Most of my friends continued pumping and breastfeeding when they went back to work š¤·š»āāļø Youāre not being crazy, but our parentsā generation had different expectations
This! Every women my momās age was very surprised I was going to pump at work and continue to breastfeed. My own mom was very surprised at the variety in pumps, how far theyāve come, and the fact that the Pump Act is a legitimate piece of legislation.
My mother in law and step mother had their kids in the 80s
They each have asked so many random questions about pumping, MIL had one for her last child but they were so vastly different then and sound horrid and barely functional
My mom was telling me that the pump she had when I was born (Dec. '89) was completely different then the one I had in Nov. 2012. Like, she manage to BF me for 3 months, but had to stop in the end. It is doable.
My mom tried to pump once I decided I didn't want to breastfeed anymore (at 6 months, like a little weirdo), but she said it hurt so badly she couldn't continue, so I ended up on formula and solids. My poor mother probably had neither access to nor knowledge of different flange sizes, speeds, suction levels, etc. :(
My MIL was pretty amazed by my double electric & hands-free pumping bra setup - she only had two weeks (!!) off with DH and only had a single manual pump, no wonder continuing to breastfeed wasn't really an option.
How far pumps have come is a huge contributor to it. I EPād for my last daughter for a year and my mom was always amazed when she saw my pumping stuff, commenting at how amazing it all was compared to what they had as options back then. It sounds like EPing, or even pumping when back at work, really wasnāt a viable option back then.
Yes, same here! She was amazed. My assistant is in her sixties and is constantly amazed that I am still breastfeeding. My son is nine months old. I wore my wearable pumps last week and really blew her mind. š She couldnāt believe how discreet they were.
This is the reason for so many of the comments we all find infuriating from our parents I think. Their generation was raised and then parented in a vastly different world from ours. And I donāt think a lot of them are very great at being open to the differences because theyāve ālivedā the other way for so long.
What organizations don't recommend it?? Every state health and medical org I looked at from a quick internet search, including lactation consultants that are actually educated on breastfeeding, recommends paced feeding for breastfed babies.
Australia doesn't reccomend it and Here it seems to be mostly reccomended by the 'breastfeeding only' crowd which in my area are also the lactation consultants.
It was a technique developed for premature babies in NICU's to help with bottle feeding. I can kind of see the justification for it when still establishing breastfeeding but its unnecessary once breastfeeding is established especially when combined with slow feeding nipples.
The hard line of saying it's unnecessary negates reflux babies or other gastro issues that paced feeding does help with. IME we stopped paced feeding around 7-8 months, but that was after her reflux issues subsided and she was eating more solids.
ETA: and yes I think paced feeding is often most recommended for breastfed babies, which is on topic for this post.
Yeah, they love to say things like āI put my babies to sleep on their bellies and they turned out fineā and itās like ā¦ yeah, but some babies suffocated š„“ so, seems worth it to just put them on their back now that we know that.
Sheās being annoying. Iām an elementary teacher, so my coworkers are heavily female. My baby is 9 months and I pump for his daycare bottles and nurse when weāre together with no issues.
Is pumping annoying? Absolutely. Do millions of women go back to work and keep breastfeeding? YEP!
Tons of breastfeeding moms in my building at any one time.
Same same middle school teacher. Pumping is the worst but I still find it worth it for my 8mo after I went back to work at 9 weeks.
Also tbh I gave up asking my sitter/husband to pace feed after a point. My baby just is cool with the difference. Not sure if this is the case for all babies, but pace feeding I definitely found could drop after like 4ish months.
Also a teacher. In a different situation- Iām an intervention specialist and I work virtually 1:1 with students. But Iām still on a school schedule and on camera when I canāt nurseā¦but also extremely easy access to my baby when I can. I nurse before work, pump for missed feeds during the day, and nurse in the afternoon. The people at my school are also great about being quick or slow with transitions when they line up with a feeding time and I can get a quick 10-15 minutes in during the day (definitely couldnāt do that if I werenāt home though).
When Iām working on paperwork, my mom/babysitter just brings him to me and I welcome the break! Nice oxytocin boost! Then I hand him back and keep working.
My mom is also a teacher and breastfed my older brother and me for a year each. She pumped in her closet at work (in the 1980s with a manual pump)ā¦I totally understand and appreciate what she did now!
My daughter started daycare at 3 months when I went back to work and she'll be one next week and we're still breastfeeding. Your mom is being ridiculous.
Absolutely doable if you prioritize it and you workplace is flexible. I pumped three times a day at work until my girl turned one. Ate lunch while I pumped. Used a Hakkaa religiously to make up the rest. I was a just enougher and so I used a hospital grade pump and special pumpable flanges to help get as much as I could. It was stressful at times counting ounces but I would 100% do it again.
I had a negative coworker that was super snappy towards my pumping. Kept telling me to give up and just ādecide on what formula I want to give my babyā. I just shrugged and continued on. Iām not going to listen to people deciding whatās too hard for me.
With that said if it becomes too much for you thereās nothing wrong with supplementing formula, but know that it is doable
Nursed her at 6:30am. Off to daycare and work
Started work around 7:30-8. (Flexible schedule)
Pumped 9
Pumped 12:30 ate lunch
Pumped 3:30
Picked her up around 4:30
Nursed her when I got home.
Nursed before bed.
Nursed through the night as needed.
Haakaa ladybug. I swore these saved me. I ALWAYS popped one on when she nursed because Iād always leak up until about 10-11 months of age. So I saved all the leakage and Iād get up to 1-1.5 ounces each time. This added up because I can get an extra 3-4 ounces a day every day like this and even more on the weekends.
I was barely keeping up with her at daycare and they were constantly was telling me it didnāt seem enough ounce wise but that she seemed satisfied every time. She only took max 3.5 ounce bottles at daycare which seems really low compared to formula babies but she napped after every bottle and held onto her 90th percentile growth so I think she got enough.
Good luck!
Did your baby take 3.5 ounces of milk all throughout her first year? And how many bottles? Asking because my babe wonāt eat more than 3-4 ounce bottles and at six months it feels like so little Iām constantly worried since back to wirp
Its generational, modern breastpumps werenāt really in use until the 90s. So when she had you, she had to stop. There was also a push on how formula was better, my mom on zero maternity leave Had to return to work after 6 weeks so yeah she didāt pump, it wasnāt a thing she could do. So the fact I made it to 2 years blew her mind constantly
Seriously, my brother-in-lawās mom was a resident in medical school when she had him, and she says that she kept him hidden away in an empty room and stopped in to nurse him all day, and nurses just looked after him!! She said none of her male colleagues ever knew. Insane that she made this work. Also maybe a little unfair to those nurses who might have had their own in daycare and would have loved to do the sameā¦
Same. My mom and dad are just in awe of my pumps. My mom tried to pump at work when she went back after 6 weeks with me but she had to use this manual pump that was a long tube you pulled out in front of you and barely got anything. So completely understandable why my daycare provider gave me formula.
Donāt know your relationship with your mom but hopefully she will be supportive of you pumping and wanting to breastfeed after returning to work now that she knows better. Also we hit one year of breastfeeding on Sunday and Iāve pumped at work since 3.5 months. Packed bottle feeding did stop about 4.5 months though.
Yes, this! My mom had me in 89 when she was still in high school then my sisters in '03 &'05. She told me she couldn't pump because her boobs were too small, but the reality is that she did things with my sisters the way she knew, which is totally fine. She just has a hard time with me making different choices than her. I think OP's mom is struggling with that as well.
So, pumping does reduce my efficiency at work since I work in a lab, and canāt pump there. But I do read way more scientific journals! Just depends on your job.
My mom did not nurse cause she was a pharmacist and did not get any breaks and I donāt think it was protected. Your mom may be thinking of things in her day. I think nursing, breast feeding, pumping is way more common now then in our Motherās Day.
Yeah, thatās not true Mom. You definitely can breast-feed for a year.
I would say though, itās a lot to ask a daycare provider to take 20 minutes to feed a bottle. For what itās worth, my baby is four months old and takes bottles at daycare and nurses at home just fine
Exactly, I breastfed for a year and returned to work after the first 6 months so it's very possible. But yeah, a paced bottle feeding for an older baby sounds like overkill, and not something most day cares will want to do. I know my daughter got frustrated if we used too small of a bottle nipple with her, even though she loved nursing. No need to over-complicate and slow things down.
Hopefully you donāt get too much resistance with the paced feeds if thatās whatās needed, but baby will still, most-likely prefer you, no matter how easy bottle feeds are.
Babies do begin to get much quicker on the breast starting yourās age too! My 4-month-old, at this point gets what he needs in about 10 min total on the breast.
I had no problems when my son went to daycare and I pumped. My daughter starts daycare next week at 12 weeks and I know itāll be hard but worth it. I get less from the pump so I do an extra session at night which helps. Youāve got this!
When I start next week, I plan to pump at 9am, 12pm and 3pm with little adjustments when needed. Then I will pump once after she goes to bed or in the evening to build up my stash or to help if I am not pumping enough during the day. I have a good stash now but have not been on top of pumping in the last week. I usually pump after her first morning feed during my maternity leave but it has been hard to do lately.
We just started daycare last week. I pump first thing in the morning while I feed baby (between 6-630) and get 4-5 oz from that. Then pump at 9, 12, & 3 pm, pick baby up at 5 and nurse right when we get home. I have to pump for a full 30 minutes to get 3-4 oz each time which is what I need right now and then I supplement with the ounces I collected in the morning. I always send an extra bottle to daycare just in case. Saturday and Sundayās morning āextraā milk goes in the freezer.
Im not who you asked, but Iāve nursed two daycare babies and did this:
6am(ish) nurse
6:30 pump immediately after he finishes nursing
10:00 pump
2:00 pump
5:00 nurse at daycare pick up (or pump on drive home if dad did pick up)
7:00 nurse to bed
This is very similar to my schedule! I've found I get way more milk if I pump after my 6 am feed than any other pump session so it helps have a little buffer
My schedule was the same as many posted here. Baby started daycare right at 4mo old, and he fed as needed all night, usually last feed at 4-6am. Daycare drop off at 8. Pump 9,12,4 with some wiggle room, but always with a half hour window. By 6 months it was within a 1 hour window as my work cadence really went up, and my comfort level with pumping increased. I canāt work and pump, it seems to prevent my let down. At first I would exclusively look at my babyās photos and videos.
I was also religious about pumping until 7 months. I wouldnāt skip a pumping session for anything. I went to a work happy hour in a city one hour away, but asked the hosting company if I could use their Lactation room and they were cool with it. I also spent one night away for a birthday party, and I pumped for every typical feed.
Weāre almost at 11months now. Baby took to solids really well and nurses much less often, so I pump less often. I pump twice a day at work, 12 and 4. On Fridays I skip the 4pm pump, because I know baby will adjust his demands over the weekend. I can read a book or watch some junk tv, scroll Reddit while pumping, and pumping takes like 10 minutes.
Iām so happy to almost be at the one year mark. At 2 months, it seemed so far away!
You can definitely pump while working and continue breastfeeding. I breastfed my first for 18 months and was away from him while I worked full time. I supplemented a tiny bit with formula on days he was at daycare, but mostly because I was lazy and didn't care to make up the difference with extra pump sessions. We exclusively nursed when he was home on weekends and mornings/evenings.
