As you adjust to your new routine, you’ll learn ways to integrate your pumping schedule into your day. This will become easier as your co-workers grow used to your brief absences one to three times per day and see that you can still be productive in spite of them. You will learn how to slip discreetly out of a meeting that has run long and is interfering with your pumping schedule—just as another co-worker might excuse himself to visit the restroom. You may even find how easy it can be to recover from or laugh at any snafus—a milk stain on a blouse or an interrupted pumping session—with the help of supportive and empathetic friends.
As you continue to express breast milk at work, monitor how much you are producing. Diminished milk supply is a common problem for employed mothers and is most often the result of skipped pumping sessions or not pumping long enough. Also, pumping may not express as much milk as a baby can get from a breastfeeding session if he is an effective nurser.
To increase your supply, pump more frequently for at least ten minutes per session, even if your milk stops flowing before then. When at home with your baby, offer him the breast at least every two or three hours. If he sleeps through the night, consider waking him at your bedtime for an additional feeding. On weekends, breastfeed exclusively and nurse whenever he shows an interest.
Once your milk production has increased again, maintain your supply by drinking an adequate amount of liquids, getting enough rest, and relaxing as much as possible during pumping sessions. Remember, cutting a session short to get back to work a few minutes earlier isn’t worth the cost in terms of your long-term breastfeeding relationship with your baby. If these suggestions don’t help, contact your pediatrician or lactation specialist for additional advice.
Last Updated 11/2/2009
Source New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding, 2nd Edition (Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics)
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
