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Breastfeeding/Breastfeeding and returning to work

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Expert: - 1/30/2008


Question
Hi Sally,

I am currently breastfeeding my 1 year old daughter and will be returning to work next week. Although she is nursing less frequently and for shorter spans as long as she remains interested I would like to continue our breastfeeding relationship. She currently nurses first thing in the morning, just before bed and usually 2-3 short feeds during the day. I'm wondering if and how much home milk should be supplemented while I'm away from her and she won't be having the 2-3 short feeds? Fortunately I will be working a 4 day work week so will be able to breastfeed throughout the day for 3 days of the week.

My other question is around milk supply. As much of my job is on the road I don't anticipate that I will be able to pump to keep up my supply. Are there other things that I can try to keep up my supply as long as I can?

With thanks!


Answer
Dear Jill,

First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding her!

It's wonderful that you will have the kind of schedule so that you will be able to nurse your baby throughout the day for 3 days a week. For the days you'll be away, you'll just have to play it by ear as far as how much milk to give her. If you will be pumping your own milk, I would suggest putting it away in two-ounce measures (either in bags or bottles) and have your babysitter offer it to her, to see how much she will take. If she finishes that and seems to want more, offer another two ounces. And so forth. The baby will work out her own quantity.

As far as keeping up your milk supply, this is harder. The best way to ensure an ample supply is to keep nursing frequently, or failing that, to pump as much as you can. With today's portable pumps and portable ice chests, you may be able to take time out in between your stops on the road to pump a little during the day. Otherwise you can nurse as often as you can when you come home in the evening, during the night, and in the morning before you go to work. Not easy when you're holding a job, I know! We can each do only what we can. And if you do find that your milk supply will not be up to your daughter's needs after you return to work, please tell yourself what a good start you gave her -- and enjoy this next phase of her development!

Good luck!

Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with Laura M. Marks, M.D.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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