Returning to work after months of maternity leave does not mean the end of your breastfeeding journey. It can be challenging to get that work-life balance right when planning to go back to work after maternity leave — you might feel torn between the emotional pull of leaving your baby and the need to earn money and develop your career.
If you wish to continue to breastfeed your baby, you will need a solid plan and good communication to make sure your baby can still benefit from the goodness of your breast milk. This means expressing breast milk at work and storing and transporting it safely so that your caregiver can feed it to your baby. Here are some useful tips for pumping at work.
Have a plan
It is important that you discuss in advance your pumping needs with your employer, especially your pumping schedule. Plan where you will pump in the office — ensure you choose a space with privacy, a chair, and a power outlet.
Be prepared before returning to work
Ensure you have everything you need to pump, collect, store, and transport your breast milk. The most obvious essential to have is a double electric breast pump as it is the quickest and gives the best milk yield. Other than that, your daily kit should also include:
- collection bottles or milk storage bags
- a cooler bag and ice packs for storing and transporting your breast milk
- nursing pads or a spare top in case of milk leakage
- nursing wear
You must also practice pumping and giving your baby the expressed breast milk a few weeks in advance so that both of you get used to feeding this way. Encourage other people like family and friends to feed your baby the expressed milk so your baby can get used to being fed by others.
Talk to colleagues
You are not obliged to inform your colleagues that you are pumping, but, letting them know may help with acceptance and understanding. You might find another colleague in the same boat as you as your 'pumping pal' and give each other support and empowerment.
Time it right
Your pumping schedule should follow whenever you would usually breastfeed your baby at home. This will help you collect enough for your baby's daily feeds and maintain your breast milk supply.
Storing expressed milk at work
The ideal storage for EBM is surely the refrigerator. If it is a shared fridge, be sure to label clearly your container with the date it was expressed. If there is no fridge, keep your liquid gold in an insulated bag or cooler with ice packs and as soon as you get home, place the breast milk in the freezer or fridge.
Breast milk can be stored safely at room temperature for up to four hours, in an insulated cooler bag with ice packs for 24 hours, in the fridge for up to four days, and frozen for up to six to 12 months (though using it within six months is recommended!). When reaching for the breast milk to feed your little one, take the oldest milk first.
Take care of yourself
Combining work and breastfeeding is a challenge especially while you are still adjusting and getting used to it, or your baby still wakes at night. Remember to take it one day at a time, look after yourself, and know that things will get easier as your baby gets older. Reach out for help and try other alternatives if you must.
