Bfing and Working

Hello. I breastfed and worked part-time for over a year. IT is important to have a hospital grade pump to use, to keep up the milk flow. You can rent one from a hospital. Good Luck! Use avent bottles, they are the most like the breast.

When I went back to work I had a Medela Pump In Style. It was great because I had a car charger and on nice days I would go out to my van and take a magazine and have a nice break. I didn't do it with my first but I am very happy I did with our youngest.

S.

PS I don't know if I can say this or not (I guess I didn't read the rules carefully enough) but, I am willing to sell my Pump In Style. It's just sitting in the closet, if anyones interested.

I BF my oldest for well over a year. I pumped at work at least twice a day. I agree with the earlier post...rent or buy an electric Medela pump! All I had at the time was the hand held Medela. The kind that looks like a piston. I can't begin to tell you how Buff my arms were! :) I was lucky, I worked as a nurse on a busy med/surg floor and I would hide out in one of the secluded waiting rooms. I always took a picture of my baby and did some relaxation breathing to stimulate my milk let-down. I took that time to pray and just try to relax my body. I felt so lucky that I was able to do this for my baby even though I could not be with him. My co-workers were very supportive of my decision to pump. They knew that I wasn't taking extra breaks just to mess around. Naturally, I missed the social aspects of going down to the cafeteria with my co-workers, but it was worth it. Occasionally, one of my friends would join me for "lunch and pump". :)
Don't give up. It is such a happy time of your life.
God Bless.
S.

You can totally do it, if 1. you buy a hospital grade pump (insurance might cover this) and 2. you work doesnt mind the 15 minute break you will need every four hours or so to pump. I was able to do it (I worked 12 hour days on the weekend days until my baby turned three months, and I decided not to go back) At home she would nurse every two hours, but at work I only bothered to pump every four hours and that was fine. It never bothered my milk supply or anything. You can do it!!! :)
~A.

Hi! There is some good advice here. I would caution against using a pump from someone you don't know extremely well. Any of the pump manufacturer's have to tell you that you should never use anyone's else's pump as some of the breastmilk molecules can get into the tubing and even the pumping/suction mechanism. And it is possible to transmit something to you. That said, I have lent my breastpump out to family members - but only with a new set of tubes, which you can order easily and inexspensively from the manufacturer. Read up on breastfeeding and working. Several good books you can find at the local public library are "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" from La Leche League, "The Breastfeeding Book" by Dr. William Sears. ALSO, you may find it helpful to attend a La Leche League breastfeeding support group meeting. Go to www.lalecheleague.org to find some near where you live. Often, they meet in the evenings or weekends so that working moms can attend. At the very least, call one of the group leaders listed so you can get some personal advice. Best Wishes!!

Oh the days!....I used to get up early and pump one breast while feeding my son from the other. I then pumped 2-3 x at work and fed him again when I picked him up. Luckily, my work at the time had private bathrooms. I had to stand up, but it worked. I really hated pumping, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I was pretty happy at 9 mos though when my son refused to take any more bottles!!! :) I would follow the previous suggestion and get a good pump - I have a medela, too. They also make these steamer bags for cleaning all the parts - GET THEM!!! They will save you soo much time. I used them for all my bottles, nipples, pump parts, etc. Anything that needs sanitized.
Good luck!!

I pumped for almost 10 months with my first one and am back to work now after my second and pumping again. I pump on one side while eating breakfast in the mornings, and feed her on the other. I pump on my lunch break on both sides. You can also pump right after the baby goes to bed to have more milk. My daughter eats 4 ounces every 2-3 hours. I have been able to keep up with enough milk for the day. If there is a time I don't get enough pumped I will mix an ounce of formula with the milk, hasn't been a problem for her. Good luck with it and I hope it works out for you. If you have any questions you can contact me!

I have a two year old and a nine month old and I BF both and had to pump at work. I'm currently doing this with my 9 month old in fact! I pump twice a day at work, once in the morning and once in the afternoon after lunch. This seems to be sufficient for me to get enough milk and I BF exclusively at home. It can be a pain to schedule meetings, etc, around pumping but it's WORTH IT! Good luck!

Hi,

I breastfed at work for 6 months and I didn't have any problems with it. I had a Medela Pump In Style and it worked great because it had a cold storage container for 4 bottles of milk and I would pump and leave the milk on my desk and didn't have to worry about storing it in the main refrigerator. My work has an "executive" bathroom and nursing moms were able to use it for pumping since it had a chair and table. It is really hard to do it in the normal bathroom if there isn't a couch or something that you can sit on and be comfortable. Some of my friends have booked conference rooms and locked the door and used that for pumping. I pumped every 3 to 4 hours at work and it did get to be a pain sometimes when you had meetings and other things but in the end it was completely worth it.

