Man, pumping breastmilk is not fun. The pump is cold and hard, takes time, and doesn't sound or feel anything like a baby! Not to mention how much more exposed and vulnerable pumping often makes us feel compared to the act of just feeding a baby from our body. For most of us who are going back to work or pumping to provide breastmilk, though, it is necessary.
However, since I had three consultations last week, let's talk about pumping at work today! This post will include some tips that I have found along the way, an ideal work pumping schedule, how much milk to have in a freezer stash before going back to work, and how to use up some of that freezer stash so that it doesn't get too aged in the freezer.
The Pumping Schedule
Ideally, you should pump about every 3 hours at work. If you work a typical 8-hour day with a lunch break and travel time, you will most likely be away from home for about 9 hours per day and will, therefore, need to pump about three times. I like to start by splitting your day in half and putting your lunch break in the middle of the day. That will be pump time #2. Then, figure out your first feeding or pumping time of the day. Split the time between your first-morning and lunchtime pump, and add another pumping time. That will be pump #1. Do the same for the time between lunch and when you get home.
For example, if you start your day at 8 a.m. and get off work at 5 p.m., you would want to take your lunch between noon and 1 p.m., which would be pump #2. Around 10 am would be pump #1, and around 3 pm would be pump #3. You want to fit in another pumping session if you work longer days. And if you happen to have a long commute, you may wish to have a wearable pump to use in the car while driving. Please be safe while driving, set up your pump before you start, and detach everything when you get home. If you work a more convoluted schedule, please schedule a consultation with a local IBCLC! They can help you figure out your milk supply and work schedule to see what will fit into your life the best!
The Freezer Stash
Yes, the dreaded freezer stash. For a full-time worker pumping while their baby is away from them all day, I typically recommend having 100 oz in the freezer. This is a bit more than a typical baby will take in a week of 3 bottles per day, of 4 oz per bottle. Again, if your baby is taking more than that, or your milk supply is struggling to keep up with that expectation, please see an IBCLC that can help.
Since breastmilk will only stay fresh in a standard freezer attached to a refrigerator for about six months, we want to cycle through some of it and not let it get too old. You can maximize the life of your breastmilk by keeping it in the middle of the freezer, away from the door and walls. This is because the door often opens and closes, and the walls defrost, which consists of temperature variations. The other way to cycle through milk is to use some of it. If you work a typical Monday-Friday job, this can look like this:
Monday - Your pumped milk goes in the fridge and with your baby on Tuesday.
Tuesday - Your pumped milk goes in the fridge and with your baby on Wednesday.
Wednesday - Your pumped milk goes in the fridge and with your baby on Thursday.
Thursday - Your pumped milk goes in the fridge and with your baby on Friday.
Friday - Your pumped milk goes into the freezer.
Sunday - The oldest milk in the freezer is sent with your baby on Monday.
If you work an alternate schedule, you can change those days. Since milk will stay good in the fridge for four days, you can even leave it in the fridge if you have a day off in the middle of the week. The bulk of the 100 oz is your backup or safety net. If your milk supply drops unexpectedly due to illness or something like that, you may need to use some of it and work on replacing it later.
The Expectations
Texas Government Code Chapter 619 states that all Texas public employers must provide a policy that supports breastfeeding. They must also provide a private place for lactating employees to pump (that is not a multiple-user bathroom) and break time to do so.
This policy does not assure us, as parents, that employers will comply. Therefore, we may have to advocate for ourselves and our children to make some of these happen.
We all want to be good employees, but employers will also not lose as many employees to other companies if they support the parents working so hard to be good employees and parents. Advocating for your pumping accommodations will also help other employees who come after you.
Tips and Tricks
If you do not need your pump at home, leave it at work and only take the parts home to wash every night.
List everything you need for the day and check it every morning when you leave the house.
If you have extra pump parts, leave them in the car if you forget anything.
Pouring your milk into a quart-size Mason jar after pumping means that you can pump into the same bottles all day and may save some space in your fridge or cooler bag.
Check your pump manual to see if your pump has parts that need to be replaced when pumping frequently. If so, consider starting a subscription order for them so that you can easily remember to replace that part.
Get someone else to wash bottles and pump parts at night so that you can have some time with your baby.
DO NOT WORK WHILE PUMPING! Milk flow requires oxytocin, which will not flow well if stressed. Take this time to do something that you enjoy. Looking at pics and videos of your baby works for some people, but not everyone and that's OK! You may need to think outside of the box and find things that get your milk flowing! That might be 2000s jams like this one!
I claim no responsibility if this song is stuck in your head for days!
If I forgot anything in this blog that you would like to have added, please email me at kara@kararosalesibclc.com
Happy pumping!
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