Working Moms :( - McHenry,IL

The best advice I can give you is when you pump, do not feel guilty for one second about missing work. Think of it as your time. Think about your baby. Relax. Take those 20 or so minutes for you. Take even longer in the beginning as your transition time. Smokers take breaks - you can too.

Get a cooler and cold pack to store the milk all day until you get home. I got one that fits the bottles right in there nicely - medela.

Keep snacks and water at your desk at all times. You will be amazed how often you need to eat. You should be nourishing your body constantly throughout the day.

I don't use the microwave bags except for about once a month to do a steam clean. Other than that, I wash the parts out by hand once I arrive home. Do not bother washing them out at work - use them each time you pump and give them a good washing upon arriving home. Medela makes cleansing wipes you can use to give them a quick wipe down after each use.

Make sure you have a good pump. I have the medela freestyle. Works like a charm. I am able to pump more than what baby needs. I shut my office door and twice per day, it is just about me and baby, even though baby is not with me.

I was surprised that I didn't cry when I went back to work that first day, or even the second day. My tears came many weeks later when I was sitting at my desk one random Wednesday. I just missed baby so much. But, I closed my office door, cried, and moved on. Don't be afraid to call the sitter/day care, multiple times per day if you want. Cry if you want. Many moms do it. Don't put pressure on yourself to be "normal" - you are no longer allowed to be normal. You are a mom.

You can do this. We all have done it and survived. Work your butt off now so you can spend time with them later when it really *counts* - right now, we miss them WAY more than they miss us. Baby has no idea you are gone (for the most part) and is interested in eating, sleeping and pooing. Pump that milk and relax. It will all work out.

ok, you are breaking the 1st rule of being a working mom - dont count the time, make the time count. Dont spend a single minute of the precious time you have time fighting back tears.
When I pumped, I went to a quiet room that locked on my 2 breaks and lunch. I kept a baby blanket in the bag with the pump. Sounds wierd but it was helpful. I latched on with the pump and then covered up with the baby blanket. The smell of my baby and the security of the blanket helped me to pump successfully. Pump often and even start pumping at home in between feedings if you can. The more demand you put on your body, the more milk you will produce. It is really easy to dry up when you go so long in between feedings and pumping.

A few thoughts for you:
1st - You can do it! It can be hard, but it can also be done. :)
2nd -If you can keep the pump parts in the refrigerator between uses, then you only really need to wash them 1x/day. (Could work with just a cold pack too.)
3rd- You can get additional sets of pump parts and more bottles. Then you don't have to add frantic stress to your day worrying about leaving the parts places (home/work when you are at the other place). Or worse, realizing as you are trying to leave for work in the morning that all the parts you need are waiting to be washed.
4- Put an extra lid or two in your pump bag. Then when you forget to put the lids in, you have one. (Sounds dumb, but I have done this a few times... as when I pack the stuff, it has the pump parts on the tops of the bottles... Then you get stuck with a bottle of milk, and no lid!!!)
5- If you have a door on an office, then there is no reason you cannot continue to work while you pump. For me, it works best when I am NOT thinking about it. So, I take a book, or read email... or something - watching the milk try to fill the bottle is the best way to stress me out, and make less milk.
6- Remember to keep drinking. It is easy to forget. If your supply starts to drop, take a look at your intake... More fluids! :)

I hope that helps. The really important one is #1 - you CAN do it. :)

PS - on the microwave bags... Read the instructions. I melted a set of tubes one time by NOT reading the instructions. Not a good day!

I didn't have to deal with pumping when I went back to work, but I did have a heckova time dealing with the emotions. In fact, my first post on this website was about it. I can tell you that the first two weeks were very difficult, then it got much better. I was crying pretty much all day and then racing home each evening (and sometimes at lunch). I seriously considered quitting my job, pressured my hubby to find a job (even though we'd agreed way before hand that he would be the one to stay home), I even went to see a therapist because I was in such bad shape.

But, it did get better and I did get back into the swing of things at work. And it only took a couple weeks. Granted that when I was in the thick of it, every minute was torture and those two weeks felt like hell. But, in the end, it was only two weeks and anyone can do anything for such a short period of time, right?

Be sure to cut yourself lots of slack, talk to your boss about maybe leaving early for some period of time (like 2 weeks, ha!), make sure you talk to your hubby, and try to keep your sense of humor! Laughing at yourself for slamming a door in frustration makes it all much easier to bear. :)

Try to stay as busy a possible. It's help make time go by faster !

J.,

I remember this feeling well. In fact, I'll have to do it all over again in a few weeks. It's very hard. Take one moment at a time - you can do it and your family will be just fine.

