Breastfeeding and Returning to Work: Tips for New Moms

Returning to work doesn’t mean breastfeeding needs to come to an end. It is completely possible for mothers to work outside of the home and continue breastfeeding their baby. Of course, some adjustments will need to be made. If you’re feeling nervous about breastfeeding and returning to work, let’s help you prepare and feel confident about this transition!

Benefits of Continuing Breastfeeding

First, let’s talk about why breastfeeding when you return to work is beneficial (even if it may be more challenging).

Breast milk is considered the primary source of nutrition until baby is six months old, with solid foods being complementary until 12 months of age. As we know, breast milk is the best source of nutrition for your baby, so if you can continue providing it, you and your baby will continue to reap the benefits.

If you’re returning to work and your baby is going to daycare or spending time with a different caregiver, they are likely going to be exposed to different germs (don’t feel guilty, this is a part of life!). Breast milk is packed with antibodies and will be beneficial in helping your baby fight off any illnesses they may develop at this time.

Expressing breast milk while at work will make it possible for you to continue breastfeeding your baby. You will rapidly lose your milk supply if you are gone for a full work day and don’t express any milk.

If you’re nursing, it can be incredibly soothing for your baby (and you!) when you reunite after a day at work. And not to mention, you’ll be saving money in the long run by not needing to purchase formula.

Know Your Pump Rights

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA), most nursing mothers are entitled to reasonable break time and a private space to pump (that is not a bathroom) for up to one year after their child’s birth.

In 2023, the PUMP Act became law and expanded rights to more breastfeeding employees (including agricultural workers, nurses, teachers, truck and taxi drivers, home care workers, and managers. If you’re concerned about whether or not you are covered by the act, you can check that out here.

Employers must provide covered employees with space that is functional for pump milk, shielded from view, free from intrusion, and available as needed.

TALKING TO YOUR EMPLOYER

Let your employer know ahead of time before your return to work that you will need a private, functional space for pumping. You should also discuss that you will need to take 2-3 breaks during the day (in an 8-hour period) to pump and how this can be accommodated.

Prepare ahead of time for how you plan to safely store your breast milk. Is there a refrigerator at work you can store your milk in or do you need to bring your own method for cooling like an insulated cooler or Ceres Chill breast milk chiller?

Pick the Right Breast Pump

We discuss this in more detail in my prenatal breastfeeding guide Bump to Breast, but choosing the right breast pump is crucial for maintaining your milk supply if you need to be away from your baby for any length of time.

Ideally, a primary double electric breast pump would be best for this scenario. Check out this Instagram post for more details on primary versus secondary breast pumps. This will be the most effective at removing milk and maintaining your milk supply, ensuring you have enough for your baby when you are away.

However, I know for convenience, some moms choose to use a wearable breast pump. Just remember that not everyone responds well to wearable pumps and they aren’t as effective at removing milk.

Building a Pumping Routine Before You Return to Work

If you’re already exclusively pumping, there should be minimal change to your pumping routine. If you’re collecting a few extra ounces per day more than your baby takes, this should give you a little stash for that first day you’re away from baby. And then whatever you pump while you’re away will be used for the next day you’re at work. If you’re not producing any extra and only exactly what your baby needs, you’ll need to add an extra pumping session in (or extend a pumping session) for about 2-3 weeks before you’re anticipating returning to work. This can be whenever is most convenient for you, but you’ll get best results if you pump in the middle of the night or early morning hours.

If you’re mostly nursing and trying to plan for your return to work, I recommend starting pumping (or hand expressing extra milk) and giving a bottle once a day around 2-4 weeks postpartum. Depending on how early you plan to return to work will determine how early you should begin expressing milk and giving a bottle.

You can add an extra pump session to your day (the middle of the night or early morning will give you
the most milk) or pump after a nursing session. Depending on how much milk you’re collecting in each session, you may be able to start 2-3 weeks before you need to return to work to build a small stash. If you’re nursing, you may not get much (maybe 1/2 ounce – 1 ounce) and that’s totally normal!

HOW MUCH MILK DO I NEED BEFORE I RETURN TO WORK?

You only need enough milk to last your baby for the amount of hours you will be away. Then, when you are at work, you should be pumping at regular times to maintain your supply and collect the milk you will need for your baby the next time you’re away.

The rule of thumb we follow for how much to give breastfed babies in their bottles can help you determine how much milk you’ll need when you return to work. Breastfed babies typically need 1-1.5 ounces of milk for every hour since their last feed.

If you’re planning to be away 8 hours, you will want to leave about 8-12 ounces. If you’ll be away for 12 hours, you’ll leave 12-18 ounces.

You don’t need a huge freezer stash before returning to work! Remember, you need enough for the first day you will be gone. Every day after that should be covered by what you pumped at work the day before.

But if you’re someone who likes to be extra cautious, you can begin pumping a little earlier than necessary to have a cushion of extra milk in your freezer.

Store your breast milk in smaller batches for easier use and to prevent waste. I recommend storing your breast milk in 2-4 ounce increments.

Pumping at Work

Plan out your daily pumping schedule for when you return to work. Since you already have an idea of what your day looked like before you went on maternity leave, think about the times it would be best to fit in a pumping session. Be sure you’re not waiting too long between pumping sessions or you’ll risk decreasing your milk supply.

Now that you’ve prepared and planned out how this will go, it’s time to make it happen. You know your rights, have communicated with your employer ahead of time, and have a rough schedule of when you need to pump.

Going back to work after maternity leave can feel overwhelming, even without needing to pump every few hours. It can be easy to lose track of time, so set pumping reminders on your phone! Some people like to include a simple visual like a daily planner near their desk or workspace to remind them until it becomes more of a habit.

