"I've thought about breastfeeding. I have to go back to work 6 weeks after my baby is born. Learning to breastfeed and pumping at work just doesn't seem worth all the aggravation that I've heard about. I want to spend the few short weeks I have recuperating and enjoying my baby."
Just the idea of going back to work in the first few weeks or months causes some women to rule out breastfeeding.
Research shows that ANY amount of breastfeeding is beneficial and women should try to breastfeed at least until they return to work. However, even when breastfeeding is going well before going back to work, working increases the risks of early weaning. And all mothers acknowledge that working and breastfeeding is challenging.
The United States is last in the world in how much maternity leave mothers receive.
This means that women are returning to work soon after birth, which also means they are working before breastfeeding is securely established. You aren't the only one going through this and many women have done it before you. You don't need to solve every problem yourself.
Women often lack the support of their employer to pump at work
Employers are often surprised ( ! ) when you let them know you will need a place to pump while you are working.
Even though studies show that mothers who breastfeed take fewer sick days. Even though employers who accommodate nursing mothers have lower employee turnover, because women are happier. Even though there are laws that protect your right to express your milk for as long as three years postpartum. Things are changing, but you may find your employer is pushing back in major or minor ways, and you don't know if it's worth the fight.
Not sure if you want to breastfeed because you have to work?
1. First, do a cost analysis to see if it even makes sense to return to work. Add up your costs of daycare, transportation, work clothes, convenience foods and the likelihood needing to supplement with or switch to formula feeding. You may find you are eligible for SNAP, Medicaid health insurance or a low-cost Marketplace plan if you aren't working. Some moms offer part-time child care for older children while they are at home, or find another home-based business to close the income gap.
2. Talk to your employer while you are pregnant about pumping schedules and a clean, private place to pump. (This private place is mandated by law.) Share “The Business Case for Breastfeeding” with them.
3. Try breastfeeding and see how it goes. You might be pleasantly surprised. Women who never intended to breastfeed are shocked when their baby finds their breast and begins nursing. Often, their reluctance to breastfeed fades and they enjoy it. is You really can’t predict how breastfeeding will go or how you will like it, until you start.
4. Don’t be afraid to combine breastfeeding and formula feeding after you go back to work. Some breastmilk is always better than none. Breastfeeding is a comforting way for you and your baby to reconnect after being separated. Accepting that you may need to use formula takes the pressure off you pumping enough milk every day for your baby. You may find that you actually are able to pump more milk because you aren’t tense and anxious about starving your baby.
Talk to other mothers who breastfed and worked.
Before you make a final decision, find out what it's really like from moms who have breastfed and gone back to work. There is no need to solve all the challenges yourself. When you listen to moms who have done it, you will learn how to express milk, what you need in equipment, how to handle emergencies, how to handle separation and things you can't even imagine before you are actually in the situation.
Talk to moms who formula-fed and worked.
It's not always an easier choice-- it has its own unique challenges. You will learn how to handle regrets and jealousy that arise as your baby attaches to other caregivers. You will find out about planning amounts and not wasting money dumping out 1/2 drunk bottles. They will have ideas about handling rashes and upset tummies and things you can't possibly know unless you've been through it yourself.
Take your time and really think about what's important to you.
You know yourself best and what you need. You've had your whole life to learn what challenges you have relished and which ones sent you into overwhelming self-pity and regret. This is a big one and how you feel in a few months may surprise you.