Pumping Ideas for in the Car

Heidi - posted on 02/06/2011

I agree a smaller cooler pack with ice would work unless the car is going to sit in very hot weather, then maybe just have a cooler filled with ice in your trunk. I would suggest a hooter hider or other breastfeeding cover up. I've used both the car adaptor and the battery pack, both work okay. But the battery pack will die out and you will need to change batteries whereas the adapter won't. Oh yeah and to clean the pump between uses they make wipes by medela for use when no soap and water is available.

Best of Luck

Brittany - posted on 02/05/2011

I agree with most everyone with some sort of cooler to keep your milk. And as far as doing it and staying covered up. If you don't have the bra that your pump hooks up to you could make one ( I did ) by taking a tight fitting sports bra and cuts a small hole that you can slide you pump in to and keep a large shirt to put on over the whole set up, then you could even drive and pump. Just be careful not to get tanged, or loose consentration.

Anna - posted on 02/05/2011

I have the hospital-grade Medela Symphony pump and have pumped on car trips and went the power went out in our home for several hours. The car adapter seems to be equivalent to using traditional electricity. Loose shirts work, and a sun shade is helpful if you're parked. Breastmilk is good at room temp (which Medela considers to be 66-72 degrees, which is kinda cool) for four hours according to Medela. Cars tend to be way warmer than taht, so I'd use a cooler.

Catherine - posted on 02/05/2011

i have the medela pump in style and used to pump on the way to work and on the way home using the cigarette lighter adapter. it takes some time to find a comfortable position but once you do it will be a piece of cake!

at first i used a nursing cover but after a while i just stuck the flanges up loose fitting shirts. it's great to layer! i loved wearing a tank top with a v-neck tee over it or maybe a cardigan so you can stick the flanges up there and pull the tank down over or the sweater around.

i did get "caught" once by a guy in an suv...he could tell i was doing something w. my boobs but there is no way he actually saw them...the jerk actually tried to flirt with me for several miles down the road!

just remember to always run the car while you are pumping or you will burn out the battery ;)

i found the battery pack was good for about 3 pumping sessions before it started to lose suction.

good luck

Laura - posted on 02/05/2011

On top of all the other comments I would suggest the Simple Wishes nursing bustier. I had 2 and the were a life saver...totally hands free.

Miranda - posted on 02/05/2011

I had the medela pump in style. I tried batteries but found them only good for "in a pinch" scenarios where I did not have any power source available. I recommend the car adapter for whatever pump you purchase. Use a coverup or nursing shawl, receiving blankets work great. I have on occasion hopped in my backseat cuz the windows were more tinted and used a covering on the windows as well. If you will be away from refrigeration for mor than 10 hours I recommend a separate cooler than the small ice pack coolers that come with most breast pumps.

Remember. If anyone tries to give you crap this is as someone else said a right protected by nursing in public laws. They don't need to be looking in your car

Anna - posted on 02/05/2011

I have the Medela Freestyle I love it. I always run it on the battery and only need to charge it every 3 days or so. Besides the double electric pump, it comes with a small cooler and ice pack, and also straps to attach it to your nursing bra if you like. I am also on the road a lot at clients and I pump at a client, in a bathroom, in the car and even driving a few times! :)

Shannon - posted on 01/31/2011

Like some of the ladies above I would recommend a large shirt or I used a light sweater that buttoned in the front and was 3x too big. And the coolers sound like a good idea, I didn't have to worry about so much time.

Mostly, I recommend a pumping bustier. They hold everything together securely and kept my hands free to drive. I have LARGE breasts, so I don't like to pump with out one, even at home.

Karen - posted on 01/31/2011

i was a truck driver when my son was still breast-feeding . the first thing you need is an electrical adapter that plugs into your cigarette lighter. you do need to watch how much electricity this will generate and see if it is compatiable with your eletric breast pump. all so invest in a really good cooler and keep it in the shade as much as possible. i did in the winter use a blanket to cover up just cause it would get a lil cold in the truck. summer time if you can wear loose fitting shirt blouse etc. so that way you can just under your shirt. hope this helps. dont get to stressed you will do a great job.

Concerned(AK) - posted on 01/31/2011

U could also think of getting a mini fridge for the car. They r available at camping shops and do not cost too much. In terms of cleaning you cud have 2 sets of bottling equipment that will ensure u only use sterile bottles. There are interesting papers on the number of bugs that can b cultured from expressed breast milk...

Karrie - posted on 01/30/2011

I have the Medela Lactina pump and it has a spot for an adapter which I didn't purchase I have an adapter for the cigarette lighter that I can just plug the pump into, yes you will want a cover or if you have the hands free bra you can just set up shop under your shirt but you will be amazed at how many people all the sudden seem interested in your car when you are pumping lol. Also you will want to purchase the cleaning wipes for pumps if you won't have access to a sink to clean up. As far as a cooler it just depends how hot it is where you are and how long your shifts are but just to be safe its probably in your best interest to have at least a bag with ice packs. Its really no different than pumping at home when you have all the things that make you comfortable, I always had a book or my lunch or a game to keep me entertained for the 15-20 min.

Cassie - posted on 01/30/2011

I would definitely look into a cooler and icepacks. Also either a car adapter if you can find one, or I bought a converter that you can plug any power cord into, I find that you can really only get about 2 good pumping sessions out of a set of batteries on most pumps and that can get really expensive!

Rachael - posted on 01/30/2011

I've pumped in the car numerous times I would do it at school or as a passenger on road trips which we took alot of. I found the cigarette lighter adapter to be nearly equal to the normal electric adaptor. as far as covering up I just stuck the pump up under my shirt pumping breastmilk is covered by the same laws protecting breastfeeding in public. If it makes you more comfortable you can use a nursing cover to pump. My breast pump came with a small cooler that had 3 ice packs in it and held 6 4oz bottles of breastmilk. It kept the milk COLD cold for about 10 hours if that is long enough go for it otherwise I'd get just a larger cooler and more ice bricks. good luck! and don't forget that you will need to clean your pump between pumpings

Amy - posted on 01/30/2011

I never bought the car adapter for my pump but I know they make one for the medela. I have used the battery lack on a couple of occasion which still has pretty good suction however from reading the manual the batteries don't last very long so if you were pumping twice a day using batteries you may want to invest in rechargeable batteries. I would just use a shawl to stay covered and if it's going to be summer I would invest in a small cooler that you can carry inside with you since it will be well over 100 degrees in your car which is beyond room temperature.

Chani - posted on 01/30/2011

Good luck, I pump in the car before I pick up my little one after work. It keeps quite well, like Carolyn said. But yes to avoid stares try a nursing shawl of some sort.

Carolyn - posted on 01/30/2011

well , breast milk can remain at room temperature for 6- 8 hours. so maybe just a small cooler bag with a cold pack in it would work.



I have a motormaster eliminator and it plugs in to the truck to use the truck battery to plug in household appliances , usb, you name it. This could work wonderfully for pumping. I only pump in the car when traveling and just used the battery pack as we didnt have our eliminator yet. but its an idea if you cant get a an adapter to plug into the cigarette lighter with/for you pump.



definitely a blanket as well or something to cover up with so your not hanging fancy free out ont he side of the road when the school bus stops to drop the neighboorhood children off LOL