No one disputes the benefits of breast feeding anymore– it is healthier for the baby, as well as for the mother. However, in this busy day and age, trying to breast feed your baby while you are holding down a 9 to 5 job can seem a daunting task.
Before you are ready to go back to work, begin to prepare yourself and your baby. Start pumping your milk during the hours you will be working. This will help you get accustomed to your breast pump so that, once you are back at the office, you will be able to use it easily and pump swiftly. Let your baby begin taking breast milk by bottle during these hours, so that she will grow accustomed to it and you can be sure that your baby will take a bottle well once you leave her for the day.
Another benefit of starting early is that you will get a jump on storing your excess breast milk. This will ensure that your baby sitter will not run out of milk should you get stuck at the office one night. Also, if you forget your milk in the office fridge, you won’t have to worry about rushing back and forth to deliver it early in the morning because you’ll have a supply on hand in the freezer.
Breast milk can keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, up to two weeks in a freezer of a one-door fridge, up to 3 months in a two-door fridge, and up to 6 months in a deep freezer. Store breast milk in bottles that are labeled with the day and time it was expressed. Instruct your sitter to use them in the order they were bottled.
Remember to give your sitter clear instructions on how to prepare bottles. Breast milk should be thawed by being placed in the refrigerator for four to six hours, or by running it under cool water until thaw. It can be heated by running it under warm (not hot) tap water. Breast milk should not be left out to thaw at room temperature. It should never be put in a microwave or heated in boiling water. Unused bottles that were thawed should be discarded after 24 hours. Partially used bottles should not be refrigerated or reheated and should be discarded immediately.
When you return back to work, have a discussion with your boss about your needs to pump your breast milk. Ask if your breaks can be scheduled to meet those needs, and if there is a room with an electrical outlet where you can have some privacy to express your milk. If your office has a refrigerator for your use, make sure you keep your breast milk labeled and in a bag so that some unsuspecting co-worker does not accidentally grab it for their morning coffee. If there is no refrigerator where you work, you will need to keep a cooler stocked with ice available each day for storage. Again, make sure it is appropriately labeled and out of the way.
One of the most important investments you can make if you are going to continue breast feeding while working is in a good breast pump. Hospitals and birthing centers sometimes rent high quality pumps for reasonable prices. Beware of many inexpensive drug-store varieties of pumps, as not all pumps are created equal. Ask other working mothers or breast feeding specialists for suggestions on good brands that pump swiftly. Make sure you try out your pump and are thoroughly comfortable with it before going to work with it. If time is short, you should seriously consider a double-sided pump, so that you can express both breasts at one time.
Try to regulate your schedule so that you are pumping at around the same time each day. Your body creates breast milk as it is needed, so it will adapt to your schedule. This will help to prevent engorgement and leakage at inopportune times when you are in the office.
When you are home, afford your baby and yourself the time to nurse. One of the best things about breast milk is the bonding opportunity it offers to the nursing couple.
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