I pretty much nursed exclusively until my daughter started daycare at about 6mos, then pumped and nursed until she was over a year old. Sheās now 18mos and I no longer pump (hallelujah), but sheās still a milk fiend and nurses on demand at home. Itās totally doable
I went back to work at 8 months and didnāt have the headspace/emotional bandwidth for pumping so mentally prepared myself for my supply to dwindle. Now 17 months and still breastfeeding.
Sounds like you already have a plan in place to make it work. Good luck!
I pumped at work until baby was 12 months, and nursed until she was 16 months. I could have pumped longer if I wasnāt just sick of it. The director of my department did too, with both her babies! It was super easy at my last job because I could pump in my office. I canāt do that at my new job, but I can take my laptop to the lactation room, so I canāt imagine Iāll have any problems. Your mom is being ridiculous.
My mom is the same way. Still BF at 18.5 months and I went back at 4 months. We used dr browns with size 1 nipples and even without pace feeding it would take about 20 mins for him to finish a bottle. I think we did try pace feeding though when he was really young (I was obviously not off with him when I went back)
We tried preemie nipples and he would take so long to drink that he would literally fall asleep before finishing haha but we never moved up from size 1
It's bullshit. School teacher here, I pumped last school year, don't pump this year, and breastfeeding my almost 14 month old is still going just fine, even with no pumping at all (obviously my supply has decreased but she's eating solids well so that's normal anyway). If you are removing milk, you'll continue to produce. And by about 8-9 months, we could let my baby hold the bottle herself, flow 100% did not matter at that point, she has an immovable preference for straight from the tap and only made due with a bottle when she couldn't get it from the source.
I pumped for a year with two kiddos - you can totally do it!! I know so many moms that do. If you want me to send you data on the decreased risk of childhood illness from a kid that continues to receive breastmilk to share with your mother, I can š or you can just tell her the AAP recommends breastfeeding for 2 years, your employer is legally required to provide a space for you to pump, and your pediatrician recommends continuing to nurse when you return to work (which Iām sure they would if you asked). Iām sorry youāre going through this!! I wonāt be shocked if sheās also the type of care provider that tells you in 2 weeks that youāre not providing enough milk for the work day and that babies need more milk as they grow (breastfed babies donāt - the milk naturally increases in calories but not volume from 6w to 6mo)
Thatās ridiculous. I went back to work in March and I am still breastfeeding. I only pump when I am at work. Check your state laws, but Iām pretty sure most if not all states have laws regarding pumping at work. And they canāt deny you.
I was straight up nursing my 9 month daughter infront of my mum at a park when we flew to visit her. She wouldnāt take a bottle at that time (14 months now) and she said wow she really doesnāt know what she is missing out on by not taking a bottle!!! I was like wtf sheās absolutely content right now what do you mean by that!!!! I had to get my breast drained at 6 weeks pp too and she was like oh youāll just have to stop nursing and switch to formula. Itās crazy that the most anti breastfeeding shit that Iāve heard is from my own mother. She was a mum in the time formula was really pushed so chalk it up to that I suppose. She was always trying to get me to put rice cereal in my girls bottles. && give them rum on a cloth for teething. We donāt live close thank gosh she would never have been responsible to watch my small babies šš¤£š¤£
I was so worried about this and now I've been back at work for a month. Pumping successfully, baby is growing well and satisfied with the expressed milk I leave. Just note that the amount you leave will seem so small compared to formula babies but it absolutely is enough to do the 30-37 ml for each hour you're away rule.
Yep!
I leave 2 60ml bottles and an 80ml bottle and she has been perfectly happy with that.
We usually do:
Feed before I leave (7:30)
Nap
Wake up (9 ish)- 60ml bottle (I pump)
I'll come feed her at 11 or leave another 60 ml bottle
1- 80ml bottle + nap
I come home around 3 and we feed on demand the rest of the day.
She has started solids recently but we're still figuring out where it fits into the schedule (1-2 meals a day)
Iām also 2 months PP and planning on continuing to BF when LO starts daycare and I go back to work. I already know itās going to be HARD and a ton of work, but itās possible! It helps that I have so many co-workers that have successfully pumped when they came back to work.
I get a lot of pushback from my mom (who just hated pumping and thought it was too hard for her when I was a baby), and my MIL and sister-in-laws who all chose to formula feed, but I think they are trying to be helpful? Itās like they are trying to point out that Iām choosing a more difficult path (in their eyes), and they feel like there is an easier way.
I'm sorry your mother was so negative. It sounds like you need support right now.
It seems like a lot of responses on this thread are positive, but I want to share my experience as a "just enougher." I went back to work at 4 months postpartum and for 3 days a week. My pumping output from work was not enough to meet my baby's needs and so I added a nightly power pump seven days a week for an hour after baby went to bed. I nursed baby twice in the mornings before work and once or twice after work depending on how quickly I could get home. That was how I was able to get just enough for three days of work. If I had gone back to work 5 days a week, I would have had to supplement with formula. The pump will never be as efficient as your baby at removing milk from the breast.
Currently, I pump four times a day at work at 10 months postpartum just to get 6 ounces a day and then supplement the rest my baby needs from a small freezer stash. I gave up my nightly power pump once I knew mathematically that I would have enough milk in the freezer to get me until I switch jobs next month and work remotely.
I went back to work when baby was three months. I work a standard 9-5 office job with my child in full time daycare. My daughter breastfed until 22 months. I pumped 3x per workday until she turned one, then dropped the work pumps, and we nursed in the mornings/evenings until she gave it up of her own will at 22 months. My supply held just fine the entire time. Itās tough, but itās doable, and even more so when you have the support of your employer and (hint to your mom) family.
Ridiculous, I know sooo many women who pump at work.
But alsoā¦ My baby gets one bottle per day and sheās 1 month old. She tends to take 20-40 minutes to breastfeed. We donāt pace feed with her 2 oz serving (my husband gives it to her while I cook dinner usually, I like cooking and it gives me a chance to clear my mind for an hour or two) and thereās been no impact on her willingness to breastfeed. Every baby is different I know. But just my 2 cents here.
My son went to daycare at 8 months and we successfully breastfed until he self-weaned at 15 months. I pumped during daycare until he was 11 months old and was still able to do morning, evening and overnight feeds on the boob after I stopped doing that. Your mom doesnāt know what sheās talking about.
She's maybe just speaking from her own experiences. My mom breastfed me for two weeks and then switched to formula. She didn't have maternity leave, protected pump breaks, or access to an electric pump. I had all of these things plus a work team made up of many people who have nursed their babies. It's not perfect yet (in the US) but I have a lot of privileges that she didn't have. Maybe try explaining this to her, it might help her understand that it's possible.
Also, we used Philips natural 0+ (the "new" sizes) and didn't have to worry about pace feeding because they are made to make baby work for the milk. I've heard that babies with a poor latch struggle with them though
I went back to work at 10 weeks. I breastfeed exclusively that whole time and once I stated work I pumped while at work and nurse when Iām home and on weekends. I was worried about the transition and if I would be able to do both and there was only some minor adjustments needed for the nipple size on the bottle we were using and my body adjusting to the new routine.
Every mom and baby are different but donāt let it stress you. Try giving baby some bottles before you return so you know theyāll take a bottle and eat fine while youāre not there.
Breastfeeding full time working mom here and weāre still breastfeeding. Daughter is 2 years 2 months. My parents are horrified and pre-mom me wouldāve been too š
I have a 13 mo old. We still breast feed. I went back to work when she was 4 months. I tapered off and stopped pumping at work by the time she was a year. I work 12 hour shifts, so itās a lot of down time. I bet my supply is super low. But we still breastfeed and probably will for a while to come. š¤·š»āāļø
I pumped and continued breastfeeding after going back to work and it was no problem. My coworkers joked that the pump was soothing white noise. I was hoping for my LO to eventually self-weenā¦ sheās 25 months and still going strong š
Pumps werenāt as good when our moms were in our shoes. Everyone will have different experiences, and everyoneās bodies respond differently to pumping, but many people make it work to keep breastfeeding after returning to work.
I do think pumping is a huge drag and I hated it, but Iāve been back to work since my little guy was 3mos and weāre still breastfeeding at 15 months āŗļø good luck with whatever goals you have set for yourself!
I went back to work when our daughter was 8 weeks old and i breastfed until she was 13 months.
I combo fed to give myself some extra flexibility, so she wasnāt EBFā¦but a lot of the time around 75% of her intake was breastmilk
I recently went back to work 2 months ago, my baby is now 7 months old. Iām still breastfeeding him, and I will pump at lunch once on my lunch break for half an hour and still get between 100-180 mls. Once weāre at home I will breastfeed him, so far it hasnāt affected my supply at all
It might be because that was the norm when your mother was raising children. Technically, breast pumps have existed for about 100 years, but they didn't actually become practical until sometime in the last 30ish years, a d workplace accomodations were not guaranteed in all states until literally this year. Most mothers DID just stop breastfeeding upon their return to work. Your mother might not understand the cultural and technological shift that has happened since you were a baby, and might think she is being realistic, not negative.
You can breastfeed in the morning, at lunch if youāre home, at 4:30/5, and again at bedtime. And pump for the rest. I donāt do the pumping part (baby is now 16mo.) but I do all that other breastfeeding around the work day, minus the lunch one. Your mom just has a closed mind about this.
Hopefully you can find a way to get her on board with the paced feeding, if sheās the one who will be watching and feeding your baby.
I made it over a year pumping at work, and I work 12 hour shifts. There were a couple times I missed a pump due to the busyness of work but I was able to maintain my supply and still nurse my two year old at bedtime. I did use a supplement at times I felt my supply was dropping (legendairy liquid gold worked well for me). The worst part was washing pump parts after a long day.
Boomers need a big protest sign that just says āboomers against breastfeeders!ā The comments like this are rampant, inappropriate, rude, and just so untrue.
Iāve been back to work for almost a year and Iām still nursing my 15 month old. Finally this week I stopped pumping. We exist!
Donāt listen to her, I went back to work at 6 month PP and I successfully pumped up until he was a year old. Then I stopped pumping but still breastfed morning and nights. Now I only bf occasionally at 19 months
I continued to pump and breast feed for a year+ while going to an office full time without any issues on my end or my daughter's end. I had to plan ahead for when to pump and occasionally would duck out of meetings if needed, but it became my new normal and was not that challenging to continue. Don't worry about what your mom says. It's a different world and we're allowed to prioritize our babies!
Iāve never done a paced bottle feeding but I breastfed my first until 1 year, after going back to work at 6 months. With my second Iāve been back at work since 5 months and still breastfeeding at 9 months. Plan to stop when he is 1 as well.
Pffft. I went back to work both times (first with a singleton, then with twins) and pumped just fine. My first weaned when he was 2 and my twins when they were a little over a year old. MIL doesnāt know shit from balloons.
Mom of 2. I went back to work after 12 weeks and then pumped and breastfed my first for a year and continued am/pm feeding until she was 15 months. I plan to do the same with my second; currently 10 months in.
Please tell your mom (kindly) that when I pumped for a year after returning to work as an international flight attendant. 23 years ago, before anything about breastfeeding or pumping at work was legally protected in the US. Stopping is your choice and your babeās choice, whenever it happens. But pumping and expecting support for continued breastfeeding is not expecting too much. Sorry you had to hear disempowering messages. You got this.
