For both newborns and moms, nursing is important for health and bonding. Yet there are challenges with a mom wanting to breastfeed her baby and having to eventually return to work. How often should I pump? Where will I pump? Will I produce enough milk? These are all questions that breastfeeding moms ask themselves when returning to work. Some moms even wonder if breastfeeding is an option. Be assured that breastfeeding is possible and there are resources available to help you.
Lessons Learned
With my first child, I didn’t get past three days before I had to switch to formula. As a new mom, I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t know who I could ask for help. There are lactation experts in the hospital that will help and if you want or need more help after leaving the hospital, lactation experts can be found everywhere. Finding one can be as simple as doing a Google search for one in your area. A great resource option for nursing support is the La Leche League.
Another lesson I learned was that mom’s milk can dry up. When I was breastfeeding my second child, I went back to work early. It was easy for me to pump, so I began to pump exclusively and give her a bottle. This helped me save time. However, three months into nursing my milk dried up which seemed to happen overnight. I found out that a nursing mother needs the stimulation of the baby to continue nursing. This is information I wish I had known earlier.
I was determined to exclusively nurse my last child and I successfully did. I learned a lot about nursing with my children. Along the way, I had several bouts of mastitis and thrush. Nursing a child is not always easy, but it is possible with determination, persistence, and support. Bonding with your newborn baby is vitally important for many reasons, and nursing can be an essential part of that process. However, if you are having difficulties with nursing or find that you need to use formula, do not lose heart. The bonding process involves more than nursing.
Pumping at Work
By law your place of employment is to provide a private place other than a bathroom for moms to pump milk. Employers are also required to provide reasonable break time for moms to express milk, not once a day but each time there is a need to pump. If for some reason you are not accommodated at work with a place to pump and time to pump, it’s important that you speak with your employer about your needs.
Here are some tips:
- Set a pumping schedule that you can share with your manager so that they are aware and prepared for your breaks.
- Locate the place designated for pumping and make it as comfortable for you as you can. it can be difficult for some moms to nurse if they are stressed.
- Make sure to put the baby to the breast when you return home from work. This closeness will prevent your milk supply from decreasing.
My Experience
When I was using a breast pump at work, I used everything from a dirty bathroom to a state-of-the-art lactation room to pump. Once, I was in a bathroom sitting on a toilet pumping while another person was on the other side of the wall getting sick. It just didn’t make sense to me how a company would think this was a viable option.
The best lactation station that I ever visited was during a business trip out of state. The lactation station included several private rooms, a refrigerator to store the milk, a sink with cleaning supplies, and current magazines. There was enough room for multiple moms to visit at once without needing a schedule and enough privacy that no one knew who was in there.
Another good lactation station, while lacking quite a bit, did provide a private room. Each mom would check out a key from the front desk when they needed to use it. The room included nothing more than a few long tables with makeshift dividers and some very old magazines. This room was located right in the middle of the hallway to the lunchroom; therefore, there was a lack of privacy.
Breastfeeding is natural and essential for mother and child. By making pumping difficult or 
inconvenient for a nursing mother, an organization is running the risk of demonstrating that she is somehow separate and unappreciated. All organizations can do better than having a new mother pumping in the bathroom during their lunch break. Businesses and organizations must allow employees to pump milk for their children; however, accommodations and schedules may vary enormously. While having a private, designated lactation room with all the amenities would be the best-case scenario, just having a private room to pump when needed would also be much appreciated.
I’d love to hear from you about your experiences and what a working parent really wants from their workplace. Please complete my survey. Once the series of articles on Experiences as a Working Mother is complete, I will run an updated article with your feedback.
