Breastfeeding While Working

In our medical practice when we see parents for prenatal consultation and a mother says she’s going back to work soon after birth, we give mom a crash-course in breastfeeding and working, which you will now learn. We find that it’s even more important for a mother who works outside the home to continue breastfeeding because it keeps mother and baby more connected to one another. Also, it’s a wonderful way to reconnect with your baby after coming home from a tiring day’s work. You’ll be happy to know that savvy employers actually welcome a mother to continue breastfeeding her baby and many have purposely made lactation lounges so you no longer have to hide in the bathroom to pump your milk. In fact, employers have found that breastfeeding mothers miss fewer days of work, probably because breastfed babies are not sick as often. When you realize the huge health benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby, you will find a way to juggle both working and breastfeeding. These are the strategies we’ve learned from the mothers in our medical practice and the ones Martha used herself in juggling working and breastfeeding with our first three babies.