When I had my first daughter over 2 years ago, I made the decision to breastfeed. I didn’t feel strongly one way or the other about this decision. Some of my friends formula fed. Others were La Leche League members. I fell into the middle, believing that every mother needed to make the decisions that works best for HER and her family. For me, breastfeeding seemed like the easiest option – good for my baby and FREE.
The free part was most compelling.
I quickly learned that breastfeeding was in no way the “easy” road. It was surprisingly challenging, from learning how to breastfeed my baby,overcoming the beginning physical pains, worrying that she was getting enough (as I could not measure her meals out and watch her eat them all), and the intial awkwardness of having to feed my child in public. At times, I felt chained to being home, since this small being needed to eat every 2 hours, and no one else but me could provide for this need.
Sometime after the first month or two of becoming a new mother, I learned how to express milk for bottle feedings. It was intially confusing how to time the pumpings right so that it didn’t interrupt regular feedings, but I soon got the hang of it. Shortly enough, I was pumping a little bit every day, and I rejoiced as I watched the stock of pumped milk grow in my freezer. To me, each little package of milk symbolized a date night with my husband, a shopping trip with friends, or a mini-retreat of getting a manicure and pedicure all by myself.
It meant freedom.
It also meant that my daughter could still benefit from the nutrition of breastmilk, even though I wasn’t there. More over, it meant that my husband could have some time each day to give her a bottle and bond with her over a meal. He really enjoyed having that opportunity, so we’ve continued the tradition of 1 bottle feeding per day with our newest daughter, who was born 7 weeks ago.
I was recently given the chance to try out the Medela Breastmilk Labeling and Storage System, compliments of Medela. Each kit contains 2 5-oz bottles, 2 labeling lids, and 1 tray for freezer storage. At first, when I was asked to try out the kit, I was ambivalent. “Storing milk is storing milk. How can one storage system differ from another?”
Oh how naieve I can be sometimes.
The Medela kit has a wonderful labeling system. The bottle lids are comprised of an inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring is labeled with the days of the week, and the user can click an outer ring on the lid to designate what day the milk was expressed. It even allows you to denote the time of day it was pumped! No more playing the “Hmm. How long as this milk been in the freezer?” game. No concern over whether or not the milk is safe to consume.
The system also comes with a handy storage tray, which fits up to 6 bottles or breastmilk storage bags. This makes me feel good that my child’s milk isn’t butted up against frozen meat or the other various and sundry items residing in my freezer (note to self: pick a day to clean out freezer).
Lastly, this system works with any breast pump one might have. Medela products are awesome, but I did not know this when I was a new mom 2 years ago. So I didn’t invest in a Medela pump. The Medela Labeling and Storage System allows me to use my nice little pump to express the milk, then transfer it to one of the Medela bottles for storage. I can click which day I pumped it, what time of day I pumped it, and it is set to freeze in the handy dandy tray until needed! Love it!
I would love to give another Philly Burb Moms reader an opportunity to try the Medela Breastmilk Labeling and Storage System. Please complete the following for your chance to win.
Disclaimer-Steph reviewed this product. All opinions are her own. She was given one Medela Labeling and Storage kit to review in exchange for this post.
Philaburban Mom 
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