Returning to Work and Breastfeeding

I know exactly how you feel! I was so aprehensive about continuing to breastfeed when I came back to work. I didn't know if I would be able to do it, but it's a month and a half later and I still am.

First, you need to talk with your employer about a comfortable and private place to pump. It makes a world of difference to have your own space and not have to worry about anyone else waling in. I am able to use a locked office.

Second, make sure you pump for 10 to 15 minutes every three hours. I breastfeed at 6am, and I pump at 9, 12, and 3, then breastfeed my baby at 6 when I get home. The babysitter doesn't feed her after 3:30 so she will be hungry and ready to eat when I get home. When you pump, don't stress about getting enough milk. Pumps are not as efficient as the baby in getting milk, so you might not be able to get enough to feed your baby for a whole day. We have to supplement one feeding a day with formula. Just remember that any breastmilk is better than none! Oh, and it helps to have a picture of your baby with you.

Medela makes these pump wipes that make it easy to clean up your pump accessories while at work. Target sells them for about $12.

I cried all the way to work the first day I dropped my baby off at the sitters. Luckily, she loves the sitter and the other kids so it was easy to transition for her. And breastfeeding her when I came home helped us keep a strong bond. I was also worried about my employer being upset with me for leaving my desk three times a day, but then I realized that making milk for my baby was more important. It turns out that they have been very accomodating. (perhaps in part because it is the law)

After a couple weeks back at work, you will be in a routine and your anxiety will be gone. But whenever you feel stressed about it, don't hesitate to email me. I have been through it all and have wanted to give up breastfeeding so many times!

First I wanted to say congratulations on your son and making it this far. So many Moms give up, and it is wonderful that you are going to try to make this work with working.

I would start now with pumping, trying to increase your milk supply a little, because like other responses said, the pump is not as efficient as baby. Also, this way you will have enough milk in the freezer for those days when you don't quite have enough. I was so thankful to have that freezer stash. I went back to work at 10 weeks, and was able to continue pumping until my son was 14 months old. The freezer stash also allowed me to gradually switch him over to partial regular milk and then all regular milk once I stopped pumping.

Talk to your boss....they are required to provide you a private place to go. I work full time and similar to another poster, in the beginning I pumped 3 times a day, morning and afternoon break and during my lunch. It was hard to find a private place as I work in a school, but I was able to find a store room that had an electrical outlet, and then I would go to our break room to wash up.

Make sure you get a good pump. A double electric....Medela pump in style is best imho, but there are other brands out there that are good too. I know it is tempting to try to skimp here since they are so expensive, but it is worth it in the end, and still cheaper than formula.

I would usually go into my pumping room, hook myself up and set the suction relatively high at first. Start the pump and close my eyes and allow myself to relax and think about nothing but my sweet baby. Imagining that I am all comfy and nursing him at home. This helps alot. Then I would set the suction a little lower once the let down comes.

One product that helped me immensely with making it easier to pump was the Playtex One Step Breastmilk Storage kit. I don't know what kind of bottles you use, but Playtex Original Nursers with the latex natural latch nipples I think are best and most like nursing. The liner collapses so they don't get as much air, the nipple is soft and collapses like a mothers breast (unlike sillicone nipples and Avent brand) and it is nice and wide and shaped the most like a breast. The storage kit allows you to pump directly into the liners ..has adapters for your pump. Then you just store the liners full of milk, and drop them into the next day's bottle. No bottles to wash from the pump, no bottles to wash from the bottles. I would just wash the pump parts and nipples, and give the nursers a good rinsing most times (of course occasionally you have to give them a through washing, but it's not a daily thing).

The storage kit is at the bottom of this page: http://www.playtexproductsinc.com/infant/BreastFeeding_Pu...
The bottles are on this page:
http://www.playtexproductsinc.com/infant/bottleFeeding_nu...

Good luck and feel free to email me if you have any questions or just need a little support. Be confident in this that you are doing the best thing for your baby. I know it seems like you are doing it alone, but sooooo many mothers have successfully made this transition....you will too!! It is hectic and hard at first, but it gets better.

Hi S.! First, let me say congrats on your new baby. What a joy huh? That is great.
OK, about the breastfeeding and working, and pumping thing. It can be overwhelming, but I did it with all 3 of my kids and with Erik my son and last child, it was the best and I exclusively bf him till he was 14 mths. I started work at 6am, so I would have to leave by 530am. I would go in then and feed him and rock him with his lullabies playing. He still listens to them to go to sleep by the way, and he is almost 4. All my kids did this. And then, I would go to work and at about 9, I would pump and get about 8 oz. Then, I would pump usually again about 1130 and get about the same. I also had a stock pile I built up since I was on leave after I had him. I would leave work at 215 and then go home and then feed him and put him down for his nap. It worked out great. What kind of pump do you have? I had a Medela Pump in Style and it is a great hospital grade pump. I loved it. Also, take a blanket of his with you and a picture to look at that will help with your let down and you will be able to produce more. Drink some water right before you start. I was bad at this part, but I tried to do it. It will help with your production of milk, or juice too.
I am a labor doula and have helped many clients with this and with alot of success. I am so happy you are doing this for you and your baby. I stay home now, and just do doula work, but then I was working full time with all my kids. I have been home with him since he was almost 2 due to a medical condition. I hope it all works out and if you would like help, just let me know. Even if it is just someone to talk to about this.