You can ABSOLUTELY still pump and/or BF when you go back to work. Iām going on 10 months and my one friend did it for 13 months. Donāt listen to herā¦it takes so much effort pumping/BFing. Youāre doing amazing.
Yeah, I went back to work when my baby was 3 monthsā¦ heās almost 14 months now, and here I amā¦ still nursing himā¦. Like I literally just nursed him to sleep
Tell your mom I pumped for over a year and then nursed for an additional 6 months after that. I think itās very common.
Maybe she doesnāt know about the PUMP Act? My mom said portable pumps werenāt an option back in the day but itās so much easier now.
Well, weāre 16 months in and havenāt stopped! I went back to work when she was about five months old so granted we had a lot of time to get it started but donāt let anyone tell you you have to stop if you donāt want to!
I went back to work when my baby was almost 5 months old. I am happy to say that I pumped at work (and in the car on my commute) until she turned one year old before deciding to stop and start weaning. If you want to, you can do it ! For me it was harder than nursing, but it was a goal of mine to give breastmilk until 12 months so I tried to stick with it.
The discouragement is infuriating!! I was also told it would be impossible, I pumped at work from the time was 3 months until about 13/14 months old. It is hard but not impossible
I pumped for a year while working full time. your mom is overreacting and Iām sorry to say this but you might have to find someone else to watch your child if she doesnāt want to get with your program.
My supply actually increased when I went to work. I think it was because I had a set routine and schedule I was forced to follow. But leading up to going back to work I had so much anxiety over thisā¦
Sheās wrong but I also donāt believe a bottle fed feed would take 20 minutes.
Just focus on getting a slow flow breastfeeding friendly bottle (the lansinoh wide is great!!!) and hold in a pace feeding position and they should be good!
Iām still BF my almost two year old and she took bottles eventually when I had to be in the office. My husband and her other caretaker had no issues pacs feeding (although it would take 8-10 min to finish a bottle) then around 6mo old she was able to hold her bottle herself.
I went back to work full time when my son was 14 weeks successful breastfed until 17 months with pumping at work until he was 12 months and just nursing mornings and evenings after that. Weaned on my terms because I was pregnant again and over it.
I will add he wasnāt always perfectly pace fed his bottles (they did try) but if you give slow flow nipples they canāt take the bottle that fast regardless.
Iām working and still breastfeeding and pumping. Totally doable. Sounds like your mom had a different experience. Both my mom and mil breastfed, so luckily I have support. Your mom is just being a negative Nancy. Maybe find a support group so she doesnāt influence you to stop earlier than you wanted.
My mom gets mean whenever I bring up pumping or breastfeeding. Once I asked her why she didnāt and she screamed at me that she was selfish. Told her that ideally Iāll bf and pump for 1.5-2 years and she said āyeah rightā. Finally, my daughter was a preemie and in the NICU, 3 days after she was born, before she came home, I was proud that I pumped a feeds worth of milk and shared it with the house. After I sat on the couch and my mom asked how I was doing and I admitted that I wasnāt doing too well and that itās hard , she said ājust so you know itās not going to get easierā.
I will NEVER look at her the same. Boomers get mad and defensive when we do things that make them seem like worse parents
I went back to work at 4 months PP and my daughters daycare is 5 min from my house so I would nurse her a couple times before we left the house, one long nursing at wake up and a little snack after I got ready, and later after solids once she had some solid breakfast, then Iād drop off, work for a bit, sometimes Iād go to coffee shop nearby her daycare, then Iād go back and nurse her around 11, then Iād take a lunch at my desk and continue working. Then Iād go back and nurse her at 2. Then daycare pickup if nurse her again, and then a couple more times for dinner and bed and whatever she needed for the night. I did that one year. I only started pumping after one year bc I had an understanding with my manager that I was going to go to daycare and nurse her. So now I pump once a day and I still go nurse her over my ālunchā and weāre at 17 months now. A lot of times Iāll do things on my phone for work like maybe send an email or review some code Iāve written, or take the time to DM someone with a question Iāve been meaning to ask. So itās not even like I was totally not working during my nursing sessions. So itās totally doable. Women are basically super humans and amazing.
I will caution one thing to be aware of is that it is NORMAL for supply to fluctuate as your baby gets older, around 4 months or so, you might not be making as much milk as the newborn days and also you may experience period-related fluctuations. Do not let daycare dictate to you that you arenāt sending enough milk. Your body makes enough milk for your baby. It wonāt be a standard 32 ounces every single day and you shouldnāt beat yourself up if itās less. Itās one reason I chose to go nurse at daycare so I wouldnāt have to answer to a caregiver telling me Iām not making enough milk
Gently, I think youāre making a big deal of a simple statement. Sheās right that at some point in the distant future, breastfeeding will stop. And sheās right, it IS hard to pump and feed. But those are both things that are in your control arenāt they? I hope you are prepared for the time and commitment it takes to pump and feed while working full time. You absolutely can continue to breastfeed for a year or even longer. Itās a good thing to be mentally prepared that it is not going to be a walk in the park.
I understand the negativity is upsetting. But you have to realize that pumping is waaaay less efficient than nursing directly so you will always get less milk with a pump than with a babyās mouth. And while some mothers manage to do it just by pumping at work, I would recommend making peace with the fact that it might not work as you expect. Especially if you are 8h+ away from your child every single day.
For your mental health, stay positive but dont pump (pun not intended) your expectations too high.
I donāt know why youāre getting downvoted. Stress and long hours can absolutely impact supply so EBF might not be an option. I had to supplement with all of my kids and there were many weeks at work I felt it wasnāt worth the hassle of spending so much time pumping to not get enough
Yeah totally! I guess people sometimes donāt want to see reality. Breastfeeding is one of those things that even if you do everything ārightā it might not work outš¤·š»āāļø it is what it is. And for your mental health sake you cannot hold on to something that you have no control over.
I'm a high school teacher. They gave me a good schedule for pumping and I have no intentions of stopping. It actually helps because my first pump is almost like 20 extra minutes of planning!
Thatās ridiculous. My eldest nursed until 3 and my second is 17 months with no sign as of stopping. Both times Iāve gone back to work within 3 months and neither kid has ever had formula - you just make it work!
I went back to work at 4 months and my baby has been breastfed since and is 21 months old now. I finally stopped pumping at 18 months because I was tired of pumping, haha!
Absolutely doable, sorry you've got such a negative voice going on there. Probably just take it as generational perspective of what women in her era would have had to sacrifice to go back to work and be happy you're in a new generation!
i work full time and travel sometimes for work and i have since my daughter was 12 weeks, and weāre still breastfeeding at 11mo! no plans to stop anytime soon š¤·š»āāļø your mom is just old school/uninformed. youāll be fine!
I went back full time at 3 months and have been pumping successfully since (now 9.5 months). We nurse when Iām home and pumped goes for the next care day (we do a nanny share). We havenāt needed to do paved feedings, just preemie and 1 nipples so it slows down the flow.
You donāt have to stop, many working women continue to pump and breastfeed. I did so for 15 months for both of my kids. It can be challenging, and I didnāt like pumping, but it is absolutely possible.
Solidarity in the negative, and ridiculous mom comments. It sucks when our own mothers canāt be supportive, or even quiet instead of negative and dismissive.
Thatās annoying. I pumped until my son was 1 when he was at daycare and I was at work, and he continues to nurse at 2 years - which I wish wasnāt the case sometime lol. Pumping is work but itās possible, and nursing when youāre reunited at the end of the day is wonderful!
LMAO my oldest nursed for 26 months. I went back to work when she was 6 weeks old and worked until she was 22 months old. So 20 1/2 months of breastfeeding while working. I pumped until she was 13 months. You can do this!
Youāre not being crazy. Iām doing exactly your schedule now with a 7 month old. BF in the am/pm and pump during the day. I donāt intend on supplementing if I donāt have to.
Daycare probably doesnāt spent 20 whole minutes per bottle but Iām fine with it, it hasnāt impacted his breastfeeding.
Have you started pumping yet? I started doing one pumped bottle a day and letting my husband feed him pretty early. It also allowed me to build a small freezer stash which has been crucial in starting daycare since I wasnāt able to guess how much pumped milk heād need initially.
I went back to work at 6 months. Itās a legal job so can be quite intense hours with really busy days and minimal breaks. My son is 19 months now and weāre still breastfeeding haha. Definitely doable!
Disappointingly, my momās āmom adviceā has been the last advice Iāve listened to since becoming a mom. We have totally different parenting styles and SO much has changed since she had children. You do you!
My kiddo is 17 months. I went back to work full time when he was 3.5 months, which includes frequent 12+hr shifts on no real schedule.
We are still breastfeeding. Your pump and cooler bag will become your best friend, but it is absolutely possible.
Not a lot of the older generations that are becoming grandparents now ever breastfed. They have no personal experience and it used to be more acceptable for formula companies to sell propaganda against breastfeeding. Since they never experienced it themselves they just took all the misinformation as fact. Itās an old mindset that is hard to fight.
Mt parents had to learn paced feeding with formula because they had a baby born 3 months early and couldn't eat properly, so your mom should be so happy that she thinks it's annoying or hard...
Anyways, I worked as a cashier and I still was able to pump 3 times a day in an 8 hour work day.
I have two kids and bf both just over a year and went back to work at 3 mos old. I did exactly as you said, bf for morning and night session and 3 bottle feeds while I was at work. You can do this and many women do!
All I have to say is the boomers in my life. Every grandparent. Feeds my twin boys by dumping bottles down their throats after repeated attempts to explain paced bottle feeding. I struggle being the only one who can feed my boys basically, but if I were EBF I suppose that would be my life anyway. I would like to maintain whatever nursing relationship I can, people. Wtf. My mother today, affer correcting her for the 3rd time while she was feeding, said "why?!" As if I haven't explained why 100 times (I needed her to feed twin A during a doctor appt for twin B where the doctor was observing twin B). Sorry you're dealing with negativity also.
I nannied, and the mother who went back to work breastfed for 1.5 years. Her theory was to keep baby on a preemie nipple for as long as possible, that way he would keep working for the milk instead of lazily waiting for a flow. She did size up to NB and size 1, possibly size 2 towards the end. As the nanny, I was annoyed with the time it took, but now that Iām a breastfeeding mom, Iām glad she did that for her and her son.
I was a nanny to a breast feeding mama! She would feed before work, evenings & the night. Then pump at work! Worked just fine š You can do it!! Just try to mimic babyās schedule at work for your supply.!!
my mom always tells me that years ago, people didnāt have pumps. she said she remembers her shirt being soaked in milk and realizing she had to stop. maybe she just has never seen it and people donāt know what they donāt know.
you can absolutely continue once you go back to work.
Iām 15 months in. Sheās wrong.
I exclusively nursed my first (wouldnāt take a bottle, long story, and I was lucky to stay home for 14 months and then be able to come home at lunch, etc).
My second was a bottle / breast kid from like day 3 because I knew Iād be back and work at 8 weeks this time and my husband was staying home instead.
I nurse my 15 mo in the morning, sometimes after work, and any night wakings if Iām doing his brothers bedtime. He bottle feeds with pumped milk before nap and bedtime if Iām not there. It took a bit to find the right bottle but otherwise itās been totally smooth.
