Queen of Pumpland

Name your milk based on what you ate, certain foods
 might make your baby colicky during the first few months.

I apologize in advance if this post is too much information for most people but  after pumping every 4 hours for the last 7 months I wanted to share some tips & tricks:

Pumping at work:
- Block off pumping in your calendar every 3-4 hours so you don't get double booked
- Get a purse pump, I have this one, I like that its less obvious that it's a pump
- Bring a cooler, to transfer the milk. My purse pump came with a small cooler that fit inside the bag.
- Wear button down shirts or shirt dresses, so you don't have to hang out topless while you pump!
- Make sure the office pump room has a lock. If not, steal one of those do not disturb signs from the next hotel you stay at (my poor friend Mel had her boss walk in on her!)
- Need to multi-task? Get this hands-free pump bra

Other tips:
- Take a few close up videos of your little one on your phone and watch them while you pump. Sounds strange I know but it helps me with milk production and "let down"

- Make sure your pump has a battery pack so you can pump without needing a plug

- Carry a hand pump in your purse for emergencies

- See this post on getting picky babies to move from boob to bottle

UPDATE:
I am no longer pumping but a co-worker had a great tip that I had to share:

Half the battle is all the clean up after pumping, so my co-worker brings a refrigerator bag and puts the pump parts in the fridge between pumps (since the milk on the parts are fine if they stay cold) then she takes it home that night to wash & sterilize. So smart!