Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work

I'm on my second child. She's 7 months old and I'm still nursing. I went to work when she was 8 weeks. I pumped for the first couple of months and now just nurse at home (the boobs adjust). She drinks formula at daycare. The best pump I used was the Madella manual pump. It's small, quiet, and fills up quickly. Also, Target sells a great nursing bra that's padded and virtually leak proof. It just becomes part of what you do..don't sweat it.

hi R., congratulations! i can definitely help you with breastfeeding, though let me say that i am fortunate to have been able to stay home since having my first baby, so i do not have the experience of working while nursing, and i do not have the experience of being a single mom either. however, i did breastfeed my son for 18 mos and my daughter for 15 mos, and that was with a very active 2 year old at home with me, so i was very nervous about that. that said, i just want to tell you a few things... first of all, stop apologizing for stopping nursing your first baby when you did, i think for a 17 year old to do it at all is amazing, especially when you had so little support. you should pat yourself on the back and know that you gave your son the very best start. secondly, if you really want to breatfeed this baby, then you will, and thats it. you will make it work. everyone makes it sound like it is so hard, but its really not. i could never understand why people think its easier to buy, clean, store, mix, heat, sterilize everything for bottle feeding, as opposed to just picking up your shirt. its so easy. you may remember it being hard with your son, but remember that everything is hard with a newborn, no matter how you feed them, thats just the nature of a newborn, they are little need-machines. you probably have to feed more often in the very beginning, but by 6 weeks, if you stick with it, you will be fine. next, which maybe should have been first, i think that one of the most important things with nursing is to have support. dont let people push you around. i know how hard it was for me as a 35 year old to have everyone telling me to "just give him a bottle" all the time, i cant imagine dealing with that at 17. but by now you can probably deal with anything. when people try to discourage you, just smile and tell them that you are doing fine. and find at least one person who will be your cheerleader. and i tell you in all sincerity that if you cannot find that person, i will be happy to do it. you can call me, email me, whatever, i will help and support you. my nursing experience with my daughter was a piece of cake, no problems, but i had a lot of trouble getting started with my son, real misery in the beginning, it was terrible, most of which i attribute to my own insecurity when people,including the hospital, told me to just give him a bottle, it will be fine. well, i did, and it wasnt, and it took us about 2 months of all kinds of issues to get on track. meanwhile, my daughter was in the nicu for a week and i wasnt allowed to nurse her, so i just pumped and when we could take her home i put her right on the breast and everything was just fine. i know i can be long winded, im sorry, but i want to help and i want you to succeed. in terms of the logistics of going back to work, a good pump is absolutely essential. i have the medela pump in style, and it has been a lifesaver. i pump a lot, i like to have a freezer full, im just like that, plus you have freedom that way. i have gone on vacation with it, ive pumped enough to feed my kids while i was away for 2 weeks with it, its been through the ringer and never let me down. mine is older, it is big and bulky and noisy, i know they have all kinds now, talk to people and find a great one, a good double electric. you will need to pump at work, so you want one you can bring back and forth and that will be practical to use at work. get at least 3 sets of parts so you can always have a clean one handy. i also have a great hand pump, the advent isis, which i dont use much, but when i need it its great to have, ive pumped in the car with it, in restrooms, on planes, trains, etc, and its also good if you get a clog, use it in a hot shower, it works wonders. i would strictly breastfeed for the first 2 weeks or so, no bottles, and no schedules, just feed on demand and enjoy the time together, its so short and precious, sleep whenever you can, and drink a lot of water. i tried to feed my son for the first 2 days with no luck in the hospital(hence the bottles) with everyone and their mother in there pulling and poking at my boobs trying to help, until one nurse finally asked me if im drinking.... eureka!!!...anyway, you can start pumping a little at a time by then and slowly build up, but remember that your milk supply works on a supply and demand basis, the more you feed and pump, the more you will produce, which is great as long as you are getting onto or at least working towards the kind of schedule you think will last. you dont want to produce much more than you can either feed or pump out, if you become engorged it can lead to problems, which can be resolved just by pumping or feeding, so nothing to freak out about. just start slow and build up steadily. i dont know how long your workday is, you will have to see what kind of schedule you and your baby are on to get an idea of how much milk you will need, but if you give yourself time and build up your pumping gradually well before you go back, and introduce the bottle the same way, it should be ok. you should gradually build up to the same pumping/feeding schedule that you will both be on, i would say by at least a week before you go back you should be on track, but other working bfing moms can certainly help you a lot more with that. sorry this is so long, just be confident, once you are both in a groove, it will all be great. best of luck to you, and im sending you good l&d vibes too :) ~D.

