How to Breastfeed and Work... I Am Worried and Stressed! Please Help!

Hey, I know how you feel. I am an RN at one of the local hospitals so I don't have the flexibility that you do, but i have a 4 month old that I pump for. Just pump every 2 hours. I take my breast pump to work, and every 4 hours, I pump and just have a ilttle portable cooler that I put my milk in. That is the best way. And your fiance will just have to use trial and error. I tell my husband, when in doubt stick a bottle in his mouth. My son still eats on and off every 2 hours, but he sleeps through the night now. That is a relief when I have such early days!

I have worked and breastfed both of my girls. I would give it a good 2 weeks of you back to work before you and your husband and son have a good routine down. Remember to make sure that you are taking care of yourself and eating right, drinking A LOT of water and not stressing too much (easy to say, I know!). Stess with lower your supply. But eating and drinking will help keep your supply up and healthy for your son.

I am a teacher, so I could not pump at the same time my girls were eating but we made it work. My first had only breast milk until 8 1/2 months and then started getting only some formula but we made it a full year of breastfeeding with formula some of the time. At the beginning I would pump 3 times when I was at work for my 8 hours and that worked well. Then when she started to get some formula I was pumping less.

With my second, I went back to work sooner - at 8 weeks, but I only was working part time with her. Her schedule was not set, but a little predictable (with the help of Babywise). I pumped only in the morning and that is all I could do because there was no time in the day. It took about a week for my body to realize I needed more milk at that time and then I was able to pump what she needed.

On the weekends when I was home with my girls I would put them to breast whenever I could to help boost my supply. I think that was important.

Chandler Regional Hospital offers a free breast feeding support group for moms. I went there with my first and it really helped me and I learned a lot there (and made some friends too). I know I would not have breastfed as long as I did without it. The hospital on Val Vista and 202 has a group now also. You could call and find out what times they are.

I wish you and your family the best!

What about designating one breast for nursing and one breast for pumping?

Pump the "pump breast" at the same time you are nursing him, then he will have that in case you are late getting back to him...

I always brought my babies to work with me but I understand you can't do that as a CNA...any chance you fiancee could meet you outside clients homes with the baby (to eliminate travel time?)

I do have to say (because it seems like no one ever does) have you considered all your options? Assuming your fiancee has a job, can you pare down, budget and be home for this precious time? I know you said you "wish you could stay home" so that is obviously in your heart to do. We ate oatmeal, beans and rice for a year once when money was tight (never went out to movies or anything) so I could stay home and do my "mother work". There is time for work and nursing school but this time will never come again, you know that.

I am not attacking you...only encouraging you to really prioritize with two little ones.

I know it can be really stressful trying to work and breastfeed, but try not to overthink it. It seems like that's what you are doing.
I have 2 kids, both were breastfed andI went back to work at 3 months with them both. My son was on a strict schedule so pumping for him was easy. My daughter was like your situation, she just ate whenever she felt like it. So the week before I went back to work I just paid attention to how long apart her feedings typically were (since she didn't eat at the same time). It seemed like she typically wanted to eat every 2.5-3 hours. So..at work, I just pumped every 3 hours. My daughter ate off only one breast at a time, this meant that yes, I had some extra milk in the other breast, but that was just extra milk I could freeze.
With both of my children I was only able to keep this up until they were about 7 months old.
I hope this helps.
Again, try to take a breath and don't worry about all the "what if"s- it'sll drive you nuts!

Get the book Nursing Mother, Working Mother from LLL. It really helped me.

I can't say what will help in your situation....I don't work as a CNA and I know that schedule will be rough.

I pump about twice a day right now, but that's all my little one needs. I pump both sides and get 5 oz on each side total (not from each pumping but from both pumpings), which equals about 10-ish ounces. She' 6 months old, and has never had formula and I don't plan on doing it at all. I admire you for sticking to your guns....BUT you might have to be flexible. Definitely contact LLL for help in warding that off.

When my daughter goes through a growth spurt she goes through her 10 oz quickly, so my sitter will give her maybe a tablespoon or 2 of cereal mixed with my milk to tide her over until I get there. Then I nurse her at the sitter's. I also try to nurse her before I drop her off. Unfortunately I've been back to work since she was 6 wks old and it really has worked out. We did practice with bottles when she was about 3 and 4 weeks old. We use the Medela bottles and nipples, but she also likes the First Years Breastflow bottles. She has no problems switching, which I credit to starting practice early. Drink TONS and TONS of water. Eat lots of protein meals throughout the day to keep your energy up. A good healthy diet will help keep your supply up.

You can do this, and there's a good chance you can do it without formula too. Really get the book I mentioned....it's such a big help.

