Working Mothers and Breastfeeding

It is important to plan your maternity leave beforehand and take at least six to twelve weeks off after childbirth. Practice expressing your milk by hand or with a breast pump so that it can be fed to your baby with a bottle or a cup later by the child care provider.

Try to leave your baby close to where you work so that you may visit him to breastfeed as often as it is possible. Involve your superior also so that he may be in the know and organise work according to your schedule at least for the first few weeks at least. Breastfeed your baby when you collect him from childcare and before returning home so that both of you may reconnect and the baby feels safe and loved.

Get a good quality pump for efficiently removing milk during a workday. These days electric pumps are available which allow you to express milk from both breasts at the same time quickly.

Express your milk with the support of the people working with you at a private lactation room or any other room with a door and an electrical outlet so that electric breast pump may be used if needed without any intruders barging in. Restrooms should not be used for they are too small and usually unsanitary.

Babies need to be fed around 8-12 times in a day but this number goes down as they get older. Therefore, depending on the number of times your baby needs to be fed, you would have to express milk. It takes about 15 minutes to pump milk and the new mothers can organise their regular and lunch breaks to express milk or work during the breaks if they require a different timing. Breastmilk changes as the baby grow older to provide adequate nutrition to him.

Sometimes, despite being fed regularly during the day, the baby starts nursing more often at night. This is called “reverse cycling”. This may be because the baby craves closeness with you and being held calms him.

It takes time to learn how to pump breastmilk especially when you are at work. It helps if you are able to relax. massage your breasts and gently rub your nipples before you start to pump. Think of your baby and visualize feeding him for that will help milk to flow.

Breastmilk should be stored in a cool, dry place and if possible, in a refrigerator but never with medical specimens. Milk container should always be labelled with your name and the date of when you expressed the milk.

Breastfeeding is a necessary part of bringing up an infant and should be treated as such by the nursing mother and by the other staff where she works and whose support she may need from time to time.

About the author: Avni Kaul is India’s most trusted nutritionist and wellness coach. She is a certified nutritionist as well as Diabetes Educator and specializes in weight management, child nutrition, skin and beauty health, thyroid disorder, cardiovascular health, diabetic management, wedding nutrition, sports nutrition, and corporate wellness.