It is posssible to breastfeed and work full-time. I worked in NY for years. After I had my son, I also only had 3 weeks home with him. When I went back to work, I tugged along my breast pump. I pumped at least twice a day. Once in the morning and then after lunch. Then when I had my daughter, I had six weeks home with her (different job) did the same routine, pumped in the morning and then again after lunch. Again the same with my baby boy. That job had an RR room and that is where I went to go and pump. My breast pump came with an ice pack so that kept the milk nice and chilled until I got home to put the bottles in the fridge. It was tuff, but I did it. I breastfed my oldest for a year, my daughter for 7 months and my baby for 7 months also. I wanted to breastfeed the little ones longer, but they were biting so I had to stop :-) Just get yourself a nice breastpump set and you should be fine.

Good luck and congratulations on your soon-to-be bundle of joy :-)

R.,
I have two children as well a 10 year old boy and a 12 week old boy. My first son I nursed for 11 months and my second son I plan on doing the same. Fist of all when your daughter is born you MUST establish good nursing habits. For the fist two weeks of her life, no bottles no pacifier anly your breast, it may be overwhelming at first but stick with it and befor you know it you both will be old pros. Make sure you let everyone at the hospital know that you plan on breastfeeding and you do not want the baby to have a bottle or a pacifier. Try and nurse her as soon after she is born as possible, let the medical staff know that you want that. The habits that you establish right from the get go will help when you decide to go back to work. When that happens, buy yourself a really good eletric pump I use a Medela and when you go back to work try and pump every three hours. I am away from my son on Tues and Thurs for 8 hours and my husband gives him a bottle with no problem, I went back to school 1 week after he was born and he has no problem going from breast to bottle. Make sure you do not bottle feed him, only other people. Just stick with it and all will go well. If you get really stuck find out if your hospital has a lactation consultant or call the La Lece Leauge, the have a website. I hope this helps!

First I want to say good for you for deciding to breastfeed, it is the best choice. I am fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with our daughter, but I have been breastfeeding and pumping for almost 8 months, so i hope i can give you a little advice. 6 weeks should be enough time for the two of you to get the hang of it. It took my daughter and I about a week, it was a little tough the first few times because she spent a week in the hospital due to meconium aspiration. Most other new mommies I have spoken to say that by 4 weeks they were old pros. My suggestion is to breastfeed, but also get your baby used to drinking from the bottle because you will be going back to work and if the baby is not used to a bottle you are going to have a hard time. When you go back to work, bringing the pump with you is your best bet. surprisingly my electric pump is very portable and I find it very easy to bring to work(I do work one day a week), and I pack a small cooler to keep the milk in. I hope you have a job that allows breaks. Also make sure she is still breastfeeding, the pump does not keep your supply of milk up as well as breastfeeding does. It may seem really difficult, but it is really the best choice, and if you ever need support please feel free to contact me, I'm sure many other mommies on here feel the same way. Good Luck!

Congratulations!!! Breastfeeding is wonderful and demanding!!! I breastfeed my son, and what i did to include everyone and give me a little more freedom, was i started pumping immediately (i think he was 3 days old). I would nurse him on one side and pump on the other, this way it's not as time consuming because you already have letdown. I had a cheap breastpump, but it was very painful. I purchased the Medula deluxe pump...it has a carrying case, a little cooler, and can be used on both sides at once. It was wonderful. You can also rent that model from the hospital. As for when you go back to work, you should take a 15 minute break every 2 hours or so and pump. It's a lot of work and it's time consuming but it's definately worth it!!! My son is 13 months old and still wants to nurse! You just have to stick with it!!
Good Luck!!!

I breastfed my son till he was 9 mons old. I went back to work when he was 12 wks. Your job has to provide you with a place that you can pump in private that is NOT a bathroom. Also, I started pumping and freezing my milk about a month before I came back. You may want to do that starting 2 wks before. Expect your milk supply to shorten when you go back to work. You can drink an O'Dules (non-alcoholic beer) every day. I forget if it's the hops or the barley (which ever one that doesn't cause fermentation) will help to increase your milk supply. If you don't like beer, there are mother's milk teas you can drink that you can buy at natural food stores that will do the same thing.

