them out with a quick hot soapy scrub and place them into a Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bag
Heating up frozen breast milk, bottle feeding a baby, pumping, dumping, and cleaning the bottles takes me about 45-60 minutes total. It is time consuming but worth it. Since starting treatment on my legs they are already feeling so much better.
I only have a few more weeks of sclerotherapy left and then I will be able to put my pump away for awhile. I really love this bottle and it is great to know that we can leave Maisie for a few hours with family if we need or want to in the future. As far as transitioning from breast to bottle and bottle back to breast I could not be happier with my experience. Thank you Joovy for making a great product!
ABOUT JOOVY
Joovy is an american based company that is a family-run business that considers their employees, customers and factory partners as members of the family. Their goal is to design and manufacture family gear products that are extremely useful, practical, good-looking and FUN. You will not be disappointed if you decide to purchase this stroller or any other product from Joovy.
WHERE TO FIND AND BUY
Joovy Website, Amazon
I would love to know what has worked for you! Any neat tricks or tips you have when it comes to pumping, freezing breast milk, or cleaning bottles?
Very cool – I’m loving that ice cube tray! I wish I would have had something like that when I was pumping for my daughter! I’m going to have to look into this stuff now that baby #2 is on the way!
i am currently breastfeeding, pumping, freezing milk for my 5 week old. I am curious about your ice cube trays. Is there a reason why you don’t use plastic bags to store the milk in? Right now I’m freezing bags with 6 oz in them – but I also really like your system. Id like be to hear your thoughts behind choosing this method of storage. Thank you!