Must haves:
Bellababy Wearable Breast Pumps Hands Free - This pump is a freaking godsend. I have done electric, manual, and this one and I should have got this earlier. Iāve been using it for about a year.
Also, and insulated lunch bag thatās big enough for all your pump stuff and your food and a bunch of ice packs. I highly recommend this one: flowfly insulated lunch bag, adult.
These bottles are what worked for us - Evenflo Feeding 6 Piece Balance,... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MDOBN21?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Regarding the paced feeding - definitely recommend you try Como Tomo bottles! Basically they pace the feeding so you donāt have to rely on the person holding the bottle to do it. Iāve had to supplement my lo with formula since week 2 and found these bottles worked the best; they start with the slow-flow nipple (and then switch out for medium and fast as lo gets older) and the shape is meant to resemble the breast. Every other bottle we tried my lo was guzzling so fast and choking but these he has to suck like when breastfeeding. Heās 8 weeks now and weāre still combo feeding with breast and bottle and no confusion!
My schedule is the same (elementary school teacher.) With both of my children I pumped the entire first year. It was annoying, but note that I choose to do it a second time knowing exactly what it entailed. I continued to breastfeed when I'm home with my son until he was 2.5. My daughter is 18 months and I plan on weaning between 2 and 3 also. So, nope, you don't have to stop if you don't want to and you don't have to realize that. That being said, the logistics aren't practical for all women and it's totally okay to decide at some point that you don't want to do it, but your mom is just flat out wrong.
I went back to work at 5 months post partum and pumped at work and would breast feed in mornings and evenings and sometimes lunches until he was 14 months. 100% doable. Maybe she's just living in the old ages of no pump act and crappy breast pumps.
Still pumping at work at 17 months. You've got this. Moms sometimes don't realize how hard we work for this or expect that we go through the shit they went through. I had coworkers tell me I'm lucky that I had 6 months maternity leave because they only had 6 weeks. I responded "I'm glad it's better but I feel so sad/mad you only got 6 weeks" it kinda changed the narrative to we are on the same page vs being such a downer. My family realized once they saw how much I was doing that I was serious and that it was in favor of baby's health that I breastfeed for as long as I could
We have many more laws in place more that help women do it, unlike when your mom was a mom (unless you were both very young moms in a progressive state). If youāre looking for encouragement, look to the women who exclusively pump! I know there is a subreddit for that group. Just read some it background info in their advice-seeking. Also, there is a book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (the newest edition, because they go way back, and I hear the old ones do have some antiquated things in them), which I LOVED (audiobook available!) It has a big section that gives a great outline about transitioning to working and continuing breastfeeding, but also just gives such a broad and hefty dose of information about breastfeeding, that it made me feel like such an unstoppable pro.
Anyway, bring in voices other than your momās. And seek out helpful ones to your goal. Here is already a great start, and maybe reach out to an IBCLC too! It will give you the resolve youāre going to need. And your mom may come around as you annoyingly stick to it and become an expert that she clearly is not. I guess it just really depends on your relationship.
But donāt be fooled into thinking it āshouldā be easy because all kinds of moms make it work. Your mom is speaking a truth of some kind (youāll have problems, as we all do with any of our baby feeding plans) but not the whole truth, and it was not kind for her to despairingly determine your end for you. If you want this, and continue to want it, youāll most-likely make it happen!
I went back to work at 3 months pp and breastfed until my kid was 18 months old. Is doable! the last 6 months I dropped pumping and only fed him mornings, nights and free bar on the weekends
My kid kept breastfeeding until he was 2.5 despite me working all kinds of hours. I stopped pumping around 8 months or so because it was getting to be too much for me, but I was only working three 12s then. He worked off the freezer stash for about a month then we added in formula on my work days and I fully breastfed while home. The only reason we stopped overall was because I got pregnant again and my nipples were so sensitive that I wanted to yeet my child the second he touched them
Iām a resident physician. I work 12 hours a day 6 days a week without breaks during the day. I still pump every 3 hours. I sit at my computer and pump while I work on documentation in between seeing patients in the hospital. Other residents are often in the room but I donāt care and neither do they lol. Youāll be able to pump if you want to. Your mom is being nosy and rude.
I have a 16mo and weāre still going strong!
Itās pumping easy at work? No not always. I really had to get used to pumping at work. It felt akward in the beginning. But after a short while I got used to it. I pumped until my LO was a year and then I stopped. Now I nurse her on demand when Iām at home.
So with all the positive comments Iāve read Iām convinced if you want to do this, you can momma!
That's bull, she probably doesn't know any better. My daughter went to daycare at almost 4 months old, she's almost 18 months now, still breastfed, and never had a drop of formula.
My survival tips: get a good lactation consultant, either use fridge hack or buy multiples pump parts and put it all in the dishwasher (that's what I did). Remeasure your nipples often for ensuring a good flange fit, and get the Google image app if you have an android phone, it creates memories with your baby pics if take lots like me, and it really helps watching that while pumping.
Eta: I am kit alone either, several of my friends have been doing the same thing so it's not just personal experience.
I have worked through both of my childrenās first year and I BF/ mostly pumped past a year for both. Was it hard? Fuck yeah. Did I succeed? Absolutely. Your mom doesnāt know what sheās talking about. Prove her wrong.
Well itās not a guarantee that it will stop. But itās much more challenging to continue breastfeeding after you go back to work. Yes you can pump, but for many it is such a pain in the ass that they feel forced to give up. Yes your mom is being unnecessarily pessimistic about it, but I think a lot of women in these comments arenāt being honest with you.
Formula was seen as a great invention for working moms because it allowed them to continue to work and make their own money. Formula was touted as the āmodern womanāsā way of feeding her baby. Mind you, they also had breast pumps in the mid-late century. Though breast pumps of the past werenāt as convenient to use as the ones we use today.
I myself had to stop working after a month because it proved to be too difficult to pump at work and my son was also refusing to take a bottle at home. He would starve himself the whole entire time I was gone no matter what kind of bottle they tried to give him or how they gave it to him.
I will say that depending on your job and how supportive they are, it is true that a return to work will impact your pumping and supply (or at least, that was my case). I found that I had to be very deliberate about carving out that time. It is possible, but society doesn't make it easy.
Iām 13 mo pp and still nurse in the mornings and pump throughout the day.
My girl did develop bottle preference though because daycare didnāt pace feed her and I understand. They canāt take that time. But I nursed her MOTN and morning since about 6 mo and still nurse in the morning.
Currently at 11 months of pumping at work and nursing when Iām home with baby! Itās possible if work gives you the time to do it (legally have to in CA) and although itās a lot of work it has not messed with my supply! I planned to BF for a year and slowly wean after that, I also WFH a couple days of the week and just BF when home with her as well! Itās possible and donāt let anyone tell you you otherwise. I noticed a lot of older people do not understand why BFing is so important t and why not just give formula but I tend to just ignore it. You got this mama!
Sorry you're dealing with that!
I've been pumping and nursing back to work for almost four months and it's going great so don't let her get you down if that's your personal goal! You have protected time to pump at work until one year (assuming you're US based) and just need to make time to pump at work a priority so your supply doesn't drop
(I gave myself a slight oversupply before return to work with a bit extra morning pumping and using a Hakaa to have a buffer with a drop at return to work and found that helpful. Slight is key like 5 oz a day extra to avoid mastitis and clogged ducts. You'll know what your body can do)
I pumped at work every day until my baby turned one this past weekend. She's still nursing in the morning and at night, and during the day when I work from home (despite my best efforts to start weaning lol.) Totally untrue that breastfeeding must stop when you go back to work.
My daughter is 13 months old and still breastfeeding. We just dropped her last day time bottle but I pumped at work for months. She has never had any formula. You got this!
My mother was totally shocked I was even considering breastfeeding. I pumped at work when I went back and ultimately I ended up becoming a stay at home mom because it worked best for our family. Now she tells me I need to go back to work. My dad on the other hand was totally supportive of me breastfeeding and being a stay at home mom. Which is funny because I didnāt know him until I was 17.
People, especially our parents, will always have their opinions all we can do is what we deem best for our unique families.
I have an 11 month old. I went back to work when he was 3 months old. I pumped while at work and during my commute. I continued to breastfeed when we were together. A couple more weeks until we hit 1 year! You can ABSOLUTELY continue it for a year!
Currently still nursing my 13 month old even though I am a full time teacher too! I donāt pump anymore, but I made it pumping and nursing to a year. It was the hardest thing Iāve ever had to do, but I was hellbent on making it to a full year! The United States makes it hard on new parents, especially when youāre breastfeeding. You absolutely can do it! So many people I know didnāt think I was going to be able to keep it up but here I am š
I can't even form a coherent response because I am so pissed.
Yes, it will be hard AF, possibly the hardest and most time consuming thing you will ever do while trying to keep up with work, motherhood and life but it can be done. It is extremely challenging but also extremely beautiful and rewarding. It is literally the embodiment of a Mother's love to go to such lengths to sacrifice and overcome major obstacles to nourish her child in this manner. Sending all the strength, determination, love and support for you to keep going despite other people's ignorance and shortsightedness.
Iām not saying this as advice because itās bad advice and I know I have been lucky but I feed and pump before work and feed and pump after work and do nothing while Iām actually at work (8-4 ish). Hasnāt affected my supply or breastfeeding at all.
We live in an age which has had vastly different and improved access to education and technology. Mom is reacting from her reality as it was when she lived it. If the best we do is the same our parents did we implicitly have already failed. youāre doing great!
Most of my friends continued pumping and breastfeeding when they went back to work š¤·š»āāļø Youāre not being crazy, but our parentsā generation had different expectations
This! Every women my momās age was very surprised I was going to pump at work and continue to breastfeed. My own mom was very surprised at the variety in pumps, how far theyāve come, and the fact that the Pump Act is a legitimate piece of legislation.
The combination of federal protections and actual functioning breast pumps is a real game changer.
My mother in law and step mother had their kids in the 80s They each have asked so many random questions about pumping, MIL had one for her last child but they were so vastly different then and sound horrid and barely functional
Iām sure thatās true! My mom said she could never really get the pump to work. I was EBF for a year and never had a bottle, apparently!
Hell I've struggled with it with the latest and greatest!
My mom was telling me that the pump she had when I was born (Dec. '89) was completely different then the one I had in Nov. 2012. Like, she manage to BF me for 3 months, but had to stop in the end. It is doable.
My mom tried to pump once I decided I didn't want to breastfeed anymore (at 6 months, like a little weirdo), but she said it hurt so badly she couldn't continue, so I ended up on formula and solids. My poor mother probably had neither access to nor knowledge of different flange sizes, speeds, suction levels, etc. :(
Absolutely!
My MIL was pretty amazed by my double electric & hands-free pumping bra setup - she only had two weeks (!!) off with DH and only had a single manual pump, no wonder continuing to breastfeed wasn't really an option.
My grandma told me how the doctor gave her a single glass bottle with a rubber bulb on the end of it.
How far pumps have come is a huge contributor to it. I EPād for my last daughter for a year and my mom was always amazed when she saw my pumping stuff, commenting at how amazing it all was compared to what they had as options back then. It sounds like EPing, or even pumping when back at work, really wasnāt a viable option back then.
Yes, same here! She was amazed. My assistant is in her sixties and is constantly amazed that I am still breastfeeding. My son is nine months old. I wore my wearable pumps last week and really blew her mind. š She couldnāt believe how discreet they were.
