Pump-Store-Feed Breast Milk Storage System | Is It Worth Buying?

Once I received a question from a reader, asking which breast milk storage system I would recommend her to use?

She added that she would prefer a system that lets her pump, store, and feed from the same container.

Suddenly I was reminded of myself, 6 years ago, also wondering about the same question.

But first why oh why?

Why would you prefer an all in one breast milk storage system that allows you to pump, store and feed from the same container?

The answer is pretty easy.

Because when you has this kind of system, you eliminate transferring breast milk from one bottle to another bottle, or milk bags.

And do you know what?

Transferring milk means wasting milk, because you see, not all of your milk being transferred completely.

There will always be a few drops left or stuck on the bottle wall.

And so, if you have two bottles of 2 oz milk each and you want to combine them into one bottle, you may end up with only 3.5 oz of milk, not 4 oz.

I've not even mentioned about the risk of spilling milk while you transfer it, which can be a serious issue when trying to pour from milk bag to bottle or vice versa.

Sad, but this is the truth.

Therefore, if there's a way to avoid wasting milk and minimizing milk transfer, that would be the best solution!

That's why breast milk storage system like Avent VIA Kit or Kiinde system was invented. So that you can pump, store, and feed from the exact same container, eliminating risky milk transfer.

​But..., are they really do what they are supposed to do?

I'm going to tell you my honest opinion​ about pump store feed system in this post.

More...

Ok, let's go back to the story.

I was expecting my first baby.

And I knew I would need to return back to work a few months after his birth.

And I wanted to have a streamlined system to simplify my pumping and feeding process.

So I did what other mothers would do.

I  bought a pump-store-feed system, with intention of using it for pumping and feeding my baby.

At that time, there were not a lot of choices like now.

I bought 2 sets of Avent VIA Milk Storage Kit. One is 6 oz size and another one of 8-oz size.

The Early Days

Little did I know that I would face problems in my breastfeeding journey.

My baby was jaundiced and I ended up supplementing him right from day 3.

I tried to pump milk to increase my supply and save some stash, and quickly disappointed to see I only got less than 0.5 oz every time I pumped, so I stopped.

My Avent VIA cup got used, still, to spoon-feed my baby in his early days. But for that, I didn't need dozens of cups, so most of them were left untouched.

Returning to Work with 1st Baby

When I first returned back to work, I decided that I would still pump at my office, to maintain my micro-supply.

Or else,I would loose my supply altogether.

The Avent VIA kit was in use again.

But in my opinion, in not so optimal way.

You see, I was only able to pump around 1 oz per session.

I managed to did 4 sessions back then, so in total it would be 4 oz, in 4 different VIA cups.

There's no way I would feed my son only 1 oz per feeding, so ultimately I would still need to combine all the milk for one feeding session.

So, did I pump, store, and feed from the same container?

The answer is clearly no. I still need to transfer milk anyway.

Fast forward... with baby no 2.

I was luckier this time.

I was able to fully breastfeed my daughter and saved enough frozen stash before I returned back to work.

You see.. because with my son, I only used about half a dozen of cups in rotation, I still have ample of VIA cup stocks, in brand new condition.

Did I use Avent VIA system again?

Initially yes.

I was excited that I was able to pump on top of feeding her directly. And I saved every single drops, whether it is 0.3 oz, 0.5 oz, 1 oz, or 2 oz.

I didn't care anymore if I would waste some milk because I need to combine the milk anyway.

Until it was time for me to start moving those stash to the freezer.

I decided that I would store the EBM (expressed breast milk)  in small amount for easy thawing and feeding, that is 3 oz.

The VIA cup only comes in 6 and 8 oz size.

When I finally used the 6-oz cup to freeze my EBM, I would have half of the cup empty, and therefore wasting space in my freezer (it's not like a bag that you can lay flat, right). 

Even more with the 8-oz cup. Sigh...

Yes, it is stackable, so you get a nicely organized stash, but that empty space in the cup. Every time I looked at it, I wished that I could 'snap' it down and use that space for another 3-oz milk.

No.. I decided that I need that freezer space.

So I ended up not using Avent VIA kist anymore and preferred to use small glass bottles (3-oz size), just a perfect size for my need.

Phew..

In the end, it's not that usable.

Well, I don't say it does not work at all.

