Pump Wearing

The biggest hurdle in making the decision to switch from injections to a pump when my daughter was 2 was figuring out how she would wear a pump on her tiny frame.  For several years she wore an Animas brand double zippered pump pack with a luggage lock on it to prevent her curious little fingers (and those of other children on the playground) from pushing a disastrous pattern of buttons.  Once she was 4 or 5 and we felt comfortable with a Velcro closure, she was fortunate enough to have a great-grandmother who made a few packs for her out of fun fabrics.  These days she either uses the clip provided with her pump to attach it to her waistband or she tucks it into her pocket.

Except at night with pajamas, or under a dress. We've continued to try different packs for these scenarios but we're still seeking the best solution. So while I've never before accepted anything to write about here, when Julie from Pumpwear contacted me about trying out a couple of their products I said 'yes!'  She sent us two things to try. 

The first is a familiar-looking double zippered pump pack with an elastic adjustable waist band and a plastic buckle. 

There are countless fabric choices, of which we were sent a cute, subtle pastel polka-dotted one. The feature we like more than we thought we would is the button hole on the side closest to my daughter's body through which to feed the tubing.
 

It allows the tubing to be contained; a real plus for an active sleeper, and generally safer for anyone who comes into close quarters with doorknobs and drawer handles. Another feature of this pack is the expandable pouch.  We were dubious about this at first because her current bedtime pack is so roomy that the pump slides around inside it, making it less comfortable to wear and harder to access when needed. This pocket, though,  appears small and remains small if just the pump is in it, keeping any sliding to an extreme minimum. It could expand to hold a Dexcom receiver instead, or any brand of pump.  The waist band is both elastic and adjustable on two sides, which makes it able to fit a wide range of sizes and yet also fit very precisely in the end because of the elastic.  That's a feature which was sorely missing from packs we tried in the baby and toddler years.  This particular pack lacks a clear window, a feature we look for to allow quick access to the pump's buttons in the middle of the night, but the company does make several versions with windows.  My daughter isn't a fan of the double zippers because they're noisy when she walks (I kind of like a teenager you can hear coming myself) but she really likes the soft fabric and finds this pack comfortable to wear.

The second product we tried is a waist band.
 

This one is made of a silky material (think slips and other feminine undergarments) but which is also stretchy so that it fits close to the body.  It's got an elastic waist, sized to fit based on waist measurement. The pump slips into a large pocket which has a Velcro closure and then rests slightly below the waist.
 

We're particularly thankful that this arrived in time for 8th grade graduation. The dress/pump combo is getting trickier.  We have a tiny pump pack, a relic from my daughter's preschool years, which fits very snugly at the small of her back.  It's worked with dancewear and countless dresses over many years. But as she's gotten older, dresses have become more fitted, and with the 8th-grade graduation dress there was a noticeable bulge where the pack sat. Also, the felt-like material of the old pack did not allow the dress to slide over it, creating weird creases with movement.  The pumpwear band, however, worked perfectly with this dress, with the pump sitting below the waistline under the fuller skirt, and the silky fabric allowing the dress to move naturally.  She finds the waist band very comfortable.  It's the first pack she's tried with no Velcro or buckle.  At first, because it was so unconstricting, she felt like it might just slip off, but once it didn't, she found it very enjoyable to have a freer feeling midsection under her dress. And the lack of a front closure made it even more inconspicuous under clothing.  This one is also available with more than one pocket, to accommodate, for example, both pump and cgm.  It's more of a 'special occasion' item, since she doesn't find it comfortable under pajama pants, and the pump hangs low enough that it wouldn't work under regular pants or shorts, but we love the alternative under-dress/under-skirt option.

We have fashion challenges coming at us thick and fast in the next few years:  marching band uniforms, more semi-formal dresses, dress-pants and possibly suits for academic events and interviews, and of course the prom dress.  Among pumpwear's many products geared to older teens and adults are pump garters, underwear with pockets and, of course, a multitude of waist and clip options.  I'm very thankful to have been given the opportunity to check out these two choices and we'll definitely be back for solutions to future fashion challenges!

Disclosure:  These two products were sent to me free of charge in exchange for my writing about them here on my blog.  The opinions expressed here, both mine and my daughter's, are our own.