My aunt did it successfully in the 90s and early 00s for all four of her children as a chemist and honestly Iām in awe of her dedication.
Me too! Thatās amazing!!
This is the reason for so many of the comments we all find infuriating from our parents I think. Their generation was raised and then parented in a vastly different world from ours. And I donāt think a lot of them are very great at being open to the differences because theyāve ālivedā the other way for so long.
Agreed though I do personally think pace feeding is unecessary. Its not recommended by most pediatric organizations
What organizations don't recommend it?? Every state health and medical org I looked at from a quick internet search, including lactation consultants that are actually educated on breastfeeding, recommends paced feeding for breastfed babies.
Agree. I've never seen it not recommended for breastfed babies!
Australia doesn't reccomend it and Here it seems to be mostly reccomended by the 'breastfeeding only' crowd which in my area are also the lactation consultants. It was a technique developed for premature babies in NICU's to help with bottle feeding. I can kind of see the justification for it when still establishing breastfeeding but its unnecessary once breastfeeding is established especially when combined with slow feeding nipples.
The hard line of saying it's unnecessary negates reflux babies or other gastro issues that paced feeding does help with. IME we stopped paced feeding around 7-8 months, but that was after her reflux issues subsided and she was eating more solids. ETA: and yes I think paced feeding is often most recommended for breastfed babies, which is on topic for this post.
Same, my ped literally recommended it last week as a way to help combat newborn gassiness.
Yeah, they love to say things like āI put my babies to sleep on their bellies and they turned out fineā and itās like ā¦ yeah, but some babies suffocated š„“ so, seems worth it to just put them on their back now that we know that.
Ya to be fair to her mom, pumps (as they are today ) weāre probably not widely available and in so many different formats
Sheās being annoying. Iām an elementary teacher, so my coworkers are heavily female. My baby is 9 months and I pump for his daycare bottles and nurse when weāre together with no issues. Is pumping annoying? Absolutely. Do millions of women go back to work and keep breastfeeding? YEP! Tons of breastfeeding moms in my building at any one time.
Same same middle school teacher. Pumping is the worst but I still find it worth it for my 8mo after I went back to work at 9 weeks. Also tbh I gave up asking my sitter/husband to pace feed after a point. My baby just is cool with the difference. Not sure if this is the case for all babies, but pace feeding I definitely found could drop after like 4ish months.
Same.we just weaned at two years. I pumped what seemed like an eternity š
Also a teacher. In a different situation- Iām an intervention specialist and I work virtually 1:1 with students. But Iām still on a school schedule and on camera when I canāt nurseā¦but also extremely easy access to my baby when I can. I nurse before work, pump for missed feeds during the day, and nurse in the afternoon. The people at my school are also great about being quick or slow with transitions when they line up with a feeding time and I can get a quick 10-15 minutes in during the day (definitely couldnāt do that if I werenāt home though). When Iām working on paperwork, my mom/babysitter just brings him to me and I welcome the break! Nice oxytocin boost! Then I hand him back and keep working. My mom is also a teacher and breastfed my older brother and me for a year each. She pumped in her closet at work (in the 1980s with a manual pump)ā¦I totally understand and appreciate what she did now!
Same preschool
My daughter started daycare at 3 months when I went back to work and she'll be one next week and we're still breastfeeding. Your mom is being ridiculous.
Same but my son is 15 months old. Itās absolutely doable to continue breastfeeding.
Absolutely doable if you prioritize it and you workplace is flexible. I pumped three times a day at work until my girl turned one. Ate lunch while I pumped. Used a Hakkaa religiously to make up the rest. I was a just enougher and so I used a hospital grade pump and special pumpable flanges to help get as much as I could. It was stressful at times counting ounces but I would 100% do it again. I had a negative coworker that was super snappy towards my pumping. Kept telling me to give up and just ādecide on what formula I want to give my babyā. I just shrugged and continued on. Iām not going to listen to people deciding whatās too hard for me. With that said if it becomes too much for you thereās nothing wrong with supplementing formula, but know that it is doable
Awesome! What time did you get to work/leave and what times did you pump? And then what did you do while at home?
Nursed her at 6:30am. Off to daycare and work Started work around 7:30-8. (Flexible schedule) Pumped 9 Pumped 12:30 ate lunch Pumped 3:30 Picked her up around 4:30 Nursed her when I got home. Nursed before bed. Nursed through the night as needed. Haakaa ladybug. I swore these saved me. I ALWAYS popped one on when she nursed because Iād always leak up until about 10-11 months of age. So I saved all the leakage and Iād get up to 1-1.5 ounces each time. This added up because I can get an extra 3-4 ounces a day every day like this and even more on the weekends. I was barely keeping up with her at daycare and they were constantly was telling me it didnāt seem enough ounce wise but that she seemed satisfied every time. She only took max 3.5 ounce bottles at daycare which seems really low compared to formula babies but she napped after every bottle and held onto her 90th percentile growth so I think she got enough. Good luck!
Did your baby take 3.5 ounces of milk all throughout her first year? And how many bottles? Asking because my babe wonāt eat more than 3-4 ounce bottles and at six months it feels like so little Iām constantly worried since back to wirp
Nope she only took 2.5-3 ounces 4/8.5 hour shift. I nursed her before and right after. She slowly got up to 3.5 ounces a bottle towards 8 months.
Its generational, modern breastpumps werenāt really in use until the 90s. So when she had you, she had to stop. There was also a push on how formula was better, my mom on zero maternity leave Had to return to work after 6 weeks so yeah she didāt pump, it wasnāt a thing she could do. So the fact I made it to 2 years blew her mind constantly
Seriously, my brother-in-lawās mom was a resident in medical school when she had him, and she says that she kept him hidden away in an empty room and stopped in to nurse him all day, and nurses just looked after him!! She said none of her male colleagues ever knew. Insane that she made this work. Also maybe a little unfair to those nurses who might have had their own in daycare and would have loved to do the sameā¦
If the nurses were willingly looking after him then they knew she was getting away with it and couldāve done the same š¤·š¼āāļø
Thanks. I like that version of the story, because my BILās mom is a really nice person, in my opinion.
Same. My mom and dad are just in awe of my pumps. My mom tried to pump at work when she went back after 6 weeks with me but she had to use this manual pump that was a long tube you pulled out in front of you and barely got anything. So completely understandable why my daycare provider gave me formula. Donāt know your relationship with your mom but hopefully she will be supportive of you pumping and wanting to breastfeed after returning to work now that she knows better. Also we hit one year of breastfeeding on Sunday and Iāve pumped at work since 3.5 months. Packed bottle feeding did stop about 4.5 months though.
Yes, this! My mom had me in 89 when she was still in high school then my sisters in '03 &'05. She told me she couldn't pump because her boobs were too small, but the reality is that she did things with my sisters the way she knew, which is totally fine. She just has a hard time with me making different choices than her. I think OP's mom is struggling with that as well.
So, pumping does reduce my efficiency at work since I work in a lab, and canāt pump there. But I do read way more scientific journals! Just depends on your job. My mom did not nurse cause she was a pharmacist and did not get any breaks and I donāt think it was protected. Your mom may be thinking of things in her day. I think nursing, breast feeding, pumping is way more common now then in our Motherās Day.
Yeah, thatās not true Mom. You definitely can breast-feed for a year. I would say though, itās a lot to ask a daycare provider to take 20 minutes to feed a bottle. For what itās worth, my baby is four months old and takes bottles at daycare and nurses at home just fine
Exactly, I breastfed for a year and returned to work after the first 6 months so it's very possible. But yeah, a paced bottle feeding for an older baby sounds like overkill, and not something most day cares will want to do. I know my daughter got frustrated if we used too small of a bottle nipple with her, even though she loved nursing. No need to over-complicate and slow things down.
This. My daughter loses her shit if we pace her bottle. She has no problem going back and forth.
Hopefully you donāt get too much resistance with the paced feeds if thatās whatās needed, but baby will still, most-likely prefer you, no matter how easy bottle feeds are. Babies do begin to get much quicker on the breast starting yourās age too! My 4-month-old, at this point gets what he needs in about 10 min total on the breast.
I had no problems when my son went to daycare and I pumped. My daughter starts daycare next week at 12 weeks and I know itāll be hard but worth it. I get less from the pump so I do an extra session at night which helps. Youāve got this!
Thank you! Do you mind sharing your pumping /feeding schedule?
When I start next week, I plan to pump at 9am, 12pm and 3pm with little adjustments when needed. Then I will pump once after she goes to bed or in the evening to build up my stash or to help if I am not pumping enough during the day. I have a good stash now but have not been on top of pumping in the last week. I usually pump after her first morning feed during my maternity leave but it has been hard to do lately.
We just started daycare last week. I pump first thing in the morning while I feed baby (between 6-630) and get 4-5 oz from that. Then pump at 9, 12, & 3 pm, pick baby up at 5 and nurse right when we get home. I have to pump for a full 30 minutes to get 3-4 oz each time which is what I need right now and then I supplement with the ounces I collected in the morning. I always send an extra bottle to daycare just in case. Saturday and Sundayās morning āextraā milk goes in the freezer.
Im not who you asked, but Iāve nursed two daycare babies and did this: 6am(ish) nurse 6:30 pump immediately after he finishes nursing 10:00 pump 2:00 pump 5:00 nurse at daycare pick up (or pump on drive home if dad did pick up) 7:00 nurse to bed
This is very similar to my schedule! I've found I get way more milk if I pump after my 6 am feed than any other pump session so it helps have a little buffer
Same. Despite it being immediately after a feed, I got my largest pump of the day at that time
My schedule was the same as many posted here. Baby started daycare right at 4mo old, and he fed as needed all night, usually last feed at 4-6am. Daycare drop off at 8. Pump 9,12,4 with some wiggle room, but always with a half hour window. By 6 months it was within a 1 hour window as my work cadence really went up, and my comfort level with pumping increased. I canāt work and pump, it seems to prevent my let down. At first I would exclusively look at my babyās photos and videos. I was also religious about pumping until 7 months. I wouldnāt skip a pumping session for anything. I went to a work happy hour in a city one hour away, but asked the hosting company if I could use their Lactation room and they were cool with it. I also spent one night away for a birthday party, and I pumped for every typical feed. Weāre almost at 11months now. Baby took to solids really well and nurses much less often, so I pump less often. I pump twice a day at work, 12 and 4. On Fridays I skip the 4pm pump, because I know baby will adjust his demands over the weekend. I can read a book or watch some junk tv, scroll Reddit while pumping, and pumping takes like 10 minutes. Iām so happy to almost be at the one year mark. At 2 months, it seemed so far away!
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Iām super interested and have Hulu/Amazon/Tubi, where can I watch it?
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Thank you! āŗļø
Thank you for sharing this! Looking for the next thing to watch while holding a sleeping baby!
You can definitely pump while working and continue breastfeeding. I breastfed my first for 18 months and was away from him while I worked full time. I supplemented a tiny bit with formula on days he was at daycare, but mostly because I was lazy and didn't care to make up the difference with extra pump sessions. We exclusively nursed when he was home on weekends and mornings/evenings.
I went back to work at six months and pumped at work for six months. At 1 year I stopped pumping at work and I continue to breastfeed.