Hello Mystyque,
I was so worried about leaving my son too! We are now at 10 months successful breastfeeding and he has not had one drop of formula. I'll tell you what worked for me, but of course you will have to find what is right for you all. My job, like yours would let me leave for small intervals at a time, which makes finding a time to pump a little weird. If I was gone for more than 4 hours I would find a time to pump, but if it was less I wouldn't. I asked my babysitter (or husband) to feed him on demand whenever he was hungry (which they figured out by trail and error but I was so worried at first). If I had been gone and he just fed prior to me coming home I would pump as soon as I came home - if not I would feed him. Most the time I also just feed on one side, but I always pumped on both sides until empty. The other tricky part is making sure you have enough milk stored - I just scheduled in an early morning pumping (about an 1 1/2 hours before my little one awoke)so I would always have milk ready in the fridge/freezer. If for some reason I didn't have time or was running low I would pump on one side while he had his morning feeding on the other (morning is when you have the most milk). About the schedule, I found as his stomach got bigger - the feedings spaced out to every 3-4 hours, but with breasfeeding it really stays as "on demand feeding" because there are growth spurts and all that. For the nap - at about 6 or 7 weeks I noticed my son always fell off to sleep at about 10:30 and so I just tried to encourage a naptime then by making a routine around that time. At first he would only sleep a little then wake up to eat and take a few more mini naps. At about 4 or 5 months old he started sleeping for 2 hours in the morning and about an hour in the afternoon. The times have changed a little as his wake-up time changes but he is still consistent with a long morning nap and a short afternoon one. Anyhow, good luck and bravo for working, breastfeeding and getting your degree!

First off, take a deep breath and relax, it will all work out! I would pump as soon as you wake up in the morning, every morning. Then, have them feed him on demand. If you get home and he just ate, pump. If he hasn't, feed him. The more relaxed you are, the easier it will all happen. What a great blessing to get to have a flexible job!

Hi,
Don't be too h*** o* yourself, it sounds like you're doing great! Just a few pointers to make things somewhat easier on you with the bf-ing. Great job on that btw. So, Re: "Also, when I pump, I have a double pump and he only feeds on one side at a time, so do I pump until I'm empty on both sides?" - Yes, pump until you are empty on both sides, all the time. The more you pump and nurse, the more your body will make. The more you can store in the fridge/freezer the easier it will make things for your baby, your caretaker and you. If your baby has just eaten, then yes pump as much as you can. Maybe have your pump with you at all times and if your son needs to eat before you can make it home, pump and then you can take the next break to get home before your son is hungry again. I used to call on my cellphone and say, "don't feed her, I'm on my way..." or, I'll be home around ___, can you "stave her off?" Meaning, distract with play, music, etc. If he's hysterical well before you can make it home, just pump for 15 mins. both sides. When you are at home, you can pump after every feeding, or on one side while he eats on the other side, for more to store. I hope that helps, keep up the good work, and email me if you have any other supply questions, because I had the same issues and got really great advice from Doris, a wonderful lactation consultant. If you need her info, you can always let me know as well. Hang in there, and enjoy every minute you have with your baby, it goes soooooo incredibly fast, as I'm sure you already know!

Hi Mystyque,

Congratulations on your new baby! :) I really recommend waiting as long as you can before going back to work. I remember when my youngest (now "10") was about 12 weeks old and I HAD TO go back to work. I was really bummed and now regret not being able to stay home with him more, even though I only had to work 3 days per week. Nevertheless, I was able to successfully maintain breast feeding (and bottle feeding with breast milk) for an entire year!

What I did was find an in-home daycare provider close by my work. I was able to feed him in the morning, visit him at lunch and feed him, then feed him after work. I left two bottles full of breast milk with his provider to feed him in the late morning and afternoon. I pumped at work using a double pump, and was able to generate about 12 oz per day.

Best of luck to you! :)
G. Van Luven, H.C.
Healthy Habits Wellness Center, LLC
www.HealthyHabitsWellnessCenter.com
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Hi!
I had my son mid-law school, so I feel your stress about pumping! I would recommend pumping as much as you can, especially in the morning. I used to pump on one side and feed on the other every morning. I would do the same if I was away for several hours and very full. My son and I are at 17 months of breastfeeding. One thing I want to put out there- don't feel too bad if you have to throw in a small amount of formula every once in a while. I had a can at my sitter's and one at home for my husband as emergency backup when I didn't have a lot of breastmilk stored up. My son probably had about 2-4 ounces of formula a month, at most. I know you don't want to, but after the first time my sitter called me with my little one screaming in the background, I let her give him a tiny bit of formula to "tide him over" until I could get back. I may not be able to say he hasn't had a drop of formula, but I still consider him exclusively breastfed.

Purchase the Dunstan DVD. The woman's name is Patricia Dunstan and she figured out a universal language ALL babies speak. It works the first 3 months. There are 4 words they say...main two for me were "eh" and "neh". "eh" means that they need to be burped and "neh" means hungry. WORKED FOR ME EVERY TIME!!!!! I think it was totally key to my daughter (who I breastfed for 14 months) always got her needs met and fostered the trust for me as her mommy. BUY THIS...will give you piece of mind...I PROMISE!!!!

Also, relax!!!! Stress cuts down your milk supply...you will figure this out...trust yourself!!!