I don't know how old your LO is, but mine was almost a year when I went back, so I cut back on a feeding to limit pumping time. I nursed before work, after, before baby's bed and then again before mine. As for the actual pumping, I worked it into my lunch time and had the pump on full speed / suction.

Good times.

I avoided the bags as I'm not comfortable microwaving plastic - ever. Breastmilk is pretty resistant to bacteria growth and can be kept up to 8 hours at room temp, but if you have a fridge, that would be good. We used the DexBaby products to store the milk as they are PVC, BPA, phalate and lead free and you can vacuum seal them. ThinkBaby also has a good line of similar products.

Hugs and good luck to you. Be patient with the transition. I would say it took us about four months to fall into our new routine as a family. It is emotional, but I will say it makes me appreciate our time together much, much more. My son is happy, healthy and well-adjusted. It CAN be done!

ETA: Be sure to drink plenty of water during the day to keep your supply up.

I work 12hr days (atleast) 2-3 days a week. I pump when I get to work before my shift and try to go about every 4hrs or so - sometimes it's more, sometimes less, just depends on what's going on in the unit (I'm a nurse). My son is 5mo old, but this is what I've been doing and what I did with my older son. When I'm done pumping I just rinse the stuff (bottles, etc) in water, dry them off, and put them in the fridge with the milk. I used to wash with my oldest at first, but then someone told me they did this and it is SO much easier, less time than cleaning or microwaving in the bags! BTW, I pump before my shift because my son only eats one side at a time and even if he nurses before I leave, I still have atleast a 30min drive to work and I don't know when I'm going to get to pump after the shift starts. And I also pump with my meals/breaks. I eat while I pump at breakfast & lunch and then at the end of the day. My "schedule" is usually 630-10ish(or 11ish)-2 or 3ish, 615ish. Like I said, it depends on whats going on. Good luck and it will get easier!

I hated going back to work after just 7 weeks. I had another 3 weeks of time off saved up but couldn't take it due to we weren't sure if my daughter was going to have to have hip surgery. It was tough every single day going back to work. The thing that helped my is I have a great sleeper probably 90% of the time. So I knew that when I was at work she would be napping. She still takes naps from 0930-11 and again at 1230-230. And I get home at 330 so I know she isn't awake most the time I am at work. It is getting actually tougher now that she is starting to talk more and do different things. I am missing her firsts. That is what gets me. My daughter is a chatter box in the morning but by the time I get home shes quiet.
For the pumping I pump twice a day at work. I get hassled for it just about everyday even though I work in a hospital. My patients have to be covered by other staff so I can do what I call my "mama duties". I have to focus on pumping and can't do anything besides pump since I am usually pretty stressed at work. You really have to find what works for you, bring a picture, a recording of your little one crying or giggling, or whatever relaxes you.
I just rinse my parts out with soap and water really quick after each pumping. I don't use bags they are more hassle than what they are worth.
I hope you are successful with pumping at work. Remember your baby says thank you for doing everything you can to give him/her the best.

Oh, I remember those days! It is really tough at first but then you kind of enjoy the adult interaction.
I did many similar things as Valerie F stated. I had a couple of sets of bottles, parts, etc... I had the cooler bag but would freeze my milk in a little freezer in our break room. I was lucky to have a door on my office and could either appreciate the break and play on the internet (can be tricky while pumping) or even do a little work.
Didn't use any microwave bags.
And yes... DRINK lots of water otherwise you will have nothing to pump.
Good Luck. Stay strong. It does get better but some days I still feel bad that I am at work (my kids are 4 and 6) but they really like school and their friends.

I never managed to make pumping at work quick - I just had a slow let-down. We had a nurses office here, and I'd bring my laptop with me and work while I pumped. I used a hands-free corset thing so I could do that. So unless you walked by my office, you didn't know where I was. Sometime's I'd read, and I tried looking at her picture. Nothing worked. I would just rinse/wash the hoses and do a better wash in the evening.

I pumped at work for both of my kids, one for 7 months and the other for 9 months. I just built it into my schedule and made it non-negotiable. I would pump 3x per day, once when I got there in the morning, once at lunch, and then once late afternoon. I usually ate lunch at my desk while pumping. Each session was about 20 minutes. Definitely use a double pump - it will make it that much faster. The pump I had had a handle so that you only needed one hand to hold it - that was a huge help because it allowed me to pump both sides at the same time and have a free hand. Good luck! You can do it and your baby will be better off because of it!!

Do you have your own office? My coworker would just shut her door a couple of times a day and either have lunch and pump or pump and work.