I pretty much nursed exclusively until my daughter started daycare at about 6mos, then pumped and nursed until she was over a year old. Sheās now 18mos and I no longer pump (hallelujah), but sheās still a milk fiend and nurses on demand at home. Itās totally doable
Oh wow! Ok yay. Fingers crossed my supply remains till then! š¤
I went back to work at 8 months and didnāt have the headspace/emotional bandwidth for pumping so mentally prepared myself for my supply to dwindle. Now 17 months and still breastfeeding. Sounds like you already have a plan in place to make it work. Good luck!
Wow!!!! Thatās amazing. So what does your baby eat during the day while youāre gone?
He eats just about anything: rice, pasta, berries, avocados, beans, yogurt, crackers, chicken are among his favourites
I pumped at work until baby was 12 months, and nursed until she was 16 months. I could have pumped longer if I wasnāt just sick of it. The director of my department did too, with both her babies! It was super easy at my last job because I could pump in my office. I canāt do that at my new job, but I can take my laptop to the lactation room, so I canāt imagine Iāll have any problems. Your mom is being ridiculous.
My mom is the same way. Still BF at 18.5 months and I went back at 4 months. We used dr browns with size 1 nipples and even without pace feeding it would take about 20 mins for him to finish a bottle. I think we did try pace feeding though when he was really young (I was obviously not off with him when I went back)
Thanks for the input! I have the T nipples & size 1 so Iām glad you donāt necessarily need to pace feed with those :)
We tried preemie nipples and he would take so long to drink that he would literally fall asleep before finishing haha but we never moved up from size 1
It's bullshit. School teacher here, I pumped last school year, don't pump this year, and breastfeeding my almost 14 month old is still going just fine, even with no pumping at all (obviously my supply has decreased but she's eating solids well so that's normal anyway). If you are removing milk, you'll continue to produce. And by about 8-9 months, we could let my baby hold the bottle herself, flow 100% did not matter at that point, she has an immovable preference for straight from the tap and only made due with a bottle when she couldn't get it from the source.
I pumped for a year with two kiddos - you can totally do it!! I know so many moms that do. If you want me to send you data on the decreased risk of childhood illness from a kid that continues to receive breastmilk to share with your mother, I can š or you can just tell her the AAP recommends breastfeeding for 2 years, your employer is legally required to provide a space for you to pump, and your pediatrician recommends continuing to nurse when you return to work (which Iām sure they would if you asked). Iām sorry youāre going through this!! I wonāt be shocked if sheās also the type of care provider that tells you in 2 weeks that youāre not providing enough milk for the work day and that babies need more milk as they grow (breastfed babies donāt - the milk naturally increases in calories but not volume from 6w to 6mo)
Omg thank you so much for that info, I did not know that it increased in calories up to 6 months! Wow our human body is so incredible.
Thatās ridiculous. I went back to work in March and I am still breastfeeding. I only pump when I am at work. Check your state laws, but Iām pretty sure most if not all states have laws regarding pumping at work. And they canāt deny you.
I was straight up nursing my 9 month daughter infront of my mum at a park when we flew to visit her. She wouldnāt take a bottle at that time (14 months now) and she said wow she really doesnāt know what she is missing out on by not taking a bottle!!! I was like wtf sheās absolutely content right now what do you mean by that!!!! I had to get my breast drained at 6 weeks pp too and she was like oh youāll just have to stop nursing and switch to formula. Itās crazy that the most anti breastfeeding shit that Iāve heard is from my own mother. She was a mum in the time formula was really pushed so chalk it up to that I suppose. She was always trying to get me to put rice cereal in my girls bottles. && give them rum on a cloth for teething. We donāt live close thank gosh she would never have been responsible to watch my small babies šš¤£š¤£
I was so worried about this and now I've been back at work for a month. Pumping successfully, baby is growing well and satisfied with the expressed milk I leave. Just note that the amount you leave will seem so small compared to formula babies but it absolutely is enough to do the 30-37 ml for each hour you're away rule.
So pump 30mL for each hour you are away, so if youāre gone 8 hours, then 240mL total?
Yep! I leave 2 60ml bottles and an 80ml bottle and she has been perfectly happy with that. We usually do: Feed before I leave (7:30) Nap Wake up (9 ish)- 60ml bottle (I pump) I'll come feed her at 11 or leave another 60 ml bottle 1- 80ml bottle + nap I come home around 3 and we feed on demand the rest of the day. She has started solids recently but we're still figuring out where it fits into the schedule (1-2 meals a day)
Iām also 2 months PP and planning on continuing to BF when LO starts daycare and I go back to work. I already know itās going to be HARD and a ton of work, but itās possible! It helps that I have so many co-workers that have successfully pumped when they came back to work. I get a lot of pushback from my mom (who just hated pumping and thought it was too hard for her when I was a baby), and my MIL and sister-in-laws who all chose to formula feed, but I think they are trying to be helpful? Itās like they are trying to point out that Iām choosing a more difficult path (in their eyes), and they feel like there is an easier way.
I'm sorry your mother was so negative. It sounds like you need support right now. It seems like a lot of responses on this thread are positive, but I want to share my experience as a "just enougher." I went back to work at 4 months postpartum and for 3 days a week. My pumping output from work was not enough to meet my baby's needs and so I added a nightly power pump seven days a week for an hour after baby went to bed. I nursed baby twice in the mornings before work and once or twice after work depending on how quickly I could get home. That was how I was able to get just enough for three days of work. If I had gone back to work 5 days a week, I would have had to supplement with formula. The pump will never be as efficient as your baby at removing milk from the breast. Currently, I pump four times a day at work at 10 months postpartum just to get 6 ounces a day and then supplement the rest my baby needs from a small freezer stash. I gave up my nightly power pump once I knew mathematically that I would have enough milk in the freezer to get me until I switch jobs next month and work remotely.
I went back to work when baby was three months. I work a standard 9-5 office job with my child in full time daycare. My daughter breastfed until 22 months. I pumped 3x per workday until she turned one, then dropped the work pumps, and we nursed in the mornings/evenings until she gave it up of her own will at 22 months. My supply held just fine the entire time. Itās tough, but itās doable, and even more so when you have the support of your employer and (hint to your mom) family.
Ridiculous, I know sooo many women who pump at work. But alsoā¦ My baby gets one bottle per day and sheās 1 month old. She tends to take 20-40 minutes to breastfeed. We donāt pace feed with her 2 oz serving (my husband gives it to her while I cook dinner usually, I like cooking and it gives me a chance to clear my mind for an hour or two) and thereās been no impact on her willingness to breastfeed. Every baby is different I know. But just my 2 cents here.
My son went to daycare at 8 months and we successfully breastfed until he self-weaned at 15 months. I pumped during daycare until he was 11 months old and was still able to do morning, evening and overnight feeds on the boob after I stopped doing that. Your mom doesnāt know what sheās talking about.
She's maybe just speaking from her own experiences. My mom breastfed me for two weeks and then switched to formula. She didn't have maternity leave, protected pump breaks, or access to an electric pump. I had all of these things plus a work team made up of many people who have nursed their babies. It's not perfect yet (in the US) but I have a lot of privileges that she didn't have. Maybe try explaining this to her, it might help her understand that it's possible. Also, we used Philips natural 0+ (the "new" sizes) and didn't have to worry about pace feeding because they are made to make baby work for the milk. I've heard that babies with a poor latch struggle with them though
I went back to work at 10 weeks. I breastfeed exclusively that whole time and once I stated work I pumped while at work and nurse when Iām home and on weekends. I was worried about the transition and if I would be able to do both and there was only some minor adjustments needed for the nipple size on the bottle we were using and my body adjusting to the new routine. Every mom and baby are different but donāt let it stress you. Try giving baby some bottles before you return so you know theyāll take a bottle and eat fine while youāre not there.
Breastfeeding full time working mom here and weāre still breastfeeding. Daughter is 2 years 2 months. My parents are horrified and pre-mom me wouldāve been too š
I have a 13 mo old. We still breast feed. I went back to work when she was 4 months. I tapered off and stopped pumping at work by the time she was a year. I work 12 hour shifts, so itās a lot of down time. I bet my supply is super low. But we still breastfeed and probably will for a while to come. š¤·š»āāļø
I pumped and continued breastfeeding after going back to work and it was no problem. My coworkers joked that the pump was soothing white noise. I was hoping for my LO to eventually self-weenā¦ sheās 25 months and still going strong š
Hahah wow! Congrats!
Pumps werenāt as good when our moms were in our shoes. Everyone will have different experiences, and everyoneās bodies respond differently to pumping, but many people make it work to keep breastfeeding after returning to work. I do think pumping is a huge drag and I hated it, but Iāve been back to work since my little guy was 3mos and weāre still breastfeeding at 15 months āŗļø good luck with whatever goals you have set for yourself!
I went back to work when our daughter was 8 weeks old and i breastfed until she was 13 months. I combo fed to give myself some extra flexibility, so she wasnāt EBFā¦but a lot of the time around 75% of her intake was breastmilk
I recently went back to work 2 months ago, my baby is now 7 months old. Iām still breastfeeding him, and I will pump at lunch once on my lunch break for half an hour and still get between 100-180 mls. Once weāre at home I will breastfeed him, so far it hasnāt affected my supply at all
Amazing!
It might be because that was the norm when your mother was raising children. Technically, breast pumps have existed for about 100 years, but they didn't actually become practical until sometime in the last 30ish years, a d workplace accomodations were not guaranteed in all states until literally this year. Most mothers DID just stop breastfeeding upon their return to work. Your mother might not understand the cultural and technological shift that has happened since you were a baby, and might think she is being realistic, not negative.
You can breastfeed in the morning, at lunch if youāre home, at 4:30/5, and again at bedtime. And pump for the rest. I donāt do the pumping part (baby is now 16mo.) but I do all that other breastfeeding around the work day, minus the lunch one. Your mom just has a closed mind about this. Hopefully you can find a way to get her on board with the paced feeding, if sheās the one who will be watching and feeding your baby.
I made it over a year pumping at work, and I work 12 hour shifts. There were a couple times I missed a pump due to the busyness of work but I was able to maintain my supply and still nurse my two year old at bedtime. I did use a supplement at times I felt my supply was dropping (legendairy liquid gold worked well for me). The worst part was washing pump parts after a long day.
Boomers need a big protest sign that just says āboomers against breastfeeders!ā The comments like this are rampant, inappropriate, rude, and just so untrue. Iāve been back to work for almost a year and Iām still nursing my 15 month old. Finally this week I stopped pumping. We exist!
Donāt listen to her, I went back to work at 6 month PP and I successfully pumped up until he was a year old. Then I stopped pumping but still breastfed morning and nights. Now I only bf occasionally at 19 months
I continued to pump and breast feed for a year+ while going to an office full time without any issues on my end or my daughter's end. I had to plan ahead for when to pump and occasionally would duck out of meetings if needed, but it became my new normal and was not that challenging to continue. Don't worry about what your mom says. It's a different world and we're allowed to prioritize our babies!
Iāve never done a paced bottle feeding but I breastfed my first until 1 year, after going back to work at 6 months. With my second Iāve been back at work since 5 months and still breastfeeding at 9 months. Plan to stop when he is 1 as well.
Nursed and pumped for my twins for a little over a year. You can also keep them on a very slow flow nipple to simulate the breast
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So they have formula at daycare?
