By Sr Teresa Hayward (RN, RM, Lactation consultant, Infant & Paediatric Nutritionist, Baby Sleep Consultant)
No doubt about it, returning to work can be a stressful situation and an emotional one for you. You may experience some conflicting emotions: guilt for leaving your new baby and maybe being glad to get out the house and "life as usual" at work.
Returning to work often signals a change in your breastfeeding routine, as you won’t be around to demand feed your baby. Most moms are concerned about keeping up with their breastfeeding and their milk supply, once they return to work
It is recommended for mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of your baby's life for optimum health, and to continue for the first year or longer (as you add more solid foods to his diet after about 6 months).
The good news is you CAN do it. You will find that motherhood helps you increase your efficiency, and you learn to better manage your time both at home and at work. You become more organized because there is no extra time in your day to waste!
Here are a few tips to help make this transition to working mom easier.
Before going back to work
Get Ready
Purchase the best pump you can afford. It will be worth it. The better quality pump you use, the better you will be able to maintain your breastmilk supply.
Talk to your employer about a private, clean place that you can use your pump. Some employers have a designated room. You may want to do a practice run, timing how long it takes to travel, locating where you can store your milk, and using your breast pump.
Although it is not required, you may want to stockpile some milk prior to returning to work to use as a “back-up”. About 2 weeks’ worth of milk in your freezer will give you confidence that you have some breastmilk to fall back on if you are not able to pump quite enough as you get adjusted to the new routine.
Pumping
Plan to use a breast pump the same number of times that the baby will be feeding while you are gone. That may be 2-4 times. Try to maintain a routine in your scheduled pumping sessions. Avoid skipping or postponing pumping. Doing this too often will affect your milk supply. Do the best you can. If you have a long commute added to your work day, try to add another pumping session. The more you pump the more milk you will make, so make a priority of pumping on a regular basis. Pump 2-3 time per day.
Practice pumping before heading back to work Before going back to work, you may want to practice pumping once a day or every other day as this will help you get comfortable using your breast pump.
Pump often, not longer A lot of women struggle to find time to pump once they return to work, but when it comes to pumping, frequency is more important than length of time.
Expect your milk supply to fluctuate Keep in mind that your milk supply might dip as the week wears on. A lot of moms can expect to have a very robust milk supply in the beginning of the week, but as the week ends, your milk supply may decrease due to stress and sleep deprivation. Mothers who aren’t able to pump routinely may especially notice a decrease in milk supply by the end of the week.
Get baby used to the bottle With you away at the office, baby will need to drink from a bottle. To help your child adjust, express some breast milk into a bottle and try bottle-feeding baby before you head back to work.
Maintaining your breastmilk supply
Pump regularly and breastfeed when you are at home. That is the best way to keep up an abundant milk supply. If you see your supply wane during the week, breastfeed exclusively on your days off and do a bit of extra pumping if you have time.
Try power pumping If you’re struggling to keep your milk supply up, try power pumping on the weekend. That’s when you pump repeatedly within a set amount of time—generally for 10 minutes every hour. By emptying the breast over and over, you signal your body to make more milk more quickly. A great time to power pump is while baby is asleep
If you need additional help, contact a lactation consultant.
Leaking at work
Most women have no trouble with this, but it can be embarrassing. If you do occasionally leak, have a ready source of breast pads, re-usable or disposable.
Storing your milk
You may choose to just close your bottle of pumped breastmilk with a tightly fitting lid and put it in your purse to take home. Or you can use plastic mother’s milk bags.
Freshly pumped breastmilk is good at room temperature for 4 hours. Or you may choose to chill it for the trip home if it will be longer than 4 hours. Freezer packs are handy for this and come with most personal use pumps.
Breastmilk stored in the refrigerator is good for 5-7 days
Breastmilk can be frozen for 3-6 months. Once you have thawed previously frozen breastmilk, it is only good for 24 hours!
It is a good idea at first to keep milk in small quantities until you have a good idea of how much your baby will take at one time. Milk left over in the bottle must be discarded if not consumed. You will hate to do that! Choose bottles that are not made of polycarbonate due to the concerns about BPA contamination of breastmilk stored and heated in them.
Pump directly into a feeding bottle or a plastic storage bag
Pumping success as a employed breastfeeding mother depends on consistent pumping when not with your baby.
Give yourself permission to take it one day at a time
Keep it up for as long as you can Even if it’s a week, a month or a year—however long you can nurse for, do it!
Get support from your mom tribe A little encouragement from fellow moms can go a long way.
Your baby will thank you for your efforts!
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