Breastfeeding and Working

Breastfeeding is the greatest joy a mom experiences with her child. Breastfeeding has so many benefits for your baby, being rich in nutrients and antibiotics, which helps your baby fight infections that it is good to breastfeed and work. A plan needs to now be set into motion how the mom will pump while she is at work. Breastfeeding and working mothers who must return to work rely on breast pumps to collect their breast milk while they are away from their baby and to maintain their breast milk supply. You should try to pump at work as often as you usually would feed your baby at home. You will need to make a pumping schedule. Buy a good electric pump to shorten the length of pumping that you need to do. Pumping two breasts at a time helps too.This will help shorten your pumping sessions to 10 to 15 minutes instead of 20 to 30 minutes. By pumping at work, you are helping your body maintain the prolactin level up in your body which is your milk production hormone. Try to breastfeed your baby in the morning and at night and in the middle of the night if you can while working. It is important when returning back to work that you purchase a small cooler and ice packs if a refrigerator is not possible. Breast milk can be stored in a cooler for 8 hours. Make sure to bring bottles or bags to store the breast milk. Pumping in a comfortable position is really important so you may want to bring a pillow to work. When you get back to your job, speak to your employer to tell them that you will need to pump breast milk for your baby.This way you can be given time to pump during the day. Sometimes, you may get lucky and your work has a place where you can pump or bring your nanny and breastfeed your baby on your break. Or maybe you may have a daycare nearby and you can run on your break and breastfeed. Many moms that I work with have to go back to work 10 to 12 weeks after delivery. When they return, their body is healed from the delivery and they tell me that they are happy to return to work to get out of the home a little bit. You should begin to pump your breast milk at least 2 weeks after delivery. The fastest way to get milk out is to let the baby suck on one side and pump on the other at the same time.This may take a little practice. You can also hand express which will take longer. Let the baby bottle feed one week before you go to work to get the baby used to a bottle if you need to give a bottle. Breast milk should be put in a clean bottle or breast milk storage bag once pumped. Breast milk storage guidelines go as follows: refrigerator 5 days, freezer for 3 months and deep freeze for 6 months to store breast milk. In conclusion, breast milk is best for your baby. However, if you do not have enough breast milk while at work, you can supplement with formula. I tell my moms that you are only humans and if you cannot make enough every bit counts then supplement.If you have any further questions, please see a Lactation Consultant in your area or call your doctor. Good luck to all you moms who work and juggle motherhood. You are all doing a great job.