A.

If you feel uncompfortable pumping at work then go into a quite area or the restroom and pump your heart away because I guarentee that you have had your baby on a schedule that your breast are also on and if you don't pump when you think that it is necessary then you may leak up where your leaken should not be leaken at that time. I am not sure what you do at work but any slight noise or just the thought of you baby crying will get the milk to flow faster than you can sneeze. Just bring in a thermal bag with bottles in it and when you feel you need to pump then pump away and put the bottles in the fridge. Don't worry it gets easier.

Hi S.:
Congratulations on your commitment. It's not easy but it's definitely doable and well worthwhile! I'm one of the lucky ones who has a private bathroom at work and I can leave my desk at my leisure. I do have to give up my lunch break to accommodate the extra time pumping. Here's some tips that have helped me...
1. Make sure your boss and your team members are aware of your decision and how important it is to you. I'm sure you're familiar with all the benefits of BFing. Talk about them in ways that are meaningful to the company (potentially less sick days for you and your baby, etc.)
2. I have this little stuffed cow that I put on my keyboard when I'm pumping -- a discreet way to let my officemates know that I'll be away from my desk for 15 minutes.
3. I get very focused on my work and I sometimes forget to pump -- so I'll put a post it note with my next pump time on my screen.
4. Don't think about work while you pump. Take the time to close your eyes, relax and really focus on your baby -- it helps the milk let down and makes you feel close to your baby, even if you're far away.
Good luck!

Hey there...I have a 6 mo old and I'm staying at home now, but I did go back to work for about a month. I BF for the first 5 months, when I did go back to work, I lost my milk. But I was only able to pump every 5 or 6 hours (I was a store manager for a very busy clothing store). So if you can pump as often as he eats (or at least every 4 hours), you should be fine at least until you get used to things. Also make sure you get a good electric pump. I actually rented one from the hospital and it was much cheaper than buying (you rent the machine, but buy all the other parts that need to be sterilized). It will probably be frustrating for a little bit, but hang in there, you'll get it figured out. Good Luck!

Good luck and it is totally do-able. I've pumped while traveling, in my car and in many an airport bathroom. Its not easy but it doesn't last forever.

You've had great advice and I only have a few things to add. 1. Try to bring a picture of your child or have a few loaded on your computer (if you work in that type of setting). Looking at your baby and thinking about your baby will help with your milk release.
2. Invest in a hands free pumping band (I bought a Made for Mom's one off ebay). Not only does it free up your hands (to return email, eat, talk on the phone, etc), it provides breast compression which makes pumping more effective. I nearly doubled my output when I started using the band.
3. Drink Mother's Milk tea everyday and take Fenugreek supplements-- especially if you notice your supply dipping. Definitely back off if you're getting too engorged. I needed to develop a bit of an oversupply of milk to keep up with my daughter's needs. The supplements really helped.

My daughter also decided she no longer wanted bottles aroun 8 months old and so I dropped down to just pumping once/6 hours. By that time, my supply was totally fine. In the beginning, you'll want to pump more often to keep up your supply.

Also, your child may start to "reverse cycle" which means that he may want to feed even more when you're home... bad for sleeping, good for your supply. It usually regulates itself within a month or so and he'll probably take bottles better during the day.

I just wanted to add that you may want to consider going to a La Leche League meeting geared toward working mothers. If you call the local number, I think it's 357-MILK, you can get a list of leaders. One of them could direct you to a group.

There is so much great advice here...I just want to say that if it doesn't work out in the beginning, don't be discouraged and keep trying. I had the luxury of having 6 months with my son before going back to work, after which I began pumping. It was hard for me to supply all that my son required (he drank like a fish) and my body seemed to know that I was "tricking" it. My supply grew low, but I kept trying. I eventually had to supplement some formula in between feedings because the supply wasn't there (he ate every 2-3 hours too). At about 11 months old, my milk supply went dry - it seemed to be either all or nothing, so I gave in. I wish I'd had this type of support then with experienced mothers, so that I maybe could've kept breastfeeding longer. Just know that sometimes things don't always go as planned, but knowing that you tried everything to keep that supply going will make you feel better about doing what's best for your baby.

What exactly do you want to know? I went back to work August 28 my daughter was born June 30.
1. Start pumpimg now a small reserve is nice
2. Give the baby a few bottles to guage their eating habits/needs...it is hard to tell as your breast has no ounce marks.
3. find out if your daycare provider has breastmilk experience. If not suppy liturature
4. keep your liquids up during the day and eat well. (supply & demand the baby is not demanding nnurish your body so it gives you what you need)

5.I miss her terribly during the day and pumping is not easy. I know however my milk is best so I do what I need to give it to her.