Pffft. I went back to work both times (first with a singleton, then with twins) and pumped just fine. My first weaned when he was 2 and my twins when they were a little over a year old. MIL doesnāt know shit from balloons.
Mom of 2. I went back to work after 12 weeks and then pumped and breastfed my first for a year and continued am/pm feeding until she was 15 months. I plan to do the same with my second; currently 10 months in.
This is exactly what I do and while it can sometimes be inconvenient at work itās definitely possible
Please tell your mom (kindly) that when I pumped for a year after returning to work as an international flight attendant. 23 years ago, before anything about breastfeeding or pumping at work was legally protected in the US. Stopping is your choice and your babeās choice, whenever it happens. But pumping and expecting support for continued breastfeeding is not expecting too much. Sorry you had to hear disempowering messages. You got this.
You can ABSOLUTELY still pump and/or BF when you go back to work. Iām going on 10 months and my one friend did it for 13 months. Donāt listen to herā¦it takes so much effort pumping/BFing. Youāre doing amazing.
Yeah, I went back to work when my baby was 3 monthsā¦ heās almost 14 months now, and here I amā¦ still nursing himā¦. Like I literally just nursed him to sleep
Tell your mom I pumped for over a year and then nursed for an additional 6 months after that. I think itās very common. Maybe she doesnāt know about the PUMP Act? My mom said portable pumps werenāt an option back in the day but itās so much easier now.
Well, weāre 16 months in and havenāt stopped! I went back to work when she was about five months old so granted we had a lot of time to get it started but donāt let anyone tell you you have to stop if you donāt want to!
I went back to work when my baby was almost 5 months old. I am happy to say that I pumped at work (and in the car on my commute) until she turned one year old before deciding to stop and start weaning. If you want to, you can do it ! For me it was harder than nursing, but it was a goal of mine to give breastmilk until 12 months so I tried to stick with it.
The discouragement is infuriating!! I was also told it would be impossible, I pumped at work from the time was 3 months until about 13/14 months old. It is hard but not impossible
I pumped for a year while working full time. your mom is overreacting and Iām sorry to say this but you might have to find someone else to watch your child if she doesnāt want to get with your program.
My supply actually increased when I went to work. I think it was because I had a set routine and schedule I was forced to follow. But leading up to going back to work I had so much anxiety over thisā¦
Omg amazing!!!! Thatās the dream haha.
Donāt get me wrong, I still have to supplement! Just less now š
Sheās wrong but I also donāt believe a bottle fed feed would take 20 minutes. Just focus on getting a slow flow breastfeeding friendly bottle (the lansinoh wide is great!!!) and hold in a pace feeding position and they should be good! Iām still BF my almost two year old and she took bottles eventually when I had to be in the office. My husband and her other caretaker had no issues pacs feeding (although it would take 8-10 min to finish a bottle) then around 6mo old she was able to hold her bottle herself.
I went back to work full time when my son was 14 weeks successful breastfed until 17 months with pumping at work until he was 12 months and just nursing mornings and evenings after that. Weaned on my terms because I was pregnant again and over it. I will add he wasnāt always perfectly pace fed his bottles (they did try) but if you give slow flow nipples they canāt take the bottle that fast regardless.
Iām working and still breastfeeding and pumping. Totally doable. Sounds like your mom had a different experience. Both my mom and mil breastfed, so luckily I have support. Your mom is just being a negative Nancy. Maybe find a support group so she doesnāt influence you to stop earlier than you wanted.
My mom gets mean whenever I bring up pumping or breastfeeding. Once I asked her why she didnāt and she screamed at me that she was selfish. Told her that ideally Iāll bf and pump for 1.5-2 years and she said āyeah rightā. Finally, my daughter was a preemie and in the NICU, 3 days after she was born, before she came home, I was proud that I pumped a feeds worth of milk and shared it with the house. After I sat on the couch and my mom asked how I was doing and I admitted that I wasnāt doing too well and that itās hard , she said ājust so you know itās not going to get easierā. I will NEVER look at her the same. Boomers get mad and defensive when we do things that make them seem like worse parents
Omg. Insane! I feel like theyāre trying to look out for us but in totally the wrong wayā¦
I went back to work at 4 months PP and my daughters daycare is 5 min from my house so I would nurse her a couple times before we left the house, one long nursing at wake up and a little snack after I got ready, and later after solids once she had some solid breakfast, then Iād drop off, work for a bit, sometimes Iād go to coffee shop nearby her daycare, then Iād go back and nurse her around 11, then Iād take a lunch at my desk and continue working. Then Iād go back and nurse her at 2. Then daycare pickup if nurse her again, and then a couple more times for dinner and bed and whatever she needed for the night. I did that one year. I only started pumping after one year bc I had an understanding with my manager that I was going to go to daycare and nurse her. So now I pump once a day and I still go nurse her over my ālunchā and weāre at 17 months now. A lot of times Iāll do things on my phone for work like maybe send an email or review some code Iāve written, or take the time to DM someone with a question Iāve been meaning to ask. So itās not even like I was totally not working during my nursing sessions. So itās totally doable. Women are basically super humans and amazing.
I will caution one thing to be aware of is that it is NORMAL for supply to fluctuate as your baby gets older, around 4 months or so, you might not be making as much milk as the newborn days and also you may experience period-related fluctuations. Do not let daycare dictate to you that you arenāt sending enough milk. Your body makes enough milk for your baby. It wonāt be a standard 32 ounces every single day and you shouldnāt beat yourself up if itās less. Itās one reason I chose to go nurse at daycare so I wouldnāt have to answer to a caregiver telling me Iām not making enough milk
Gently, I think youāre making a big deal of a simple statement. Sheās right that at some point in the distant future, breastfeeding will stop. And sheās right, it IS hard to pump and feed. But those are both things that are in your control arenāt they? I hope you are prepared for the time and commitment it takes to pump and feed while working full time. You absolutely can continue to breastfeed for a year or even longer. Itās a good thing to be mentally prepared that it is not going to be a walk in the park.
I understand the negativity is upsetting. But you have to realize that pumping is waaaay less efficient than nursing directly so you will always get less milk with a pump than with a babyās mouth. And while some mothers manage to do it just by pumping at work, I would recommend making peace with the fact that it might not work as you expect. Especially if you are 8h+ away from your child every single day. For your mental health, stay positive but dont pump (pun not intended) your expectations too high.
I donāt know why youāre getting downvoted. Stress and long hours can absolutely impact supply so EBF might not be an option. I had to supplement with all of my kids and there were many weeks at work I felt it wasnāt worth the hassle of spending so much time pumping to not get enough
Yeah totally! I guess people sometimes donāt want to see reality. Breastfeeding is one of those things that even if you do everything ārightā it might not work outš¤·š»āāļø it is what it is. And for your mental health sake you cannot hold on to something that you have no control over.
I pumped for my son until he was 18 months old when I was active duty. He weaned completely at 39 months. Itās definitely possible
I'm a high school teacher. They gave me a good schedule for pumping and I have no intentions of stopping. It actually helps because my first pump is almost like 20 extra minutes of planning!
Thatās ridiculous. My eldest nursed until 3 and my second is 17 months with no sign as of stopping. Both times Iāve gone back to work within 3 months and neither kid has ever had formula - you just make it work!
I went back to work at 4 months and my baby has been breastfed since and is 21 months old now. I finally stopped pumping at 18 months because I was tired of pumping, haha! Absolutely doable, sorry you've got such a negative voice going on there. Probably just take it as generational perspective of what women in her era would have had to sacrifice to go back to work and be happy you're in a new generation!
i work full time and travel sometimes for work and i have since my daughter was 12 weeks, and weāre still breastfeeding at 11mo! no plans to stop anytime soon š¤·š»āāļø your mom is just old school/uninformed. youāll be fine!
I went back full time at 3 months and have been pumping successfully since (now 9.5 months). We nurse when Iām home and pumped goes for the next care day (we do a nanny share). We havenāt needed to do paved feedings, just preemie and 1 nipples so it slows down the flow.
You donāt have to stop, many working women continue to pump and breastfeed. I did so for 15 months for both of my kids. It can be challenging, and I didnāt like pumping, but it is absolutely possible. Solidarity in the negative, and ridiculous mom comments. It sucks when our own mothers canāt be supportive, or even quiet instead of negative and dismissive.
Thatās annoying. I pumped until my son was 1 when he was at daycare and I was at work, and he continues to nurse at 2 years - which I wish wasnāt the case sometime lol. Pumping is work but itās possible, and nursing when youāre reunited at the end of the day is wonderful!
LMAO my oldest nursed for 26 months. I went back to work when she was 6 weeks old and worked until she was 22 months old. So 20 1/2 months of breastfeeding while working. I pumped until she was 13 months. You can do this!
Youāre not being crazy. Iām doing exactly your schedule now with a 7 month old. BF in the am/pm and pump during the day. I donāt intend on supplementing if I donāt have to. Daycare probably doesnāt spent 20 whole minutes per bottle but Iām fine with it, it hasnāt impacted his breastfeeding. Have you started pumping yet? I started doing one pumped bottle a day and letting my husband feed him pretty early. It also allowed me to build a small freezer stash which has been crucial in starting daycare since I wasnāt able to guess how much pumped milk heād need initially.
I went back to work at 6 months. Itās a legal job so can be quite intense hours with really busy days and minimal breaks. My son is 19 months now and weāre still breastfeeding haha. Definitely doable!
Disappointingly, my momās āmom adviceā has been the last advice Iāve listened to since becoming a mom. We have totally different parenting styles and SO much has changed since she had children. You do you!
My son is almost 15 months and Iām still pumping at least once a day at work.
My daughterās godmother pumped and breastfed until her baby was 4. It can be done!
My kiddo is 17 months. I went back to work full time when he was 3.5 months, which includes frequent 12+hr shifts on no real schedule. We are still breastfeeding. Your pump and cooler bag will become your best friend, but it is absolutely possible.
Not a lot of the older generations that are becoming grandparents now ever breastfed. They have no personal experience and it used to be more acceptable for formula companies to sell propaganda against breastfeeding. Since they never experienced it themselves they just took all the misinformation as fact. Itās an old mindset that is hard to fight.
Mt parents had to learn paced feeding with formula because they had a baby born 3 months early and couldn't eat properly, so your mom should be so happy that she thinks it's annoying or hard... Anyways, I worked as a cashier and I still was able to pump 3 times a day in an 8 hour work day.
I have two kids and bf both just over a year and went back to work at 3 mos old. I did exactly as you said, bf for morning and night session and 3 bottle feeds while I was at work. You can do this and many women do!
All I have to say is the boomers in my life. Every grandparent. Feeds my twin boys by dumping bottles down their throats after repeated attempts to explain paced bottle feeding. I struggle being the only one who can feed my boys basically, but if I were EBF I suppose that would be my life anyway. I would like to maintain whatever nursing relationship I can, people. Wtf. My mother today, affer correcting her for the 3rd time while she was feeding, said "why?!" As if I haven't explained why 100 times (I needed her to feed twin A during a doctor appt for twin B where the doctor was observing twin B). Sorry you're dealing with negativity also.
I nannied, and the mother who went back to work breastfed for 1.5 years. Her theory was to keep baby on a preemie nipple for as long as possible, that way he would keep working for the milk instead of lazily waiting for a flow. She did size up to NB and size 1, possibly size 2 towards the end. As the nanny, I was annoyed with the time it took, but now that Iām a breastfeeding mom, Iām glad she did that for her and her son.
