How to manage going back to work when you are breastfeeding.
If you would you like to continue to breastfeed your baby or toddler once you go back to paid employment, but aren’t sure how to make it work, this article is for you. It is co-written with Cordelia Uys, NCT breastfeeding counsellor and contains quotes from mothers who have recently returned to work while continuing to breastfeed.
Choosing to continue to breastfeed:
Many women don’t realise how useful and beneficial it can be to continue to breastfeed when returning to work.
There are multiple benefits to continuing to breastfeed longer than 6 or 12 months. In fact, the Word Health Organisation and NHS recommends continuing to breastfeed until the age of two or beyond. In addition to the obvious nutritional benefits, your child continues to receive immunological benefits for as long as they continue to breastfeed and the longer you breastfeed the lower your risk of various ‘female’ cancers. One of the greatest, but less considered benefits is using breastfeeding to support you to mother your child - to provide comfort and calm, plus it is a brilliant way to reset your child’s emotional thermostat when they really need it.
It is such a shame that once breastfeeding becomes so easy and convenient, and just when a mother’s breasts are able to go much longer periods without having milk removed, that many women think it is time for them to start winding down and dropping feeds in anticipation of returning to work. When mothers do continue to breastfeed, they tend to spend the last few months of their maternity leave worrying about how their baby and their breasts are going to cope when they return to work.
“I got unnecessarily worried about managing breastfeeding and the return to work first time and the message I’d give to other mothers is don’t waste your energy!”
In this article we address some of the most common concerns that are raised by mothers as they consider their return to work.
Will I need to pump?
Deciding about pumping at work depends on a number of factors. These include:
The age of your baby
If your baby is between 6-9 months old then they will still be having a significant amount of milk in order to meet their nutritional needs. After 9 months there is more flexibility for them to be without milk during the day and to eat solids and drink water while you are not there. They can breastfeed in the hours that you are together.
If your baby will drink milk other than from the breast
Some babies don’t accept bottles, others will refuse breast milk even from a cup. If your baby won’t take your milk from anything other than the breast then you won’t need to pump milk to give to your baby.
If you are susceptible to having blocked ducts or mastitis
and your baby is still feeding frequently you will likely need to pump initially with the potential to reduce if you would like as your breasts adjust to the changes in feeding patterns.
By the time your baby gets to around 12 months of age your breasts should be able to go for longer periods without feeding and to adjust to synchronise to your time with your little one and your time apart. This means that you will able to continue to feed on demand when you and your baby/toddler are together and go long periods without feeding when you are apart.
“It didn’t take long for my breasts to adjust, there was some feeling of fullness my first week back, but things settled down pretty quickly.”
If you do feel uncomfortably full when you are away from your older baby you can hand express to relieve the pressure. Most women will only need to do this for the first couple of days and then they find that their breasts adjust.
“I chose to pump once per day when away but only because I was away 12-16 hours per day and leaving behind 100ml or so made me feel a bit better about it! But it wasn't really necessary. As she got older, I realised she would always want it more frequently if it was available but was fine without for a long time as well. Boobs just adjust and seem to have supply even when you have been gone for a while. Baby just takes more in one go.”
Practical tips for pumping at work:
Unfortunately, in the UK, there is no law protecting a breastfeeding mother’s right to pump at work, so what kind of facility is offered is at the discretion of her employer.
The more that women request pumping facilities, and insist that the room is clean and can be locked, the more this will become the norm for all breastfeeding mothers when they return to paid employment.
More information can be found here.
Consider where and when you will be able to pump before returning and have a discussion with your employer about your options.
Consider what pump you plan to use. Some mothers will choose to hire a hospital grade pump and leave it in their work place (especially if pumping for a much younger baby) others carry a more portable electric pump to work and back.
Here is some helpful information about storing breastmilk. You will need to identify a fridge where you can safely store your milk.
My baby won’t take a bottle and/or isn’t eating many solids?
It can be incredibly worrying if you’re returning to work and your baby won’t take a bottle. If you are in this position then take a look at my online course - bottle refusal in breastfed babies. Bottle refusal is a very common in breastfed babies and many families want support with to help with bottle acceptance.
One of two things will likely happen if you have to leave a baby that won’t take a bottle and who isn’t eating much solid food.
Either they will increase their solid and water intake on the days you aren’t together or they will reverse cycle. Reverse cycling means that when you are reunited, your baby will make up from the time they missed and breastfeed more when you are together.
“I leave him for 8 hours, and he’s perfectly happy. I haven’t noticed him reverse cycling any more than he always did - he’s always night time snacked anyway. He has started to eat more food though - he can pack away a roast chicken dinner quite happily!”
“She just had food and water while I was away, and was fine with it. We saw a step change in her solids intake, she began eating more on my working days. She still breastfeeds on demand on non-working days, sometimes as often as hourly!”
“He fed from the minute we got home at 6pm until I unlatched him for bathtime at 7, and then didn’t feed again until he woke at 5am. But then he would cuddle and boob until I unlatched him at 7am to get ready for work. It really helped us both handle the transition.”
My baby feeds to sleep, how will they manage without me?
Another thing that many mothers worry about before returning to work is how someone else is going to manage to settle their baby to sleep. Many breastfed babies will only fall asleep for their mothers if they are being breastfed, pushed in a buggy or carried in a sling. It is amazing though that the vast majority of babies and toddlers will fall asleep quite easily when others are caring for them.
“My youngest is 18 months and at home he won’t fall asleep unless breastfeeding or being in the buggy/car. He has been at nursery since he was 12 months and they lie him down in the cot, rub his back and he drifts off - happy as anything”
“I was also really concerned about how he would sleep at nursery since bedtime always involved a lot of boobing, rocking and singing and daytime naps were mostly in the pram. Apparently at nursery they just lay him down and pat his back and he falls asleep, I’m amazed.”
“His key worker ended up cuddling him, then laying him down and stroking him and he felt very calm and peaceful and slept well. On wake up she would cuddle him again. They were so understanding, kind and dedicated.”
“When our nanny started, she was unfazed by it and just gave her lots and lots of cuddles and rocked her and soon she started sleeping well for her. All her caregivers (me, my husband, nanny, my mum) have different strategies and she responds well to all of them when done by that person.”
Hopefully this article will reassure you that it is possible to continue to breastfeed your child when you go back to work and that as challenging as that return can be, breastfeeding is one aspect you don’t need to worry about. Both your breasts and your nursling will adjust to the new routine more easily that you imagine. In fact, continuing to breastfeed can make the separation easier, as it provides a truly wonderful way of reconnecting at the end of the day.
“It is how I reconnect with him after a long day apart, I sit at night in a dark room and feed him to sleep. It is one of my favourite parts of the day”
