Exclusive Pumper

Things that worked for me and baby from an exclusive pumper perspective.

"Baby won't drink"

Something happens at around 3 months for breastfed babies where they stop drinking milk and their normal feeding routine is no longer smooth sailing.  It is known as a nursing strike.  Well, at 3 months my baby started to refuse the bottle.  If this has happened to you I recommend feeding baby while they are in a baby carrier.  I use the Baby K'tan.  I have baby in the "hug position" (google it), I support his head and he will feed that way.  I hope this tip helps you.  I could not find any tips on the topic for exclusive pumpers.


"Acid Reflux"

You can feed while baby's sits facing you on your pelvis, his/her back rests against your propped up thighs.  Stop to burp the baby at 2 to 3 ounces.  After the meal, keep baby upright for at least 20 minutes.
20 minutes can seem like a long time.  Make sure to get some type of bouncer.  Like Tiny Love or Baby Bjorn.  I have both and I find them handy.  Baby and I especially like the Tiny Love bouncer.  Before you put baby in the bouncer make sure you've burped baby thoroughly.
Other things you can do is to add a teaspoon of rice cereal to the bottle (a teaspoon per 4 ounce bottle for example).  The rice cereal helps to thicken the milk so the milk does not come back up as easily.  The only caution with using rice cereal is constipation.  Make sure your "breastfed" baby has a bowel movement at least once every 7 days.  If after 7 days baby has not pooped, you can go to your local drug store and get glycerin suppositories.  **Follow the dosage instructions and also remember to give baby 1 to 2 ounces of water in a bottle that day to prevent dehydration.**
If baby still suffers from reflux, the pediatrician will prescribe medicine.  Such as 1ml of Ranitidine (ZANTAC) every 12 hours administered orally.  
  
 "Pumping"

Storage Bags-
I've used Lansinoh, Avent, Medela, and NUK.  Lansinoh do not do well in the freezer.  The bags are more flimsy.  When the milk freezes and the bag shifts around and is maneuvered... it may tear and your milk will leak when defrosting.  If you use Lansinoh bags purely for refrigeration purposes, then it's a great product.  Plus it is super cheap compared to the rest of the bags.  I would still use Lanisnoh for the freezer but I would not put more than 2 ounces of milk in the bag.
Avent is what I currently use.  It's very sturdy and hold up well in the freezer.  The zip is great.  The only minor inconvenience is  "tamper evident seal" feature because I don't always have scissors around and the seal does not tear smoothly.
Medela bags are unique because they fit on to the pump so you don't have to do any transferring.  This was a great solution in the beginning when I would pump 2 or 3 ounces per breast.  However, when I started to pump 4 to 5+ ounces per breast it would be impossible to use Medela bags because they cannot carry as much milk.  4 ounces would be pushing it to the brim.  Due to the amount I pump I cannot use Medela bags.  When I did use them, the zip was strong and they fair very well in the freezer.
Lastly NUK bags.  I think they are a step up from Lansinoh bags.  The only complaint I have about NUK bags are the zip is finicky.  You have to make sure to zip it very well otherwise it is not air tight.  Another minor inconvenience about NUK bags is you cannot use a pen to write on the label.  It must be a sharpy because the flap is transparent.  I think the NUK bags are a great alternative to Avent bags.