Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nipples?

J

JulieA

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 24, 2007
Messages
104
I am a new pumper and got the Freestyle pump. I have a bunch of Medela bottles, storage bottles and and Snappies the attach directly to the freestyle pump. it seems easy to use these and just add the nipple to bottles or storage containers... HOWEVER... the slow flow Medela Nipples are WAY TOO FAST for my baby.

What other brands, if any, are compatible with these so you can just screw on the nipple and feed directly from these storage containers? Or does everyone transfer the milk from these storage containers to whatever other bottles/nipple they find baby likes?

I have been searching all over the internet to figure out what I should try next.

Someone bought me a born free bottle with slow flow nipple and a playtex nurser bottle with drop in liners. i see that these are WIDER than the Medela pump bottles so this means I would have to add a step to transfer the precious milk from pump containers to the bottles. Is that the best option?

Does anyone else recommend a true SLOW flow nipple? My baby swallowed 2 oz of milk in like 30 seconds with the medela slow flow nipple and we also tried the expensive medela Calma nipple that was also too fast.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

I have been using pigeon bottles and the peristaltic nipples with medela pumps and they are interchangeable. My 6 week old has seemed fine with the flow of the nipples and we have been using them since she was 5 days old.

I just googled Pigeon to try and find the US site for them and found that in Aus they may contain BPA! :errrr: But in the US they have released a BPA free version.

I think you are looking for narrow neck bottles. I haven't tried any other brands though.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

Hi Julie,

Try the playtex drop-ins. The nipples are sold in three different flows, so make sure you have the slow flow nipple.

I pumped for 9 mos and ALWAYS transferred to a different bottle (except for the first few times trying the medela and also finding it too fast). I also had the born free glass bottles, but my lactation consultants advised using the playtex drop-ins due to the wider base of the nipple, which (according to them) more closely resembles breast-feeding for baby. They (LCs) also recommended starting with slow flow nipples so that baby would not get used to faster flow.

I don't think you will lose that much milk if you transfer. I was always very careful, except for that one time (so tired) I poured milk in the bottle without a liner! That was tough!

Oh, I should add. I did try the born free bottles as well (since I much preferred the glass to the plastic liners!), but noticed that my baby preferred the playtex, and that extra valve (or whatever it is) at the top of the born free bottles would always have a lot of milk collected on it when I went to wash them. Definitely worth a try though. All babies are different, and there's no telling what they will prefer.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

I transferred milk sometimes but used the ones from the kit when he started drinking more. My son also used slow flo nipples, maybe the preemie ones and that seemed to work(I was using dr. Brown bottles and nipples but those nipples should also fit the bottles from the pump. I was also transferring the milk to storage bottles from the hospital for freezing. They were 2 oz bottles . Hope you find a system that works soon. We went through many variations . Good luck!
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

I'm not sure about medela, but I know with ameda there's a conversion kit that you can screw onto the pump to fit different size bottles. Perhaps medela sells something similar?
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

Thanks for responses. We are trying playtex bottles today and if nipple still too fast- going with the Dr. Brown premmie nipple/bottle.

Supposedly the narrow DR. Browns are compatible and we can also order a kit to make the playtex compatible if we go with that bottle/nippple. I guess I can just pour milk as well.

pumping is so tricky- it is sort of funny to watch the women on the medela website typing and walking around with the easy expressions bra. At this early point I am fumbling around and dripping milk everywhere- and I am lucky if I get 1/2 oz! I am sure I will get the hang of it- but pumping is complicated and each breast seems to need a different level of suction but you are supposed to do both at same time? Another learning curve for first time Mom!
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

Julie yes it takes a while to get the hang of it- I used an exercise bra with holes cut in it so I could be hands free or I used those clips that come with the pump on a nursing bra- it was a little cumbersome, but again it gets easier the longer you do it. I wanted to strangle my husband when he would show me this velcro belt the pump could clip on-did he want me up doing housework while I was pumping I wondered? I always did both sides at the same time. I never could take too much suction but the milk still came out. I don't think I ever got a huge amount compared to some ladies (maybe 3-5 oz?). You could try compressing your breast or massaging it during the pumping. Also if possible sit in the same room with your baby or look at a picture. I heard that can help. I never knew what "let down" was but when I would put those cones on my breasts I would get this tingly feeling and later I figured out it was let down. I pumped for the first 3 weeks exclusively (son in the hospital) then pumped and tried to learn to breastfeed until 9 weeks. I was about to quit as it was really a lot to try to bf, then pump, and bottle feed my baby. It was a never ending cycle. Miraculously my son decided to get the hang of it (after I offered him a bottle of nutramigen mixed with bm, lol. That stuff smells awful. I didn't really have to pump much after that until I went back to work when he was 9 months and then I think I did it once or twice a shift but once probably would have been fine (he was eating food by then I'm sure). I think there is a thread further down for breast pumping that might have some good tips for you. Good luck!
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

I used a medela pump and always used Dr. Brown bottles.

