Nursing and the Working Mom

By Summer Stidham

Okay, so you know that breastfeeding is the bestfeeding, but how do you nurse and work at the same time? Here are some surefire tips to keep the milk flowing!

Preparation

The preparation for going back to work begins as soon as the baby is born. It is important to establish your milk supply in the first 6 weeks so that it will be enough for your little one while in childcare.

• Pump while in hospital and when you come home to bring your milk in. You probably will not get much, but the pumping will add to your little ones sucking.
• Try not to supplement for the first 4 weeks or so. This will help establish your milk supply.
• Avoid overusing pacifiers. Let your child suck for comfort-that is if your nipples are not killing you.
• Introduce expressed milk or formula in a bottle around 1 month. Use a bottle designed for breastfeeding mothers, it will help eliminate nipple confusion.
• Contact a lactation consultant or your pediatrician for more help.

Tips for Keeping your Milk Production Up After Going Back to Work

After you go back to work it may be harder to supply enough milk for your little one. Here are some tips that will help you succeed.

• Get the right equipment. A double electric pump will help you to pump milk fast
  and efficiently. Also you may need nursing pads to put in your bra to prevent messy leaks.
• Nurse on demand when you are at home, this is so important! The baby is able to get more milk out of your breasts than a pump can thereby increasing your milk production. The breast works on the principle of supply and demand. An empty breast will make more milk and a full one will produce less.
• Nurse during your lunch hour if it is feasible. Most care providers will welcome you to come and feed your baby. They should provide you a private and comfortable place to feed.
• Prepare an insulated lunch box with a cold pack and extra bottles for pumping. Take this to work and pump at your normal feeding times. Ginger, a full time working mom to 7 month old Emma, says it is really important not to forget your bottles or you will be miserably full all day.
• Virginia, mom to 7 month old Alvin, says it is important to find a comfortable place to pump and to ignore people who might have comments about it.
• If your milk production seems to be lacking, there are lots of milk increasing remedies you can find at your local health food store or nursing boutique. Angie, mother of Eli 9 months, also suggests eating oatmeal and drinking Ovaltine to keep your production up.
• Most importantly get support! Join your local La Leche league or other mommy group. Here are some web addresses of local support groups:

  Huntsville/Madison Mommy Milk Meet-up
  La Leche League International

In reality not all working mothers may be able to continue breastfeeding exclusively; however, it is important to remember that any amount of breastfeeding is better than none. So go out there and get that milk flowing!

Summer Stidham is Mother to Eli (18 months old) and is an avid nurser.