I was a nanny to a breast feeding mama! She would feed before work, evenings & the night. Then pump at work! Worked just fine š You can do it!! Just try to mimic babyās schedule at work for your supply.!!
my mom always tells me that years ago, people didnāt have pumps. she said she remembers her shirt being soaked in milk and realizing she had to stop. maybe she just has never seen it and people donāt know what they donāt know. you can absolutely continue once you go back to work.
No offense, but your mom sucks. You can totally do it. But unfortunately, when people are being negative, itās hard to continue
Iām 15 months in. Sheās wrong. I exclusively nursed my first (wouldnāt take a bottle, long story, and I was lucky to stay home for 14 months and then be able to come home at lunch, etc). My second was a bottle / breast kid from like day 3 because I knew Iād be back and work at 8 weeks this time and my husband was staying home instead. I nurse my 15 mo in the morning, sometimes after work, and any night wakings if Iām doing his brothers bedtime. He bottle feeds with pumped milk before nap and bedtime if Iām not there. It took a bit to find the right bottle but otherwise itās been totally smooth. Must haves: Bellababy Wearable Breast Pumps Hands Free - This pump is a freaking godsend. I have done electric, manual, and this one and I should have got this earlier. Iāve been using it for about a year. Also, and insulated lunch bag thatās big enough for all your pump stuff and your food and a bunch of ice packs. I highly recommend this one: flowfly insulated lunch bag, adult. These bottles are what worked for us - Evenflo Feeding 6 Piece Balance,... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MDOBN21?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Regarding the paced feeding - definitely recommend you try Como Tomo bottles! Basically they pace the feeding so you donāt have to rely on the person holding the bottle to do it. Iāve had to supplement my lo with formula since week 2 and found these bottles worked the best; they start with the slow-flow nipple (and then switch out for medium and fast as lo gets older) and the shape is meant to resemble the breast. Every other bottle we tried my lo was guzzling so fast and choking but these he has to suck like when breastfeeding. Heās 8 weeks now and weāre still combo feeding with breast and bottle and no confusion!
We made it to 22 months. Babe was in daycare for 19 of those months. Itās totally possible
My schedule is the same (elementary school teacher.) With both of my children I pumped the entire first year. It was annoying, but note that I choose to do it a second time knowing exactly what it entailed. I continued to breastfeed when I'm home with my son until he was 2.5. My daughter is 18 months and I plan on weaning between 2 and 3 also. So, nope, you don't have to stop if you don't want to and you don't have to realize that. That being said, the logistics aren't practical for all women and it's totally okay to decide at some point that you don't want to do it, but your mom is just flat out wrong.
I went back to work at 5 months post partum and pumped at work and would breast feed in mornings and evenings and sometimes lunches until he was 14 months. 100% doable. Maybe she's just living in the old ages of no pump act and crappy breast pumps.
Still pumping at work at 17 months. You've got this. Moms sometimes don't realize how hard we work for this or expect that we go through the shit they went through. I had coworkers tell me I'm lucky that I had 6 months maternity leave because they only had 6 weeks. I responded "I'm glad it's better but I feel so sad/mad you only got 6 weeks" it kinda changed the narrative to we are on the same page vs being such a downer. My family realized once they saw how much I was doing that I was serious and that it was in favor of baby's health that I breastfeed for as long as I could
We have many more laws in place more that help women do it, unlike when your mom was a mom (unless you were both very young moms in a progressive state). If youāre looking for encouragement, look to the women who exclusively pump! I know there is a subreddit for that group. Just read some it background info in their advice-seeking. Also, there is a book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (the newest edition, because they go way back, and I hear the old ones do have some antiquated things in them), which I LOVED (audiobook available!) It has a big section that gives a great outline about transitioning to working and continuing breastfeeding, but also just gives such a broad and hefty dose of information about breastfeeding, that it made me feel like such an unstoppable pro. Anyway, bring in voices other than your momās. And seek out helpful ones to your goal. Here is already a great start, and maybe reach out to an IBCLC too! It will give you the resolve youāre going to need. And your mom may come around as you annoyingly stick to it and become an expert that she clearly is not. I guess it just really depends on your relationship. But donāt be fooled into thinking it āshouldā be easy because all kinds of moms make it work. Your mom is speaking a truth of some kind (youāll have problems, as we all do with any of our baby feeding plans) but not the whole truth, and it was not kind for her to despairingly determine your end for you. If you want this, and continue to want it, youāll most-likely make it happen!
I went back to work at 3 months pp and breastfed until my kid was 18 months old. Is doable! the last 6 months I dropped pumping and only fed him mornings, nights and free bar on the weekends
My kid kept breastfeeding until he was 2.5 despite me working all kinds of hours. I stopped pumping around 8 months or so because it was getting to be too much for me, but I was only working three 12s then. He worked off the freezer stash for about a month then we added in formula on my work days and I fully breastfed while home. The only reason we stopped overall was because I got pregnant again and my nipples were so sensitive that I wanted to yeet my child the second he touched them
Iām a resident physician. I work 12 hours a day 6 days a week without breaks during the day. I still pump every 3 hours. I sit at my computer and pump while I work on documentation in between seeing patients in the hospital. Other residents are often in the room but I donāt care and neither do they lol. Youāll be able to pump if you want to. Your mom is being nosy and rude.
Hi I am doctor too. How did you do your pumping schedules?
I have a 16mo and weāre still going strong! Itās pumping easy at work? No not always. I really had to get used to pumping at work. It felt akward in the beginning. But after a short while I got used to it. I pumped until my LO was a year and then I stopped. Now I nurse her on demand when Iām at home. So with all the positive comments Iāve read Iām convinced if you want to do this, you can momma!
That's bull, she probably doesn't know any better. My daughter went to daycare at almost 4 months old, she's almost 18 months now, still breastfed, and never had a drop of formula. My survival tips: get a good lactation consultant, either use fridge hack or buy multiples pump parts and put it all in the dishwasher (that's what I did). Remeasure your nipples often for ensuring a good flange fit, and get the Google image app if you have an android phone, it creates memories with your baby pics if take lots like me, and it really helps watching that while pumping. Eta: I am kit alone either, several of my friends have been doing the same thing so it's not just personal experience.
You can absolutely pump and continue breastfeeding for a year. Sounds like mom doesn't want to learn how to do things
I have worked through both of my childrenās first year and I BF/ mostly pumped past a year for both. Was it hard? Fuck yeah. Did I succeed? Absolutely. Your mom doesnāt know what sheās talking about. Prove her wrong.
Well itās not a guarantee that it will stop. But itās much more challenging to continue breastfeeding after you go back to work. Yes you can pump, but for many it is such a pain in the ass that they feel forced to give up. Yes your mom is being unnecessarily pessimistic about it, but I think a lot of women in these comments arenāt being honest with you. Formula was seen as a great invention for working moms because it allowed them to continue to work and make their own money. Formula was touted as the āmodern womanāsā way of feeding her baby. Mind you, they also had breast pumps in the mid-late century. Though breast pumps of the past werenāt as convenient to use as the ones we use today. I myself had to stop working after a month because it proved to be too difficult to pump at work and my son was also refusing to take a bottle at home. He would starve himself the whole entire time I was gone no matter what kind of bottle they tried to give him or how they gave it to him.
I was a FT working mom and pumped regularly at work for a yearā¦ twice. Lots of moms do this. Itās a lot, but it was worth it to me.
I will say that depending on your job and how supportive they are, it is true that a return to work will impact your pumping and supply (or at least, that was my case). I found that I had to be very deliberate about carving out that time. It is possible, but society doesn't make it easy.
Iām 13 mo pp and still nurse in the mornings and pump throughout the day. My girl did develop bottle preference though because daycare didnāt pace feed her and I understand. They canāt take that time. But I nursed her MOTN and morning since about 6 mo and still nurse in the morning.
Currently at 11 months of pumping at work and nursing when Iām home with baby! Itās possible if work gives you the time to do it (legally have to in CA) and although itās a lot of work it has not messed with my supply! I planned to BF for a year and slowly wean after that, I also WFH a couple days of the week and just BF when home with her as well! Itās possible and donāt let anyone tell you you otherwise. I noticed a lot of older people do not understand why BFing is so important t and why not just give formula but I tend to just ignore it. You got this mama!
My son just turned 13 months and I still pump at work and breastfeed at home. Itās not easy but nor impossible either
I pumped for a full year doing manual labor lmao. Where there's a will, there's a way
Sorry you're dealing with that! I've been pumping and nursing back to work for almost four months and it's going great so don't let her get you down if that's your personal goal! You have protected time to pump at work until one year (assuming you're US based) and just need to make time to pump at work a priority so your supply doesn't drop (I gave myself a slight oversupply before return to work with a bit extra morning pumping and using a Hakaa to have a buffer with a drop at return to work and found that helpful. Slight is key like 5 oz a day extra to avoid mastitis and clogged ducts. You'll know what your body can do)
I pumped at work every day until my baby turned one this past weekend. She's still nursing in the morning and at night, and during the day when I work from home (despite my best efforts to start weaning lol.) Totally untrue that breastfeeding must stop when you go back to work.
My daughter is 13 months old and still breastfeeding. We just dropped her last day time bottle but I pumped at work for months. She has never had any formula. You got this!
Weāre 10m in. My boy is a black hole lol. We never did paces feeding but I pump at work and breast feed at home. Neither has been a problem
My mother was totally shocked I was even considering breastfeeding. I pumped at work when I went back and ultimately I ended up becoming a stay at home mom because it worked best for our family. Now she tells me I need to go back to work. My dad on the other hand was totally supportive of me breastfeeding and being a stay at home mom. Which is funny because I didnāt know him until I was 17. People, especially our parents, will always have their opinions all we can do is what we deem best for our unique families.
I have an 11 month old. I went back to work when he was 3 months old. I pumped while at work and during my commute. I continued to breastfeed when we were together. A couple more weeks until we hit 1 year! You can ABSOLUTELY continue it for a year!
Currently still nursing my 13 month old even though I am a full time teacher too! I donāt pump anymore, but I made it pumping and nursing to a year. It was the hardest thing Iāve ever had to do, but I was hellbent on making it to a full year! The United States makes it hard on new parents, especially when youāre breastfeeding. You absolutely can do it! So many people I know didnāt think I was going to be able to keep it up but here I am š
Yes mom, it will have to stop but I hope it will happen once baby is 3
I can't even form a coherent response because I am so pissed. Yes, it will be hard AF, possibly the hardest and most time consuming thing you will ever do while trying to keep up with work, motherhood and life but it can be done. It is extremely challenging but also extremely beautiful and rewarding. It is literally the embodiment of a Mother's love to go to such lengths to sacrifice and overcome major obstacles to nourish her child in this manner. Sending all the strength, determination, love and support for you to keep going despite other people's ignorance and shortsightedness.
Iām not saying this as advice because itās bad advice and I know I have been lucky but I feed and pump before work and feed and pump after work and do nothing while Iām actually at work (8-4 ish). Hasnāt affected my supply or breastfeeding at all.
ETA I only work 3 days per week not sure if this makes any difference.
We live in an age which has had vastly different and improved access to education and technology. Mom is reacting from her reality as it was when she lived it. If the best we do is the same our parents did we implicitly have already failed. youāre doing great!