Hi! My son is now 16 months old and I breastfed him exclusively for his 1st year. I returned to work when he was 4 months old. 1st - you have to decide you're committed to breastfeeding. It's hard to get it going and when you're feeling defeated, you'll want to quit. It helped to go to a class and read, but it's not quite as helpful as the nurses in the hospital. I asked every nurse to show me how to latch (tip, when the baby's ear is wiggling, he's really sucking). 2nd - force everyone around to support your efforts. You're going to be all tired out from giving birth and sleep deprived and they'd BETTER make you dinner and bring you water! (oh yeah, drink lots of water!) When I went back to work, I was lucky enough to have a supportive boss, who is also a mom. I used an electric breast pump that also had a battery pack. Sometimes I had to pump in a bathroom stall, sometimes I could stag an office. I don't think I would have been able to keep it up with out that electric pump! I pumped 3x a day until my son starting taking solids, and then I went to 2x a day. I stopped pumping when he was really eating like a big boy at 1 yr. Once I got it down, I think it's easier than formula. You can nurse a sick or crying baby so easily (no nighttime bottles to warm up!) and he doesn't get sick as often as the other kids in daycare. Your baby loves to suck and it's so great to be that close to Mom. I rarely pumped at home. Why make things harder on ME?? My husband was supportive of my decision to breastfeed and he got to change some really poopie diapers to feel included on the baby experience. Good luck with your new baby! And don't worry if the breastfeeding doesn't work out. Just enjoy your daughter and don't stress if you have to quit after you go back to work. She'll be fine on formula too. A happy Mom will make a happy baby!

I went back to work after two weeks. I was able to breast feed for about five months, but I still regret giving up as early as I did. Every time I saw him with a bottle I wanted to cry. After two weeks my production was not very high, I struggle, but I also was away from home for 12 hours on some days, so I had to pump more than I actually got to feed him. It all depends on your body and your baby, but six weeks should be plenty of time to get ready.

Is your job flexible enough for you to find time to pump? That was my biggest struggle. I had few breaks and no locked rooms big enough, so I was often being walked in on :-)

You can make it work, just stick to it and maybe email other people who can help give you some support, it's so hard for families to understand if they don't have experience. My boyfriends family has the view that breastfeeding is disgusting, so that was another struggle that I think made me give up earlier than I really wanted to.

Hi R.,

Your best bet is to visit the Le Leche League website, contact a leader, and read, read, read to become more confident in yourself and your body! One thing I can tell you for SURE is there is nothing like putting your baby to your breast to ensure milk production. So, although you will have to pump while at work, you should have the baby nurse as often as possible (i.e. before work, lunch time if possible, immediatly after work and all through the night). I know a mother who works full time and since her son was 8 weeks old. He is now 18 months and still nursing once each night, she still has milk! She pumped at work and nursed WHENEVER she could otherwise. Good luck and definitly visit www.lalecheleague.org Breastfeeding is incredible!

hello R., speak to lactation consultant at the hospital you giving birth at or search web site, check out this link: http://www.expectantmothersguide.com/library/pittsburgh/b... ----- maybe this link can help answering few questions.it may be difficult , especially at first when you go back to work, but once you establish nursing in the first weeks at home with your daughter, it's possible to continue.The first weeks breastfeed her primarily( no bottles), a week or two before going back to work start pumping and giving her a bottle(1-2 times per day), so she can start getting used to both. I was lucky enough to stay home with my daughter so i'm able to breasteed her without much problems, though breastfeeding was challenging first week or two,but on the 3rd week it was flawless.
I have a friend who was working a full time + (10-12 hrs per day )job and breastfed her son for a year(she had to pump at work sometimes 2, sometimes 3 times). She said after a while it became a routine , and was not a problem at all, she just knew she's doing the best for her son without being there all day. Drink a lot of water and eat well to produce enough milk, also breastfeed you baby in the morning before work, at bed time and at night- breastfeed when you can - sucking on the breast produces most milk. Good luck and don't give up, it can really work!!!!!