Breastfeeding and the Working Mom – Can I continue to breastfeed I return to work? Yes, you can. If you live near work or have nearby or on site daycare, you could manage to take nursing breaks to feed your infant. If this is not possible, you have two options:
Option 1: You can keep up your milk supply by using a high quality electric breast pump. Your child’s caregiver can give your baby bottles of your expressed breast milk. (You can also supplement with formula in case you can not produce enough milk.) You’ll still be able to nurse your child whenever you are not at work.
The U.S. Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed into law in 2010, requires employers to provide mothers of infants younger than 12 months a fair rest time for pumping and a private place to pump, other than a toilet. (Companies with fewer than 50 employees do not have to abide if compliance would create “undue hardship.”) For more information, read this U.S. government fact sheet.
Option 2: If you can not or don’t need to pump at work, you can gradually replace daytime feedings with formula while you’re still at home but continue to nurse at night and in the morning. Remember, though, that if you don’t nurse or pump during the day, your milk supply will decline.
What are the benefits of pumping at work?
Your milk production stimulates, so you’ll have plenty of milk available when you nurse. Your infant will possess the health and nutritional advantages of breast milk even when you are not there. What is more, pumping can be a wonderful method to feel linked to your infant during the workday.
And you may avert missed workdays, because breastfed babies are half as likely to get sick in their very first year as those on formula.
You get reestablish your bond to snuggle immediately, and nurture your baby in a way no one else can.
To ensure that your baby will need to nurse when you get home, ask your caregiver to feed him just enough to take the edge off any hunger, or not to feed him during the past hour of the workday. Afterward you and also your infant can anticipate a warm reunion daily.
How do I successfully handle pumping at work?
- A breast pump, preferably a fully automatic electric pump with a double collection kit as possible to help you pump both breasts in the same time as economically
- Bottles or bags to accumulate and keep your milk (storage bottles frequently come with the breast pump)
- Access to a fridge or a small cooler to maintain the milk cold till you get it home (most pumps come with a cooler pack)
- If you leak breast pads to preserve your clothes
- A hands free pumping bra. Many moms love these because they enable you to pump while leaving your hands free to sort, make phone calls, and so on while not necessary. (You could also try making your own hands-free pumping bra by attaching rubber bands to the clasps on a regular nursing bra or cutting holes within an old jogging bra.)
- Somewhere to pump. Ideally, you will have access to a private room at work in which you can pump, such as for example an office, a conference room, or perhaps a large, clean cabinet with electric outlet, countertop, and a chair. Try to locate an area with a door that locks you don’t have to worry about anyone intruding on your privacy. (Some exemptions make an application for companies that employ fewer than 50 people.)
- It is recommended to become accustomed to pumping weekly or two before returning to work you will know what to expect and the way that it feels. You’ll be more confident pumping at work if you already realize you can create enough milk to fill a storage bag or bottle. Plus, it’s reassuring when you head off to work to really have a stash of breast milk.
Your milk supply may vary daily. To maximize your milk flow, make an effort to pump at the same time and place each day. Fatigue and anxiety are your biggest enemies, so attempt to relax. To get in the mood during pumping breaks, some moms like to have a photo of their baby easy, an article of infant clothing, or just a record of the baby’s babbles and coos. And remember, you’re still a nursing mother, so eat well and drink plenty of water while at work.
How frequently can I pump?
This schedule should provide all of the milk your baby will want while you are gone and let you keep your milk supply up so you may continue to nurse your infant on weekends as well as each day and evening. Simply do the best you can if that is not possible.
How can I keep breast milk on the job?
Shop and pump milk in plastic bottles or glass or in plastic milk collection bags. Leave room near the very top of every bottle or tote for growth in the event that you will be freezing the milk. Label the bottles or bags using the date in order to use the oldest ones.
Keep the oldest ones in a cooler while on the job or work fridge. Tote the milk house in a insulated cooler with the ice pack.
Can I tell others that I am pumping?
Support is the secret to success. Knowing other mothers who pump at work, it is wise to ask them for guidance and encouragement. Otherwise, you do not have to tell your coworkers what you are doing on your breaks if you feel not comfortable, but you need to tell your manager.
From leaking at work, how can I keep my breasts?
At feeding times, your breasts will probably feel really full throughout the very first weeks that you’re back at work and might leak milk.
Some moms leak regardless of what, though. If this is the situation for you personally, use breast pads in your bra to safeguard your clothing from stains and prevent embarrassing wet areas.
What if I have to travel for work?
Traveling – frequent business trips without your infant – doesn’t mean you have to discontinue breastfeeding.
References :
- Breastfeeding and the working mom : babycenter.com/0_breastfeeding-and-the-working-mom_641.bc?page=1
- Images: babycenter.com, nasslagdenie.ru
Article publié pour la première fois le 18/06/2015