by: Patty Hone

When I had my first son I hadn’t planned to go back to work. I suddenly had to return to the workforce when he was three months old. I was completely unprepared and my son went from an exclusively breastfeeding baby to a mostly formula baby within a short period of time. I learned a lot from my experience with him and was much more prepared when I had my daughter. I was able to exclusively breastfeed her and work full time. Because of what I went through, the emotions of trying to pump enough milk for the next day, I wanted to gather up all my tips and write them down for others to use. I hope that you find these tips helpful.

1. Plan ahead if possible. Get a freezer stash going before you go back to work.
2. Do not just pump at work. Pump at home on your days off and before and after work.
3. Pump while nursing. Pump on one side while nursing on the other.
4. Find a good place to pump, where you are comfortable and can relax.
5. Make sure everyone at work knows how important breastfeeding is and not to interrupt you.
6. Drink plenty of fluids through out the day. Drink a large glass of water about an hour before you are going to pump.
7. Use a good quality double breast pump like the Ameda Purely Yours.
8. If your supply is dwindling rent a hospital grade pump.
9. Find other moms to talk to that are breastfeeding and pumping.
10. Do not get discouraged if you don’t pump a large volume at once. Most moms pump around three oz per pumping.
11. Pump frequently. Pumping frequently is more important than how long you pump.
12. Try to pump at least every three hours.
13. Pumping is NOT as efficient as nursing. Do not gauge your milk supply by how much you pump. Your baby will get more milk from nursing than you will make from pumping.
14. Before you nurse, relax and do a quick breast massage. This will help you get a better let down.
15. Any time you give your baby a bottle make sure you pump in place of that.
16. Nurse frequently at night or try reverse cycling. Reverse cycling is when baby nurses more at night than during the day.
17. Co-sleep with baby if you are comfortable so he can nurse more at night. Nursing at night will help your supply.
18. Try drinking Mothers Milk tea.
19. Eat a bowl of oatmeal in the morning. Oatmeal is really good for boosting milk supply.
20. Avoid giving bottle to baby before he is three weeks.
21. Use a slow flow nipple for your bottles.
22. Find a day care provider that is a breastfeeding supporter. An uneducated day care provider can sabotage your success.
23. Take Fenugreek or Blessed Thistle
24. If you need to supplement when you are home use a Supplemental Nursing System.
25. Do not assume because baby is fussing it is your supply. Many times baby will fuss for other reasons.
26. When preparing bottles for day care, store them in three oz portions. Your baby will likely only need three oz at a time. If he needs more up it to four.
27. Send small 2 oz bottles of breast milk for day care provider to give to baby if you will be picking him up soon. This way baby will be ready to nurse when you get him home.
28. Nurse on your lunch break if you can.
29. Take picture of baby with you to work. Look at your baby when you are pumping. It will help with your let down.
30. Have a nurse in. On the weekend spend the entire weekend in bed with your baby and nurse as frequently as you can.
31. During pumping session, take a break when your milk stops flowing. Massage your breast and use nipple stimulation to get a second let down. You will usually get another oz or so if you can get a second let down.
32. Cut down on caffeine. Caffeine will hinder your supply
33. Don’t do extreme dieting. Eat a healthy diet.
34. Contact a La Leche League Leader or lactation consultant for advice.
35. Avoid using bottles and pacifiers when you are home.
36. Try switch nursing when you are home. Nurse on one side then switch to the other when baby seems to be getting fussy. Switch sides two or three times while nursing.
37. Remind yourself of all the benefits your baby is getting and that it’s worth it!
38. Keep your pump pre-assembled so that you can keep your pumping breaks shorter.
39. If your using a pump with horns put them in a Ziploc bag and store them in the freezer between pumpings. This way you can just wash them when you get home.
40. If you can, do paperwork while pumping. This way you can have more pumping breaks and you will relax more if you are not focused on pumping.
41. Don’t watch the pump. Staring at the pump watching for milk will make your session more stressful.
42. Adjust the suction controls, experiment with the speed and suction until you find what works best for you.
43. Keep spare parts readily available for your pump so you don’t have any emergencies.
44. If you own a hands free pump like whisperwear try pumping on the drive to work.
45. Massage your breasts while you pump.
46. Bring a baby blanket or item of clothing that smells like baby. Use your senses to visualize your baby.
47. Close your eyes and picture baby nursing.
48. Keep a back up pump at work or in your car in case you forget. The Avent Isis is affordable and a great pump to have for a backup.
49. Pat yourself on the back for giving your baby the best!

