SAHM Going Back to Work

I've been a child care provider for over 20 years (http://www.missbrenda.com). The mothers who bring breast milk have found a system that works well for her, me, and the baby. If you are consistent, you'll find your milk supply will increase over time. It's a lot of work at first, until you get into a good routine.

They make sure to pump any milk that the baby leaves each feeding. Then, while at work they try to find time to pump two or three times through the day. Now, in most cases, that gives us two full feedings during the day while she is at work. Then, I supplement with a formula for the third feeding.

Now, most any formula is nutricious...just compare the labels. You probably should have offered the baby some formula from a bottle a few times over the past few weeks, but it will all work out. Most use Enfamil Lipil w/iron. But, if you compare the labels you'll find that most brands have the same ingredients...even the cheaper ones. Some formulas are easier to mix than others. And, you'll have to adjust if the baby begins to spit it back up...but that comes with time and a good provider will help you and be knowledgeable in that area.

So, at the end of each workday the mom brings me the milk she has pumped that day either in bags or in bottles. I refrigerate it and have it ready to start on the first thing the next morning. It's really very simple.

Adjusting to separation is usually easier on the baby than the mom. The baby will be fine. A good provider will hold and cuddle the baby and get it into a good routine for you. I usually email my new moms at work with a mid-morning and mid-afternoon update on how the baby has done, although, I welcome their calls if they prefer it that way. It's just that I usually have time during the morning and afternoon naps to contact them instead.

Good luck, God bless and happy pumping...

Ms B.

I feel for you with going back to work. I will be doig the same soon. My suggestion would be to start trying to leave for a little bit longer for a couple of times before Tuesday. You might also want to start him on th formula before he leaves you so that you know if it settles with him ok. My little one is on Enfamil Gentleease. Its very mild and helps with fussiness and gas.

I use walmarts parents choice. It is one of the cheepest and all formulas have to be approved by the fda so they are all the same just the name is differnt. My baby is only formula fed, so other than the brand I use I don't have any other suggestions. But fortunatly I am able to stay home with my children, if you want to know how you can too. Give me a call or email me at ###-###-#### ____@____.com
Good luck! L.

Hi there,
It will be tough and if you are already only getting 3oz a day that will be hard to maintain when you return to work. If you are using a manual pump or a single breast pump, try switching to an Ameda or Medela eletric double-pump.
I've heard eating the herb or seeds of Dill will help with milk produciton. It seemed to with me.

Re: the formula, you've got to see what works with your child and stick with it.

Good luck.

Hi victoria--

I really feel for you. I will be going back to work soon too.

You should nurse/pump at least 4x a day tokeep up your milk supply. At least 15m per time is needed. Nursing your baby is better than pumping to get the milk out bc babies are much more efficient. I plan on nursing first thing in the AM, pump at lunch, nurse as soon as I get home, and right before bed.

Our dr. said that all formulas are the same, so we get the generic at Sam's.

i'd recommend the medela pump in style. it's a dual eletric pump that is pretty darn good. it's about 250$, ouch. but in the long run, if it keeps your baby having breast milk it may be worth it.

if you can spend time wiht your baby at the daycare before you start working...that might be easier on both of you. maybe start with just a 30m experience and then build it up to longer. play with the baby at the daycare while you are there so s/he knows it's OK and you can teach teh teachers about her/his likes/wants.

I wish it was easier! Best of luck.

I understand your dillema. It is a difficult decision to make. When I had to make the same decision my girlfriend recommended the Good Start formula. That is all I used. It's been a while, but I know we used the orange can wich has the new added ingrediant for (I think) brain developement. Although it is a little more expencive it is completelly worth it. Especially because it is the only formula I know of that is least likely to stain clothes. My daughter used to have GSR and would spit up more than I would have liked. Yet with this formula it wouldn't stain.

Hi Victoria, In regards to pumping, please ask your doctor to see how they feel about this first, but I used a tea from Traditional Medicinals called Mother's Milk on the recommendation of my doctor and it really increased my milk supply. She told me to drink 2 cups per day (I believe the tea package states to drink 3 to 4 cups per day but she told me only 2) and it probably doubled my pumping production. She said the most important thing was to follow the preparation directions carefully because the dilution (water and steeping) was very important. The taste took a little gettng used to, but I added a teaspoon of sugar to each cup and after a few days, I really began to like the tea a lot. I did have to pump regularly (every few hours or so) and on schedule in order to keep my milk production up, but this tea really really helped me out a lot.

In regards to formula, I recommend asking your pediatrician about that. Some doctors have strong preferences about which formula they recommend and others think they are all the same. I used Enfamil for my daughter and Similac for my son. My daughter had reflux real bad so we were constantly changing her formula to try to find the right one and finally settled on Enfamil AR back when it was brand new and that one helped with all her spitting up. My son, on the other hand, had no problems with spitting up or gas or anything like that so we stuck with Similac the entire time since that's what they gave us in the hospital and he never had any problems with it.

In addition to getting the recommendation of your pediatrician for the brand of formula they prefer, if your baby has any health conditions, the pediatrician would probably be able to steer you towards a formula that would be better for your baby as well.

Good luck on going back to work. One of the hardest days of my life was that first day back at work after having my daughter. It went very quickly, though, and it made my time with her all the sweeter when I got home. :-)