Something else to consider if you’re breastfeeding and returning to work is wearing breastfeeding-friendly work attire. A dress that you can’t easily pull down from the top may not be feasible for the time being.

I highly recommend getting a hands-free pumping bra. Forget the old-school bra you have to zip on after removing your regular bra. There are so many options out there now that function as nursing and pumping bras. I really like this one and this one by Davin and Adley or this one by Kindred Bravely.

Ideally, you should be removing milk as frequently as your baby is feeding when you are together. This means in an 8-hour work day, you should be pumping at least 2-3 times.

If you have a really busy job and this seems impossible, some people like to pump on their way to work. This gives them extra time when they get to work before their next pump session. It takes time to figure out what will work best for you and your schedule.

Don’t panic if the first week feels overwhelming. Try making tweaks to your schedule and think about ways you can be most effective. As a nurse, I was able to take all of the breaks I needed to pump but to not feel overwhelmed when I got back to the floor, I would use my pumping time to chart.

Bring the Right Gear

You will of course need whatever breast pump you decide to use while pumping at work. However, things happen and sometimes we rush out the door and forget something. For this reason, I recommend keeping a manual hand pump as a backup at all times! You can leave it in your car, at your desk, or in your locker so you always have it in case of emergencies.

Because you will likely be pumping at least two times at work, you’ll need to decide what you want to do with your pump parts after using them. There are a few options.

• You could bring the one set of pump parts and wash them after using. With this option you will need to have the time to wash them and a place to leave them out to dry until their next use.
• Bring 2-3 sets of pump parts with you to prevent needing to wash in between uses. Then wash everything when you get home from work.
• Use the fridge hack and store your used pump parts in a sealed bag in the refrigerator. With this option, you will need a sealed bag like a Ziploc gallon bag or the Sarah Wells Pumparoo bag and access to a refrigerator. You can check out my reel on Instagram here for more details on the fridge hack.

Next, you’ll need to decide how you want to store your milk after expressing. There are many different options for this, but we’ll touch on the most popular and effective.

My favorite option for breast milk storage on the go is the Ceres Chill breast milk chiller. The OG can hold 27 ounces of milk and safely keep it cold for up to 20 hours! All you need to do is fill the chamber with ice. You don’t have to worry about a cooler or a bunch of different bottles and it’s less to clean. You can use the code JUNEANDLILY for 15% off!

If you don’t have access to a refrigerator, you could also keep individual bottles of breast milk cold in a cooler. Or some moms like to store the milk in breast milk storage bags in the cooler instead.

If you have access to a refrigerator at work, you can store your breast milk there. Just remember, you’ll still need a cooler or something to transport the milk home. There is also the option of freezing your milk if you have access to a refrigerator, but I don’t recommend this option if you plan to use the breast milk in the next four days.

I’ve compiled all of my favorite gear for breastfeeding when returning to work here!

Preparing Your Baby for the Transition

Introducing a bottle early between 2-4 weeks will help your baby get comfortable with switching back and forth between breast and bottle and prevent bottle refusal! Be sure to give the bottle every day or every other day to allow baby to stay familiar with the bottle and prevent any issues before your return to work.

Just because your baby takes a bottle well at 4 weeks old, doesn’t mean the same will be said at 12 weeks old if they haven’t had one since. It doesn’t even have to be a full bottle. It can be a “snack” with only one ounce just to keep your baby familiar with their skills.

Ensure whoever will be caring for your baby is familiar with breast milk storage guidelines as well as thawing and proper warming. Check out my free storage guidelines printable for those guidelines as well as a chart you could send with your baby’s milk.

You’ll also want to ensure they are pace feeding when giving bottles. This is crucial in allowing baby to transition from bottle to breast easily (preventing bottle preference) and overfeeding. A common complaint I hear from new moms is caregivers asking them to send more milk when they can’t possibly produce anymore. We need caregivers to understand that breast milk and formula are not the same. Breast milk changes composition to accommodate baby’s growing needs whereas formula cannot. Check out this Instagram post for more details if this is something you’re struggling with.

So what is pace feeding and how do we do it? Pace feeding allows your baby to take the milk from the bottle at their own pace. We hold them in an upright or side-lying position and keep the bottle horizontal or parallel with the ground. We want to avoid having baby laying flat in our arms with the bottle pointed down into their mouth. This doesn’t allow them to take breaks as needed and instead they have to chug to keep up with the flow of milk pouring into their mouth.

So have a conversation with your baby’s caregiver ahead of time about your expectations and what is best for you and your baby’s breastfeeding relationship.

To help your baby with being away from you, you can send them with a blanket or lovey that smells like you. This can bring them comfort until they’re reunited with you.

Maintaining Your Milk Supply While Working

The most important thing to maintain your milk supply when returning to work is continuing to remove milk frequently and effectively. Stay as consistent as possible with your pumping routine. If for some reason you’re pressed for time, a shorter session is better than nothing!

You can also keep pictures, videos, or something that smells like baby around you when pumping. This can help elicit more letdowns which can sometimes be harder when you’re not near your baby.

Hands-on pumping may also help remove the most milk possible from your breasts when pumping. You can do this by massaging your breasts gently, down toward the nipple to help release any milk fat from the ducts.

Anytime you are away from your baby or they are taking a bottle, you need to be removing milk. If you work long shifts or are away from your baby when you don’t typically express milk that frequently (for example, a 12-hour night shift) you’re still going to want to remove milk every 3 hours to maintain your supply.

I hope this helped you to feel more prepared for breastfeeding and returning to work. Give yourself grace and know it’s okay to feel sad or to feel excited. The transition may be a challenge at first but you can do this!

If you’re looking for more support and a community you can lean on who is going through the same things as you, check out The ESSENTIALS Program! You get unlimited 1:1 support from a lactation expert, weekly drop-in Zoom calls, moderated community chat, and much more!