About the Author:
Patty Hone is a wife and mommy to three kids. She is also the owner of Mommiesmall.com. For quality breast pumps, slings, and other attachment parenting products please visit her site at Mommiesmall.com

By Carie Hodes

Nope, it wasn’t easy leaving my breastfed baby and returning to work. I was confused and upset that I would no longer be able to breastfeed, however I knew that somehow I would find a balance between my baby and my work. Here are some tips I picked up to make returning to work with a breastfed baby easier:

Tips

by Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution

In their efforts to encourage their baby to sleep better, one approach that many parents use is to put their baby to bed later in the evening. They think, “If he’s “really tired” he’ll sleep better, right?” Wrong! This often backfires because Baby becomes overtired, and chronically sleep-deprived.

In the majority of cases, a baby’s biological clock is preset for an early bedtime. When parents work with that time, a baby falls asleep more easily and stays asleep more peacefully. Most babies are primed to go to sleep for the night as early as 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. I often hear about how babies and toddlers have a “melt down” period at the end of the day, when they get fussy, whiny and out of sorts. I suspect that it’s simply a sign of over-tired children longing for sleep.

Early to bed, early to rise?
For babies, early to bed does not mean early to rise! Most babies sleep longer with an earlier bedtime. Many parents are afraid to put their baby to bed so early, thinking that they will then face a 5 a.m. wake up call. But keeping your little one up too late backfires, and more often, a late night is the one followed by that early morning awakening.

My youngest child, two-year-old Coleton used to go to bed at 9:30, the time when my three older children went to bed, because it was convenient for me. At that time in the evening, it would take him a long time to get settled. I never connected his inability to settle with his late bedtime. When I started putting him to bed at 7:00, he fell asleep much more quickly and slept more soundly.

What About Working Parents?
If you are a working parent, and your evening with your little one begins at 6:30 or 7:00, you may find yourself torn between keeping your baby up for some playtime and getting him right to bed. You may find, though, that when your baby goes to sleep earlier, and sleeps better, he awakens in a pleasant mood, eager to play. Because you have gotten a good night’s sleep, you can consider getting up earlier in the morning and saving some time before work to play with your baby, as an alternative to that late-evening play session. You’ll both enjoy that special morning time. Later, when your baby is consistently sleeping all night, every night, you can move bedtime a little later and judge whether the difference affects your baby’s sleep.

Finding Your Baby’s Best Bedtime
It can take some experimentation to find your baby’s best bedtime. If you have been putting your baby to bed too late in the evening, you can approach this adjustment in one of two different ways:

• Adjust your baby’s bedtime to be earlier by fifteen to thirty minutes every two or three nights. Pay attention to how easily your baby falls asleep as well as his awakening time and mood to gauge the effectiveness of the changes until you settle on his best bedtime, or�
   
• Beginning at around 6:30 p.m., watch your baby closely. As soon as he exhibits any signs of tiredness (fussing, losing interest in toys, looking glazed, yawning) put him right to bed, even if his previous bedtime has been 11:00 p.m. When you do this, keep your home quiet and the baby’s room dark so that it resembles his usual environment in the middle of the night. If this bedtime is substantially earlier than usual, your baby may think he’s going down for a nap and awaken after a short snooze. If he does this, respond very quickly so that he doesn’t fully awaken. Follow your usual method for helping him fall back to sleep, such as rocking or nursing; keep the room dark and quiet as you do during the middle of the night.

Here’s what Tammy, mother of seven-month-old Brooklyn had to say about changing her baby’s bedtime, “I had been waiting until 10:00 to put Brooklyn to bed because that’s when I go to sleep. But your suggestion made so much sense that last night I put her down at 8:00. I loved having the evening to spend with my husband. We haven’t spent that much time alone together in months! And the baby actually had a better night’s sleep. I’m happy that all our needs can be met in such a pleasant way.”

It may take a week or more of adjustment to settle into a new bedtime, but once you do, you’ll find that both you and your baby are happier.

Copyright Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)

About the Author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.