My kiddo needed the preemie nipple for at least his first month of life. The neck of the standard bottle will screw onto medela flanges. However, as I went back to work quickly, I stored milk in bags and poured into bottles when needed.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

I pumped for a year with Medela PIS but always fed from Avent glass bottles with Dr. Brown inserts and nipples. I tried a lot of nipples and bottles. Dr. Brown's level 1 were slowest and I really liked the inserts because they made baby less gassy. Dr. Brown's glass bottles leaked so I used Avent. The parts were all interchangeable for my Medela, Dr. Brown and Avent. You don't need to hand wash - as long as your dishwasher has a santizing cycle, everything can go in.

I pumped directly into avent bottles and fed from them. Excess went into freezer bags. Never had any issues with transferring but I have a steady hand when pouring. I never used liners as I'm generally not comfortable with plastic for babies and didn't really see the point when I could just wash the bottles.

Pumping is a skill. As you get more comfortable with it, it becomes easier. I was able to type while I pumped. Do you have the 2 phase on Freestyle? That function was very helpful for me.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

I made a hands free bra by cutting hole in old sports bra and that has helped. Still only pumping like 1 oz each side and it is not so comfortable- even with adjusting the levels on the pump. Feels fine during, but afterwards the are sore for a bit and I have suction marks from the flanges- even though I am pretty sure I have the correct side breasts shied based on Medelas website advice.

We tried the preemie nipples with dr. browns and I saw for the first time that baby can PAUSE while eating so this is a relief! No more choking down milk. I am assigning my husband, who feeds the bottle, to washing so this works for us until I go back to work. We are just practicing with pump and bottles now.

If i don't know how much baby feeds at breast- how do you know how many ounces is a full meal for baby? now we are doing one bottle each day, and then I breast feed too because I am not pumping enough... but I need to know before going back to work how much milk keeps him satisfied without overfeeding.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

Julie, One of the pumping moms had this link in the pumping thread. Thought it was really useful to demonstrate hand compressions: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html.. Also check out the pumping thread. There's a good amount of knowledgeble tidbits in there. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pumpers-unite.154781/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pumpers-unite.154781/[/URL]

Re: feeding, I think it's very hard to overfeed your baby if he's getting only breast milk. I think the bigger concern is "wasting" breast milk by heating up too much and baby not finishing it all.

And about feeling sore, yup, that happens. That's why I preferred to nurse over pump (but my little guy had trouble latching) because I always felt sore/chafed after pumping. The upside is, it goes away, or should I say your nipples toughen up.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

Thx for Stanford video- I am def not empty with pump alone and had no idea what else to do! This is very helpful.

And yes- i know I cant overfeed with breast feeding- just trying to figure out how much to prepare in one serving of bottle without wasting. Probably just depends how hungry the little one is!
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

I think you're not quite at the point that you're freezing milk right? Because I tended to "re-serve" leftover FRESH breast milk. Frozen BM I didn't since it already "heated" once in the thaw and then again when I tried feeding to the baby.

What I did for bottles: filled to the max LO drank the day before, then keep an extra bottle on hand. If he's drinking like crazy, shout at DH to pull the reserve bottle out for warming, serve the reserve bottle (which typically was only partially finished) the log the new "daily max".
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

It depends on how old your baby is at this point. Around 2 months, my LO was eating about 2oz bottle every 2 hours for about 24oz total in a day. As the time went on, the bottles slowly got bigger with more time in between. So by 6 months, it was 5-6oz bottle every 4 hours for about 32oz per day.

I went back to work when LO was 5 months and had about 300oz in the freezer. This was a lifesaver because I had major supply issues after returning to work because of stress and not eating enough. I would pump at work and then supplement from the freezer stash.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

Those are good suggestions. My LO is only one month and I go back to work when he is 3 months so not freezing yet. It seems like majority of folks like the Lansinoh bags to freeze?

I am just so concerned about pumping at work because I have an outside sales job and drive around to my customers. I have flexibility to pump as often during the day that I need... but really the only place to pump is in my parked car. Maybe I will have the hang of it by then- but i can't imagine pumping like this! I make such a mess- no sink or place to wash off and dry pump parts in between sessions... I am going to ask some advice over on the pumping thread soon about it.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

JulieA, re: the bags, I'm bag indifferent, with the exception of the Medela bags. I HATE them. They suck. They're smaller (only 5 oz), only have 1 ziploc zipper and they don't freeze flat. Plus that stupid hole in the middle that makes it "so easy to just pump straight into the bag" makes you spill your milk when you're pouring it out of the bag. And the whole pumping straight into the bag, totally overrated.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

JulieA|1339170837|3211866 said:
I make such a mess- no sink or place to wash off and dry pump parts in between sessions... I am going to ask some advice over on the pumping thread soon about it.
Click to expand...

Just as an FYI- I took a pumping class through the hospital. The instructor said breast milk can stay at room temperature for up to 8 hour. So, as long as you're pumping at least every 8 hours, you don't need to wash your parts because the next round of pumping sort of cleans everything out. This obviously wouldn't work if the pump is sitting in a hot car, though.
 
Re: Need pump help w/ bottle compatibility & slow flow nippl

I had an extra set of parts at work in case I couldn't wash after each use. You would need a cooler with ice packs in the car to make sure what you pumped doesn't spoil.

That's funny about bags. I absolutely hated Lansinoh bags. They ripped and leaked during defrosting. Medela bags had much thicker plastic and never ripped for me. They were smaller than Lansinoh but my baby never ate more than 5oz at a time so defrosting an 8oz bag actually meant wasting milk.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top