Recently I have become an admin for a breastfeeding and parenting help page on Facebook to further extend my skills and help those in need find the page here
One of the questions that comes up the most is how a mum is going to cope when she goes back to work, also how much is so supposed to pump, how to pump and so on, so here are a few helpful hints for those going back to work.
It's not an easy decision to leave your young, breastfed (or bottlefed) baby and head back to the workforce but a mortgage/rent, bills and reality often forces us back well before we would like to.
HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO PUMP?
A lot of mothers (myself included once upon a time) worry when they first leave their baby, will he or she have enough milk? What if the sitter runs out? Should I buy formula just in case?
Here is a simple way to calculate how much milk you need to pump (some babies will drink more or less than this, it won't take long to work out your individual baby and his/her needs)
Lets say your baby feeds 9 times per day divide that by 740ml or 25oz (depending which you go by)
740/9 = 82.22ml or 25/8 = 3.13oz
So baby will need approx 80ml or 3oz per feed whilst you are away
This is based on babies 1-6 months old some babies 6 months old can drink 100mls per feed though so it is about getting to know your baby.
Based on the above calculations lets say 7 of the 9 feeds are during the day to make sure you have enough stashed if you have to work over or are running late so can't breastfeed in the morning.
80ml x 7 = 560ml or 21oz is needed for the day.
To get an idea on how much your baby needs via another method visit this hand Milk Calculator which uses your babies weight and how often they feed.
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH PUMP TO USE?
Another common and perfectly valid question there are so many different pumps and sometimes our budget is tight which is why we must return to work so that effects our choices too but we need something that will still work the best for our body.
Even though budgets are tight consider this for a moment, even the top of the market pumps are cheaper than formula feeding for a year.
What do you need to look for?
Pump cycles - A baby sucks roughly 45-55 times per minute so for a pump to be really effective you need are the same pump cycles, something considerably lower isn't going to be that good at expressing milk and will leave you feeling stressed and deflated.
Single or double? A single pump will only pump one breast at a time, not a fast pumping option more suited to a mum only occasionally pumping
Double well now you get another option - Double alternating or double simultaneous - a double alternating will pump as the opposite breast releases, a double simultaneous pump pumps and releases the breasts at the same time, this is the most effective pump and will give you a better output and cut your pumping time in half.
Comfort - Not many mums know that the shield that come with your pump are a one size fits most however you can buy different sizes having a shield too small or too large for your breasts and/or nipple can severely effect how well you can pump
Noise level - if you plan to pump at work who wants a really loud pump? It can also be a distraction effecting how well you can relax during pumping which will in turn effect your supply
There are a few other things that you may have to consider but these are the most important things when making your decision.
If you want to try before you buy and have a little time to choose the right pump for you there are lots of places that hire breast pumps out - we are one of those - A Rainbow Doula Pump Hire
WILL BABY GET NIPPLE CONFUSION OR START REFUSING THE BREAST?Nipple confusion will generally only happen if baby is going back and forth from the breast to bottle at a very young age and may not happen at all. Nipple confusion generally happens because the milk from a bottle flows faster and easier and baby then doesn't want to work to get his/her milk as they do from the breast.
Medela came out with these great bottles called calma bottles where baby has to suck as they would at the breast to get any milk which are a great idea if you are worried about nipple confusion.
When a baby refuses the breast we refer to this as a nursing strike at some point all mothers working or stay at home will experience this, it lasts a few days and this is where frustrated, tired mums fall into the bottle/formula trap, don't give up your baby will come back to the breast if you presist.
Offer baby the breast as much as possible but do not force baby to the breast.
Spend lots of time topless with your baby topless, the skin to skin will do wonders for you both.
WILL I NEED TO PUMP AT WORK?
Ideally, yes. To maintain a supply and not have such a big pumping job to do once you finish work to make sure you have tomorrows supply ready it is a good idea to be able to pump at work. This is where your double pump comes in handy, especially if you've gotten your hands on one that is battery operated as well as power unless you are lucky enough to have private access to a power point. All you'll need is 15 minutes to pump, if you're lucky enough to get 2 breaks take the opportunity to pump at both of these (I have eaten many lunches and pumped at the same time!)
Just think if you can manage to pump twice what a relief it will be to know there is about 400ml of your babies milk for tomorrow already pumped when you walk in the door at home. If you're lucky and respond well to pumps as I was fortunate enough to you can fill a 200ml bottle from each breast at each session. Even if you only get the chance to pump once thats still milk you dont have to worry about tomorrow no matter how much or how little you get.
Will your boss let you pump at work? In most places (all states in Australia and the majority in the US plus many other countries) it is illegal for a boss to not allow you a break to express in Australia this comes under the federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984 it is illegal in Australia to discriminate against a person either directly or indirectly on the grounds of breastfeeding