Take care,
S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

I had to pump at work and it wasn't it worked out fine. I just responded to another mom with the same question. My suggestion to you is to introduce your baby to the bottle that he/she will receive your breast milk from. Don't let the first day in daycare be the first time the baby gets the bottle. It's difficult on the baby and the daycare provider because many babies refuse that nipple because it's not mommy's nipple. This can lead to a lot of crying. Be sure to discuss this with the person who's watching your baby. If she's been in business long enough, she'll probably tell you the same as my provider told us 3 years ago.

~M

My first tip would be to start stocking up and freeze as much as you can. I know it is very overwhelming at first, just like everything is with a new baby. Just try to make a schedule for yourself. There are a lot of great websites with great tips. www.onehotmama.com www.breastfeeding.com and a wonderful book my nurse recommended to me was The Working Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding (I think that is the correct name. I know it is not easy, but I guarantee you will be glad you gave your child this gift. Good Luck!

I am a mom of two wonderful boys age 3 years and 6 months. I returned to work when they turned six weeks old and you CAN do it all!!! I started stockpiling breastmilk right away--as soon as the baby was done feeding, I pumped the rest off. I would keep a bottle for the "extra" milk in the refrigerator and at the end of the day there would be a good four to five ounces to freeze. (just make sure you put the dates on the bottles because they are only good for three months in the freezer) Then at work I pumped at lunch. I used the Avent Isis pump and loved it. It fits in my bag and is discreet as well as inexpensive and very fast. I can pump in five minutes! Anyway, the bottle I pump at work goes to the daycare for the next day. If necessary, my baby will get one bottle of formula per day. Breastfeeding/pumping is probably the one thing that gets me through the day being away from my babies. I know that I am doing the best thing possible for him. By the way, I nursed my older son for a year and plan on nursing the baby for a year also.
Good luck to you!!! Don't give up!!!!!

One additional comment about pumping at work... if you can take the time, pump 3 times instead of 2 during the day. 3 pumps of 10 minutes each will give you more milk than 2 pumps of 15 minutes each. I would start out pumping more often than you think you may need to until you get a sense of how well it's all going to work for you. Better to have a surplus at first. If you have the flexibility, it's great to be able to run out during lunch and nurse your boy (instead of pumping once). If you find after a few weeks that you always have more milk pumped than you need you can drop back to 2 pumps per day.

I found that I pumped more in the mornings than in the evenings. More on Mondays than on Fridays. Nursing all weekend "recharges" your supply, so if you can avoid pumping while you're with your baby that will help.

Nurse your baby right before dropping him at daycare, and right when you pick him up. You can probably even sit in a chair at the daycare center to do this.

You will be exhausted for the first few weeks until you get the hang of it all - going back to work really sucks - but you'll get into a routine soon enough. Good luck!

Hi S.,

This is my second son that I am back to work and pumping at work. The best thing you can do is relax. Make sure you have a private place to pump and bring a picture of your baby. I know it sounds funny, but when you look at the picture it helps your milk come down. My son is seven months old, I've been back at work since Sept and all is going well. Try to keep up with every three hours and your body will get used to the timing. And don't stress if you have to supliment a bottle with formula. Stressing makes it harder to pump, so just relax.
Good Luck!

Hi S.,

I pumped at work for about 6 months, it just became routine and you'll get used to it too. But I was unable to pump enough and after 4 weeks, I had depleted all of my frozen supply and had to start supplementing formula on days my baby was in daycare. If you find this happens to you, don't feel bad about it because you are doing your best. Even a little bit of breast milk is better than none and your baby will adjust fine.

Try not to stress too much, you will get used to your new routine quickly.

L.

I never breastfed so I cant help you out w/ that. However, I work at a daycare and can give a little advice.
Whatever you do, please do not quit breastfeeding cold turkey. I have witnessed this and it is extremely hard on the child and the daycare. Sometimes the infant doesnt like the formula - yet. I would advise you to bring in bottles of breastmilk and formula and alternate.
I hope this helps from the daycare prespective.

Hi S.:

I returned to work after my 3 month leave and successfully pumped for another 4 1/2 months. I won't lie - it wasn't always easy - but if you can do it and want to do it, you can make it work. Here are a few suggestions; make sure you drink lots of water, photos of little guy will help :-), schedule time in your day to do this (otherwise you'll keep pushing it back and it will mess with your milk supply) and try not to stress about it. I had a great lactation consultant who really helped me work through it. She is out of state, but came highly recommended and my time on the phone with her was invaluable. My company is small, so didn't have a lactation room. I used a small workroom that had a locking door. I brought a little radio to listen to music and I think that helped some too. I wish you the best of luck in your transition back!!!

M.

If you find yourself overwhelmed with all of the new things you have to remember as I did, you might benefit from buying an extra set of accessories for your pump. I bought another set of breast shields (the horn part) after I got to work one day and realized I had forgotten them in the dishwasher. Ouch. Now I keep a set at work. Also, don't feel bad about having to leave your desk to pump. Just remember that some people spend all of there time gabbing and others take multiple smoke breaks - your actually providing nourishment for your child.

Hi S.- I am a SAHM of 4 but went back to work after #1 was 3 months and was committed to continueing breastfeeding. What I did was stock up ahead of time. You should pump as often as possible at work but reality is it will probably not be enough ( you just don't let down like you do for the baby when pumping) I actually would get up at 5 and pump so I would have a lot of back up. I would also make sure you let down befor you start to pump ( look at pictures, nipple stimulation etc). I ended up with enough to cover my daughter when I was hospitalized for a week with pnemonia. Just keep going and have your son nurse often when he is with you to keep up your supply. I wish you good luck and if worse comes to worse you can always suppliment half and half when you are not around!