But at least Avent VIA system is not suitable for my need. where I prefer to freeze in small quantities and also, I don't pump a lot of milk at one sitting, so combining milk is unavoidable.

But wait..

Having said that, I love using Avent VIA cups for other things.

First, storing my baby's food!

So, this is very handy once you start your baby on solid food.

Whenever we were out and about and my baby would need to eat, I brought my baby puree using Avent VIA cups.

The size is just perfect for a single portion.

There were also times when we were travelling to visit our extended families, so we spend about 2-3 days on road trip and I would make a big batch of puree, freeze them in with Avent VIA cups and this made our trip much more manageable

No cooking every single morning in a relative's house that you are not familiar with!

And now, after both my kids no longer eat porridge, I still use Avent VIA system for another thing, that is, storing cooked condiments.

You see, I hate peeling garlic and onions every time I cook, so I decided to blend them in a big batch, sautee them, and freeze them using Avent VIA cups, lol.

I kept one cup of blended garlic and onion in the chiller, while the rest are kept frozen for future use.

That way, I simplify my cooking routine and finish preparing meals faster.

That being said, would I still buy Avent VIA system in the future?

Well, to be honest, I don't think I would.

I would rather stick to pumping directly to my Avent bottle and feed using the same bottle, too.

No need a special system, a normal bottle will do.

Enter Kiinde feeding system​

Now, recently I heard so much hype about Kiinde Twist feeding system.

It is essentially similar to Avent VIA system in its purpose.

Having Kiinde pouch means you pump, store and feed from the same milk pouch.

You can pump into Kiinde pouches (it has a lot of adapters to fit various breast pump models).

You can store Kiinde pouches in freezer, it resembles a milk bag, with a screw mouth on top.

And you can feed directly with Kiinde pouches (there's a holder for the pouch) so that babies or the caregiver can hold it easily, just like holding a bottle.

Now, what would make Kiinde better than Avent VIA system?

First, it comes in 5-oz size, not so big compared to Avent, so less space wasted in the milk bag.

And due to the fact it looks like a milk bag, that means it uses less space in the freezer.

It is also single-use, that means, you don't need to wash it after use, just throw away.

Oh, one more thing, it is said to be environmental friendly, so don't feel guilty of throwing so many Kiinde pouches and making a huge pile in the landfill.

Sounds great, right?

In fact, a lot of moms rave about this.

Save so much time.

No need to wash bottles.

Some even use this to store puree for their babies

(I can't imagine how they did it, perhaps the very first stage of liquid puree that still flows easily like milk).

What's the cons?

To me, it is very clear.

I can't imagine using a double pump and pump directly to Kiinde. This is what I would end up:

1. Having one pouch with 1 oz inside and another with 3 oz inside,
2. Then pouring from one pouch into another pouch,
3. Throw away the empty pouch and only keep the other one.

​

Yeah, I know it's environmental friendly but to throw one pouch for every pumping session, seems like a little too much for me. 

Or, is it just me who is budget-conscious?

Secondly, it's not perfectly flat due to the rounded screw top.

Yes, compared to Avent VIA system, you will save more space, but compared to other milk bags such as Lansinoh or HoneyBee, Kiinde is much bulkier.

Lastly, the measurement (i.e. the oz marking) is not accurate.

At least, that's what other moms have been reporting. So, some of them ended up pumping into the bottle first, then transfer the milk into Kiinde.

Hey, isn't that defeating the original purpose?

So, do you think it is still worth buying?

I think it really depends on what you need.

If you want to eliminate the hassle of washing bottles altogether, perhaps yes, Kiinde is worth buying for you.

But for me personally, nope, I would stick to my beloved Avent bottles for pumping and feeding, and glass bottles for freezing (oh, and some occasionally milk bag if I need to pump while traveling).

Perhaps this opinion is biased, because I am a mom who does not pump so much in a single pumping session.

Or because I prefer to store EBM is smaller quantity.

But I just have to share this with you, especially if you are a new mom who has not had experience in pumping yet.

You see, nowadays, we are bombarded by: you need to have this, buy that, it's great, so convenient, but it may end up not working as what you have expected.

Now, onto you.

If you are still pumping milk for your baby, what system do you currently use?

Do you think an all in one breast milk storage systems like Avent VIA kit and Kiinde are worth buying?

Are they really used for pump store and feed as promised?

Share your opinion in the comments below.