Working and Breastfeeding

[Bundymumof2]

Hi
I want to know if anyone has been able to return to work and still breastfeed? I have an electric breast pump but I really dont know what to do. I really need to go back to work for financial reasons, but it would break my heart to stop feeding my bub. I want to feed till he is at least one.

[Willow]

Hey Bundy, I did return to work and continued to breastfeed but my DD was much older, 11 months.

We were down to 2 feeds a day then. I only work 2 days per week as well - will you be returning full time?

What we did was express during the week, as much as I could manage. DD would then have that EBM on the days I was at work. While I was at work I would also express and this EBM would be used for the following week. I'd just try to build it up as best I could. Worked really well for us.

It really depends on the circumstances in which you are returning to work, but I'm happy to help you in any way I can and I'm sure there's a lot more BB working mums who will offer advice and support too!

[Mother Goose]

Hi bundy,

My workplace is very supportive of breastfeeding Mothers and is rather accomodating to their needs. We make a room available for them to express if they are expressing - and they can use it as often as they need to for as long as they need to.
We also had one Mum who returned to work when her Bub was about 3 months old. She had her baby in Childcare at a centre which was 20min walk from work. This lady would go down and feed her baby a couple of times a day - she never expressed. Work was fine with it (she was discreet and did work a little extra to make up for the time she was gone). This went on for at least 12 months.
We also had a Mum whose husband would bring the baby in to work for a feed and she would just go for a coffee with her DH and feed baby at the same time. Lucky they lived close to work!

So I guess it is going to really depend on how flexible your work place is. But it can certaintly be done.

HTH

MG

[morv]

My bub was older as well when I returned to work. I think that she was 10 months. At that age I was able to give her all the breast milk that she needed before and after work. She would just drink water during the day.

[Bundymumof2]

Hi
Thanks for those tips. Maybe when he starts solids he wont need as much breast milk. I should start expressing now as much as possible to start a stockpile.

Thanks Girls

[Tracey]

Hi there...

I returned to work when Indah was almost 6mths old, I had about 2 litres of expressed breast milk in the freezer (in approx 220ml lot's each) I then gave my sister whom was looking after Indah 3 bottles worth (I would give Indah both breasts before work in the morning) then I would express 3times a day & get about 250ml each time & bag that up to be either frozen or given to my sister for the following day, I'd then feed Indah whenever & how ever often she wanted breast from the minute I walked in the door at night, sometimes she'd only have 2 bottles & on weekends I let her feed all day so as to make sure I had ample supply!
I fed her til she was 14mths & I would have kept feeding but I was pregnant again & she refused breast & went straight on to cows milk from a cup, so it is definately possible! Make sure you drink plenty of water & eat well so you make enough milk!

[kitten2b]

I am similar to Tracey. I returned to work when Maria was 6 months old but I expressed twice a day so that she only had breastmilk until she was just over a year old. The Childcare centre was great and very supportive with my choice, I think they were just expecting her to go onto formula.

[caznjj]

Would it be possible to start a thread for mums expressing at work? I'm going back in early July - #2 will be 6mo and I'll be working 3 days, hubby will be at home with bubs and giving him EMB on the days I'm at work.

I'd really like to be part of a little group of mums doing the same thing - just to get ideas, give each other support and know that someone out there is going through the same things as me!

[MantaRay]

Hi Bundy, I too have done it, twice now.

Jack was 7 months and not having much solids at all, so I was pretty much exclusively bfing. I was lucky that he was nearby during the day, so I was actually feeding him at lunchtimes. Then I was expressing twice a day. Jack would drink the EBM from a cup. I had a stockpile of EBM before starting back, and until Jack was about 12 months, I was getting tonnes of milk when expressing so always had way too much EBM. My supply dropped right off when I was pg with no 2, but it co-incided with Jack being 12 months anyway so he was able to have cows milk and dropped bfeeds one at a time until he self weaned at 14 months.

Tom was 8 months and I mostly work from home. But when I'm in at work I don't get to feed him at lunchtimes so I express 3 times a day.

The best ways to prepare are to start a stockpile, talk to your workplace about somewhere to express, talk to your child's carer about using EBM and make sure that your little one can drink from a bottle or cup (this might take some practice).

The one thing I can say is that continuing to bf after returning to work was easier than I expected once I got used to it. It was also very rewarding. I know you can do it and will be glad that you did. Best of luck to you.

ETA Feel free to ask any more questions. The ABA have great info on Expressing and Storing milk and also on Breastfeeding and Work.

[Starfish]

I went back to work part-time when DD was 3 weeks old. I work a full day on Mondays, so I express once in the morning, feed bub at lunchtime (either drive home or have her bought to me), then express again in the afternoon. My workplace is pretty good with making allowances for me to express and have flexible breaks and start and finish times. The rest of the week I only work mornings, so I express once during that time. I have a manual pump, which is very easy to use and carry around.