Saturday, April 11, 2009

Breastfeeding and Working

... can be a challenge.

I have been back to work full time for 3 weeks now. Thankfully, I have an office and some schedule flexibility because I am a supervisor. I pump three times a day.

First Lesson - Stress on the job makes pumping hard... it just doesn't go fast if you are stressed so grab a book and try to relax.

Second Lesson - EVERYONE knows what you are doing... it is a fact of life... oh well.

Third Lesson - Trying to do something away from work at a workshop or conference is trying. You need to call ahead and have them find you a place. It may be an awkward conversation but it worth it that day. You will already have enough issues getting yourself and all your parts out the door, you don't need to worry about where to hide. Breaks aren't going to line up so you will miss programs and networking but oh well. Don't forget your cooler.

Working and breastfeeding is hard, working full-time and breastfeeding is harder. You will want to give up and some point. Vent to someone, hey vent to us, so you can go a bit longer and when you can stand it no longer... don't beat yourself up. You can still try and do 4+ feedings at home. Goodness knows that it is going to be the cleaning of bottles after work that is going to be the end of me.

1 comment:

Genesis said...

Yeah, this is hard. A couple of things that help: on the advice of a friend I bought the expensive double pump. SO WORTH IT! With the amount of break time I have to work with, I could not pull off the pumping without the dual pump. Seriously, there are many baby expenses I would pass up before I'd give up my double pump. And, since the double pump requires the use of both hands, I also rely on my iPod to keep me entertained. I try to turn this time into a little quiet "me time" in the middle of my work day so that I don't feel too much like a cow in a dairy. And finally, even though I'm pumping in a room with a locking door, I still wear one of those nursing privacy covers, just in case. It makes me feel more secure and relaxed.