How Medela steam bags saved my life---okay not really

They pretty much saved my milk though.

I like to be prepared. When I pack a back, I pack it for every disaster. Well, most of the time.

When I came back to work after my maternity leave, I packed my pump bag with all the essentials. I had bottle wipes, bottles, nursing pads and some of those Medela steam bags that you put in the microwave to sterlize your stuff. I rarely have to use them, but like I said, it's all about preparation.

Throughout the year, I was less prepared everyday. Sometimes I would forget my little cooler and have to use a fridge at work to store my milk. One day, I forgot bottles to store the milk in. Gasp! I had the bottles I was pumping into, but I prefer the short little 5-ozers for that and those stored a fraction of what I was pumping at the time. I had no idea what I was going to do.

Then I saw the steam bag shoved down in the side of the bag. I glanced at it, looked at two small Ziploc bowls I had left over from the breakfast I brought in that morning and thought--why not! I washed them out with dishsoap in the sink at work, sterlized them in the microwave and then had two containers that fit perfectly into my little cooler.

I don't use the bags a lot because I generally wash/clean/sanitize at home. However, I have to say, this little box of bags is cheap at your local baby supply store and awesome to have on hand for times just like this one.