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Working and Breastfeeding
I was treated very well as a new mother during my maternity leaves and the months of pumping breastmilk for my two older sons. (I was employed with Martin Memorial.)
Prior to returning to work after my first son, William, was born, I felt panicked, anticipating going back to work. Once I started actually working, the routine of pumping wasn't as dreadfully awful as what I anticipated (leaving him behind, finding child care are different issues-- Significant, but not addressed here). After William was born I limited my hours to the low end of full-time, working 72 hours, not the full 80 hours per two week pay period.
Before I ever really fully appreciated the value of breastfeeding to my sons health, I sought help from Carol, the IBCLC, at Martin Memorial. I was not having any major supply or latch issues like so many women have prior to going to work. I had just purchased a double electric breast pump and needed help with it. She made a few helpful suggestions about pumping and the size of the flanges. And after her help, I was able to quickly build up a frozen supply before I went back to work. I wasn't an IBCLC then. I didn't yet attend LLL meetings. Having made contact with a knowledgeable person reaffirmed and fueled my determination. Although some studies show that a woman can manually pump as much milk with their hands compared to a double electric, I am not one of those women. Having a quality pump secured my success. Let me say here, not only was my determination solidified, I was totally struck with fascination for what an IBCLC does after meeting one.
I felt that I had to warn "everyone" at work ahead of time and seek their permission to pump. (I worried about EVERYTHING). It turned out to be NOT necessary. I worked 9-7 & until the last patient was treated and discharged. I was also away from home for traveling time, average 11 hours sometime more. I went back to work about 12 weeks post partum.
The first few shifts back to work are like "practicing," but you quickly get a routine down. The first day took the longest. I found I could leave my pump set up in my office so I wasn't packing and unpacking it, in other words - not wasting time. Unexpectedly, the medicenter staff was encouraging of me to do this. My early and vulnerable days of breastfeeding, it seemed, that I always ran into support without looking. Not all women are so lucky.
It was rare that my son could be brought to me during my shift work. I think babies figure out our schedules and accommodate ei. sleep more during the day, nurse at night. (Good for the sitter, not so good for tired working mom.)
The first three months of work (my son was 3-6 months old), I pumped my milk during my lunch break and later in the afternoon. My second break was usually during a time I'd be waiting around anyway for my nurse to bring my patients back, do x-rays, respiratory treatments, etc.. I could multi-task. I often returned patient phone calls or looked things up while pumping. I could use one forearm to hold both flanges with practice. (I didn't know about hands free pumping.) If I could not get the second break before quitting time, I quickly pumped just before leaving. Even though it seemed that it might be better just to get home to nurse, the five minutes of pumping maintained my milk supply and comfort and replaced my milk for the next day. The staff told me despite my pumping, I kept up with the patient flow and my "disappearance" was often unnoticed.
I breastfed my baby just before leaving in the morning and started again the minute I arrived home. He had unrestricted access to my breasts when I was not at work. This way it kept my milk supply up while reconnecting and bonding.
Beyond the first three months (my son was now over 6 months old), I only pumped once during my shift and remained comfortable while replacing my milk. I was religious about my commitment to pump. William took 18-20 ounces while I was gone. Each day he drank some of my freshly pumped milk and some of my frozen stored milk. The days I worked each week varied, but my body and milk production was very accommodating to my schedule. I pumped till he was 11 months, so that equaled 8 months of pumping at work. I had plenty of frozen milk. (I actually missed my quiet break at work and then my cycle also returned). My son continued to nursed well beyond one-year-old and without restriction when I was home and he slept in my bed so we could be together and get rest.
I always had plenty of milk in the refridge. Fear of running out was never an issue.
Second baby - - When I worked with Scott my pumping routine was on the same time table, went back to work at about 3 months, pumped twice until 6 months, stopped pumping after 11 months, nursing beyond a year etc... But the office closed at 5:00 now, so I got home sooner. And I officially went part-time. Another difference was that I was tandem nursing. I never had a problem replacing/pumping milk while I was away that long. The milk flowed.
With both boys, I waited until breastfeeding was well-established without any complications before introducing a bottle. My sitters used bottles for both William and Scott. William would take any container holding any food, anytime, and it never interfered with nursing. Scott never liked the bottle. He would stall his feeds for at least 6-8 hours until he was really hungry. He refused bottles after 7 months old. Both patterns are common with breastfed babies of working mothers. I was lucky; some babies don't do so well switching between breast and bottle. I didn't know there were alternatives to bottles to feed a baby or toddler (syringe, spoon or cup.. sports top, straw as they get older). With my first son, I thought if he nursed at home then he *needed* a bottle with a sitter. Not true. Both boys gave up bottles long before they gave up nursing without any consequence. Neither would take a pacifier. Little did I know then that a pacifier could interfere with latch and milk supply and should all-together be discouraged.
Seven years later-- Third baby - now I am an IBCLC and confidently promoting breastfeeding and parenting. I wasn't working outside the home, when David was born. I could bring him everywhere I went. It is with great pride that I can say I was able to delay self-employment and that he only received breastmilk from the breast. He was never offered a bottle. I am fortunate that as I opened my practice when he was 9 months old that my first patients tolerated his presence and breastfeeding. It wasn't long before he could ask to stay home to play with his older brothers and go on junk food missions with his dad.
If you enjoy this article, you will enjoy the book Permission to Mother which includes the updated version.
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