Remember we have all had those days where it gets busy/hectic and we forget to eat well, you cannot forget to pump. As a working and breast feeding Mom you have to make the time during the day and do not let anyone make you feel guilty about the time you use to pump. I felt guilty for a while then I realized that I was taking far less personal time out of the day than the smokers around me and none of them seem to show remorse for the lack of productive time while taking a smoke break.

I hope this helps

I went back to work full time when my son was 3 months old and strictly breasfead, he is 7 months old now. My work was wonderful about it, they let me have 2-3 breaks during the day to go pump and they offer several different private lactation rooms. I started pumping and saving up the milk and getting my son used to taking it in a bottle when he was about six weeks old. Unfortunately, when I pumped I didn't get enough milk as when I would feed him directly so we ended up having to supplement with some formula. I would make my first pumping appointment about a half our or so after I got into work because you produce more milk in the morning. I would take a little cooler with ice in it to keep the milk in and always labeled the milk when I was done with date and amount. Let me know if you have any questions!

I bought a Medela pump. They're expensive but compared to the cost of formula and the benefits of breast milk, it was a small price to pay. I worked full time and pumped 3 times a day for 10-15 minutes. Try to schedual pumping similiar to your child's eating habits. I pumped in the bathroom because it was a large, single person restroom with a shelf I could sit my things on. I wouldn't have wanted to pump in a restroom where someone else could have walked in and did their business in the stall next to me. If you're lucky enough to have your own office, just shut and lock the door or hang a sign up. I think I would have asked to borrow someone else's office space a couple times a day if I didn't have a comfortable area to pump in.

Hello S., I BFed and it is easy! Depending on if you are having the baby taken to a center or babysitter or home sitter you can do the same thing just as long as there are no rules as the center has. But anyways just start pumping and storing the excess in the freezer. Make the bottles before you go to the sitter and have them ready. While at work I took a small back back handbag/luch box and stored the pump and the ice packs, I was able to put the lunch box in the fridge at work and stored it that way til I got home to freeze it. Breast feeding is great and important!!!! I wish you the best of luck!

S.

First, you need to start pumping now. It doesn't just come easily. (It takes practice. I started out by sitting down while pumping, but felt i had to juggle too much all scrunched up, then found that standing and pumping works best for me.) I have a Bailey Nurture III Breast Pump. Its a double electic pump that comes with a Caringbag that has an insulated tote for bottle storage. It comes with everything you need and is compact & descrete. Best thing about going to a personal sales distibuter is if you need additional parts such as filters you can call her up and get them from her, other wise you would have to buy a whole new pump. And Walmart and other retail stores don't sell parts for pumps. This pump worked great for me and only cost $150. for everything!!! I have the contact info of the lady I bought mine from if you would like it. Just contact me. I highly recommend this pump to anyone. It works just a well if not better than the hospital pumps, you can use it as a double pump or single. It comes with a video and manual instructions, and is very easy to use.

While home between feedings pump just enough to get you familiar with the pump and to stimulate your body. Start with pumping maybe ten mintues at every time you pump, then increase your time. Be sure to pump a good hour or so before your son's next feeding.

A couple days before you go back to work begin a routine for pumping. I would wake up in the morning, nurse my daughter, get a bite of breakfast, get dressed, then pump before I left for work. Then approximately every 3 hours pump at work, just like your nursing schedule at home. For me my daily routine was something like this.

6:30-7am-ish nurse my daughter when she woke up.
7:30am-ish Pump
10am-ish Pump at work (in the bathroom)
12pm-ish Pump during my lunch break (in the bathrrom)
3pm-ish Pump at work (bathroom)
5:30pmish Nurse my daughter as soon as I got home or grandma's if that whre she was.
7pm - 10pm Nurse my daughter once every hour till her last nursing at 10 pm and put to bed. Stocking up the feedings at night help then to get on a sleeping schedule, its takes a while but it works. But she would still wake in the night once or twice to be nursed til around 3-4 mos.

Sometimes in the earlier months I would sneak a pumping in the evening schedule if she took a small nap. Or later on when her feeding schedule wasn't so demanding in the evening I would pump once in the evening to keep a good supply going.

It is difficult to pump at work, I won't lie. but you just have to try and stay relaxed, and focused on your son. There are many distractions at work, and your mind may be racing. Just take a burp cloth or article of his clothing that has is smell on it to drape over your shoulder or a picture to focus on. If you have problems with letdown, apply a warm compress on your breast for minute or so right before you pump.

Sorry this was so long, but I hope it helps.
Good luck! You can Do it!!!