How to Coordinate Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
Posted by Dr. Cason on Saturday, July 5th, 2008
When you’re a new mom and the topic of breastfeeding comes up, it can all be overwhelming! Sometimes I find the advice to be a little black and white. You need to take breastfeeding in stride.
Some of the strict advice is unrealistic, such as: “never give your baby a pacifier, never give formula, and never go more than 3 hours without pumping at work”.
I’ve seen too many moms give up entirely because they couldn’t do it the perfect way they were advised! Remember, there are no absolutes and you need to find what is best for you. Here are some things I advise my patients.
The sucking reflex is very great in some babies and if your little one wants to stay latched on every moment of the day it is okay to give them the pacifier. If you want to introduce a bottle, try doing so around two weeks to a month of age. Personally I like the two week mark but do it as long as the baby is very proficient at drinking from the breast and isn’t struggling with nipple confusion. I like parents to use pumped breast milk because some babies can get very gassy and constipated when switching between formula and breast milk.
About a month before you are going back to work start storing up milk. In the morning after some sleep, you will feel fuller so this is a good time to pump and actually get extra out.
Nurse your baby in the morning and then immediately pump out that which she didn’t take. Don’t worry if not a lot comes out, the stimulaton alone will encourage your body to make more milk. Store it in the freezer and then nurse her when the next normal time would be. Remember that the more you pump out the more your body will make. If you do this every morning you’ll have a ready supply when you return to work.
Now about pumping at work… Early on a physician friend reminded me that it was okay not to pump exactly when I would be feeding her. You can pump two hours apart particularly in the morning and get a good amount, and then later in the day go five hours without pumping. This is the schedule I worked out for myself.(This is assuming a typical 9-5 workday)
- Nurse your baby in the morning (let’s say 5 or 6 am) then pump immediately afterward for the extra.
- Then in a couple of hours go to work and pump immediately again (or pump right before you leave if you don’t have a long commute).
- Then pump at 12:00 noon when you have lunch. By now, between pumping and feeding the baby, you’ve expressed milk four times in six hours. You can then wait until 5 or 6 pm for the next feed.
- Nurse her when you get home.
- Nurse her again before her bedtime and
- Pump again before you go to sleep.
You can see this takes some dedication, but this routine has worked for me. Above all try your own schedule and trust yourself! Some people want only to nurse their baby in the morning and evening and give formula all day. This is also okay. Your body will soon adjust and make enough only for these times.
If your supply drops whether through decreased pumping or your baby goes through a growth spurt, try pumping after every time she feeds. Your body needs to be told to make more! I did this on the weekends a lot of the time. If you’re drinking and eating then your supply will rise again by the following week. Remember that to make milk you need to be drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day, eating and sleeping.
Finally, I suggest getting a car adapter as well as a battery operated pack for your pump. You’ll be happier to pump in a car with a blanket over you rather than in a bathroom stall!
Filed in Everything Medicine |
Audubon Ronon 05 Jul 2008 at 11:07 pm 1Read it, good piece.
Audubon Rons last blog post..Dermatology Update:
Irene Changon 06 Jul 2008 at 1:56 am 2Thanks so much for your advice. My baby is 3 months & doesn’t have a predictable routine yet. That makes preparing to go back to work a little overwhelming–how will my work schedule fit with hers? Will I be too stressed to make milk? Thank God that I’ve got my husband, family, and the support of other back to work moms who’ve continued to nurse with success! By the way, how many ounces do you suggest having stored up beforehand?
Queen Mommyon 06 Jul 2008 at 10:09 am 3I have three children and nursed all of them. I pumped at work and stored it up. I sucessfully gave them all bottles, none of them were interested in pacifiers. Your advice is very sound, so many books are so preachy about the subject.
Find your stride and go with it, despite what the books say!
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Dr. Casonon 06 Jul 2008 at 8:14 pm 4Audubon- Thanks! Every once in a while I need to throw in some peds.
Irene- I had a lot! Start now but don’t go too crazy. I pumped and put the milk in the plastic Lansinoh bags and then laid the bag in the freezer shelf to freeze flat. When it was frozen I then stacked all the bags up and put in in a large gallon sized zip lock bag. I wrote the dates on the outside and put it at the back of the freezer. I used the oldest first and then rotated the bags forward as I need them. You’ll get the routine that works for you. Good Luck!
Queen Mommy-It takes a lot of work to pump at work but it can be done. I found that you just need to be easy on yourself! And find supportive people! And have a deep desire to make it work. Sounds like you had all that!