by Kendall Cox
April 24, 2007

I’m not going to be Pollyanna and say that going back to work after your baby is born is going to be a breeze. No matter how you’re feeding your baby, working (at home or away from home) calls for a pretty good grasp of logistics and multitasking. Many breastfeeding mothers do return to work or school—some soon after birth, others at six week, others at six months. Here are a few thoughts from mothers who made breastfeeding work when they worked.

A plan
“The thing that helped me first and foremost was making up my mind when I was pregnant that I could do this—I have a girlfriend who convinced me that I could combine the two (breastfeeding and working) but told me I needed a ‘plan.’ My plan unfolded during pregnancy: Learning all that I could about pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding gave me the foundation I needed to get off to a good start, beginning with the very first feeding in the hospital. I won’t say that combining breastfeeding and working is the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but I don’t know anyone who signs on for motherhood because it’s easy. My baby is now four months old and weighs 16 pounds—every ounce he’s gained from me.”

A fan
“I had a co-worker who, as soon as she found out I was pregnant, encouraged me every step of the way to continue to breastfeed after returning to work. She provided lots of resources, directed me to breastfeeding classes in the community, and most importantly, served as a real life model for ‘working and breastfeeding.’ I felt like I had my very own cheerleader and coach all rolled into one. Even though I got off to a rocky start in the hospital, she was there encouraging me and making sure I got some help with positioning or whatever. My first day back at work, she praised every drop of milk I pumped. With that kind of support, I never doubted that breastfeeding and working was doable. My favorite part? Sitting down with my baby at the end of a long day, putting my feet up, and breastfeeding.”

A man
“Each evening when I’d come in the door carrying my breast pump along with the milk I’d collected that day, my husband would take the pump and the milk, put the milk in the fridge so it could be used the next day at the child care center, clean the pump parts, wash out the collection bottles, repack everything after the parts were dry, and place the bag by the back door so I could pick it up on my way to work the next day. He knew how hard I worked to provide breast milk for our baby and since he couldn’t help with pumping, he said this was his way of lightening my load.”