This post is part of the Breast-Kept Secrets: Breastfeeding Advice from One Mom to Another series. Go back and read all posts here.
This post was originally published September 2, 2011.
I have been blessed to work from home with my second and third daughters. But I worked full-time from the time my firstborn was 6 weeks until she was almost 7 months.
When my husband and I realized I needed to go back to work (he was in seminary at the time), one of my biggest concerns was that it would hinder breastfeeding.
I was so determined to make nursing while working full time still happen! Here are some things that helped me have a successful breastfeeding experience those 6 months (I continued nursing until she was 22 months!):
Before Baby Arrives
1. Talk to your employer about pumping at work.
It will be easier to figure out when and where and the company’s policy about taking breaks during your pregnancy than on your first day back to work when you will probably already be nervous about being away from your baby and pumping!
2. Find a location where you will pump.
If you have your own office, this will be pretty easy. If you don’t, you may want to talk to someone who does that you think might be comfortable with you using her office. I was a traveling ESL teacher, so I didn’t even have my own classroom. One of my principals arranged for me to pump in an empty office.
3. Invest in a good pump.
This is crucial. I am ALL about pinching pennies, but if you buy a cheap pump that doesn’t work, you may get frustrated and give up. Or, it might take you too long to pump. I highly recommend a double electric pump. Medela is supposedly the best brand on the market. I personally used and loved the Lansinoh double electric pump. If we had had a little more money and I knew I would be working longer than 6 months, I probably would have gotten a Medela.
After Baby Arrives
1. Start pumping a little each day about 2 weeks before going back to work.
If possible, I wouldn’t pump right away because it might alter your milk supply. This will help you get comfortable with your pump AND allow you to start building a freezer stash of milk.
2. Designate a specific backpack or diaper bag (preferably insulated) just for all your pumping supplies.
This would include a pump, milk storage bags, cleaning wipes, ice packs, a snack, reading material and perhaps a picture of your baby.
3. Lock the door to the room where you are pumping, if possible.
4. Attach a “Do Not Disturb” sign to the office/room door (especially if there isn’t a lock!).
5. Enlist another nursing mom as your “pumping buddy.”
My friend Lexie, of Lexie: Naturals, and I were both pumping and working at the same time. We would actually send each other encouraging text messages while pumping!
6. Relax.
I know–easier said than done during the work day. But it’s harder for milk to let-down if you are tense.
7. Think about your baby.
Maybe even look at his/her picture. Fond thoughts of your baby will help with let-down. I would imagine my daughter drinking my milk out of her bottle while I pumped.
8. Try to arrange your schedule where you pump at the same time your baby is eating.
This will ensure you can match the schedule on the weekends and not have to pump while at home. (I’ve always preferred nursing to pumping!)
9. Go no longer than 4 hours between pumping.
If you go longer than 4 hours, your milk may dry up.
10. Eat a nutritious snack, like a lactation cookie.
11. Try to pump when you are at your fullest.
Even though I nursed my daughter right before I left for work, I would still be really full in the mornings. I would often pump as soon as I got to work.
12. Nurse your baby right before you leave for work and as soon as you pick him/her up from the sitter’s.
Sometimes I would call our sitter and tell her I was on the way, so she wouldn’t have to give another bottle. I would nurse Little Girl there, and the sitter and I formed a wonderful friendship!
Troubleshooting
If you are not pumping as much milk as your baby needs, do not think you are necessarily not making enough milk for your baby. A baby will always suck out more milk than a pump will!
Even so, you may see your supply start to drop once you return to work (I did). Here are some things to do to get your supply back up:
- eat oatmeal
- take Fenugreek
- eat lactation cookies
- drink Mother’s Milk Tea
- add in an extra pump session while at home
- get sufficient rest
- nurse your baby often while at home
Further Reading: State Breastfeeding Laws
Mandy
I nursed my son for 14 1/2 months and pumped while at work. Well, I still pump and I have worked full time since he was 8 weeks old-he is now almost 16 months old. Its not been easy. There are many days I have wanted to just quit work because of it but I know that I am doing whats best for my family right now. I absolutely recommend having lots and lots of support from your family and friends and even co workers. Without it, I think I would have quit a long time ago. Its stressful at times but when you know how good breast milk is for your baby and you can see the effects of it, that makes it all worth it. I took lots of fenugreek and ate oatmeal every morning and drank lots of water. Oh and if you don’t eat enough calories, you will be able to tell cause I pumped more when I got enough calories.
Dawn
I had read on the website www.workandpump.com to pump at the times my baby would normally feed, and then label the bags with that time. The sitter would then use those bags the following day, at those times. This worked well for us, as it helped me to know he was getting the same milk composition from them as he would from me (since your milk is a little different as the day goes on). I never was able to pump a lot at a time (almost always 4 oz or less), but it was very rare that the sitter had to “steal” from a future bag to get him full…our bodies both just had it right! Babies don’t know if they’re “supposed” to be drinking a certain number of ounces, so why do we store it that way?! I know this wouldn’t work for everyone, especially since some people are lucky to be able to pump twice a day, and with my own office I could pump 3-4 times while at work, if I needed to. We made it 10 months, when he began to wean himself, and he was a plump 21 pounds at the time.
Nikki
Great post! I had to return to work when my daughter was 6 weeks old. She’ll be 3 in December and is still breastfeeding! I quit pumping when she was 12 months, though (when she decided she didn’t want milk unless it was straight from the source, haha). I used a Medela Pump In Style Advanced, and it was great. Medela customer service is excellent. Once they sent me a bunch of replacement parts for free! One tip I have for pumping at work is to bring something that smells like your baby. It sounds weird, but it really works. I would use a burp cloth in the morning and bring it to work with me that day. Smelling my baby really helped me to get more milk out. I also kept several pictures of her in my pumping bag, or I’d scroll through pics and videos on my phone. Over time, though, I got to where I could just read a book while pumping – which is when I was grateful for the Kindle!
Lexie
Ahhhh… The days of working and nursing. I think the only good memories I have of that are us texting. Hahaha!! Thanks for being my pumping buddy!
Victoria @ Green Idea Reviews
I work full time, and have pumped enough milk to keep all three of my babies exclusively milk fed until 6 months. It’s a big commitment, and you really have to be diligent to keep your supply up.
I highly recommend not returning to work until after the 3 month growth spurt, if you can at all manage it. Trying to catch up with a growth spurt is tough! My 3rd baby recently decided to add two extra nursings a day and I’m teetering on the edge of being able to meet her needs. I’m super thankful that I have a ton of milk stored in the freezer – I have a feeling we’ll have to start dipping into it soon.
With more than 24 months of pumping at work under my belt, I wrote up my own Guide to Pumping at Work – your readers may be interested in these additional thoughts as well. http://www.greenideareviews.com/2013/07/10/the-green-idea-reviews-guide-to-pumping-breastmilk-for-working-moms/
Angela Donahoe
I wish more jobs offered the space and time to pump. I had to quit my job before baby because I wanted to exclusively breastfeed, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to pump often enough to keep up my supply. I wrote a letter to my company asking them to be more supportive of nursing mothers, but they said they were following all state laws (and basically it wasn’t their problem). I am so glad I quit. A fellow nursing mom stayed, and she has had the worst time. She has to nurse in the backroom, where employees check in for work, do dishes, and get supplies. People are constantly in and out all day. She can’t use the bathroom, the only place with a lock and privacy, because it is for both employees and customers. She can only pump three times in a work day, on her 2 ten minute breaks and her half hour lunch, which in that time she also needs to use the bathroom and eat. She had so much trouble, she had to supplement to keep her baby alive. She went through two pumps trying to get her body to respond to the pumps the way some do (She has breasts like mine apparently that only pump out a couple ounces per pumping session). Some women just do respond well to pumps, while others could feed multiples with their pumped milked supply. It’s not fair that companies can do that to women, force them to choose between breastfeeding and work. First they only give 8 weeks of maternity leave, only partial pay, then they make it impossible to feed your baby once you return. Makes me want to move to another country where women get 6 months paid maternity leave! :). I was a Shift Supervisor at Starbucks by the way, now I’m a stay at home mom of two boys.
Angela Donahoe
She has to *pump* in the backroom, not nurse. Though sometimes her husband brought baby in time for her 10 or 30 for a quick nursing session.*
Erin
My husband did that for me sometimes, too.
Erin
I am so sorry you had such a rough time, Angela!! I would definitely write a letter of complaint to the Starbucks headquarters! This is terrible! But I’m so glad you are now home with your boys!
Stacey
This is my 2nd child and I return to work in mid-August (I’m a school teacher). She’s 3 and a half months and refuses to take a bottle! I have plenty of milk in the freezer and have tried 5 different bottles/nipples, no luck. I didn’t have any problem with my son, but had to return to work when I was 4 weeks post partum,not 4 months. Advice?
Kelly
It’s not as easy but sometimes going to a flexible cup or a syringe is a stop gap until the baby will take a bottle. It may also be important for your daughter to try bottles without you in the room. She smells you and is established in your routine with feeding and may possibly be confused and less willing to try. Hope it helps.
Kelly
It is possible! I managed to pump for 9 months after returning to work as a flight attendant. Relaxing is key. There are so many great storage options and double travel pumps out there. Find what works for you. Hang in there mamas!
Bee
I recently return to work after 2 1/2 months of maternity leave,I want to breastfeed my baby until 24 months, but It’s been two weeks and I still can’t adjust I always have a fever and body malaise every morning I guess pumping is not enough to empty my breast, what should I do.