Tips for Breastfeeding Working Mommies

I have exclusively breastfed baby for six months!! Yooohoo…

Husband and I are  so happy that WE’re  able to sustain milk even after I went back to work.

So far so good!

Hopefully I can make milk for baby until two years… and beyond!

For moms contemplating to stop breastfeeding as they near the end of their maternity leave, please know that breast while working is doable!

It just takes a little more effort.

Here are  some "pumping at work"  tips:

Never miss a time to breastfeed when with baby.

When you’re with baby, always breastfeed. No other pump can empty your breast as efficiently as your baby's sucking.  The more you empty your breasts, the more milk will be produced.

Don’t fear that  he won’t feed from the bottle when you’re away. Baby will feed from the bottle once he gets hungry. This was my main concern before I went back to work, but he turned out OK. My mother-in-law, also my trusted baby sitter, found a technique so baby won't go hungry. She lets baby take the bottle when he's sleepy.  Call it comfort sucking of  sorts but at least my baby drinks his milk!

You may also ask your caregiver to let him drink from a cup or through a medicine dropper or a spoon.

I used to bring along a bottle of breast milk (just to make sure he won't refuse the bottle) when we go out but baby won’t take it from me anymore. Amazing talaga, alam nya pag mommy nya ang nagpapadede sa bote, umaayaw! Gusto nya talaga sa akin dumede... awwww... So I never bothered bringing bottles after that.

Besides, it’s so much easier and satisfying to directly breastfeed anytime and anywhere!

Pump, pump, pump!

Aim to pump for 2-3 times in the office, these sessions correspond to baby's feedings while you're away.

Remember that it is well within your right to pump in the office. In fact there's a law (Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009) requiring companies to allow nursing moms time to pump breast milk. The "lactation period"  for employed moms  should be at least 40 minutes per 8-hour shift.  Just make sure not to lag behind your deadlines and schedules at work.

I’m also one of the lucky ones whose bosses and officemates understand the importance of breastfeeding.

Try to insert one or two pumping session on weekends. Any amount you get shall be a welcome addition to your milk stash.

Prepare the feeding bottles with breast milk.

It will help your caregiver a lot if all the bottles you expect your baby to use throughout the day will be  easily accessible and arranged in the ref. I use sealing discs with the feeding bottle, then my caregiver will just snap it off to replace it will the nipple during feeding time. She won't need to thaw breast milk from the freezer anymore.

This way, you can easy count how many ounces were consumed by your baby per day. Kellymom has a breast milk calculator so you can estimate how much expressed  milk you need to prepare for baby.

I feel more “hands on” knowing that I personally cleaned and prepared all this bottles, nipples and spoon.

Bring the essentials

Your breast pump

• Any type – manual or double electric - will do. It actually depends on your need and situation.


• You just have to assess your needs to know what type suits you. I’m using Medela Pump in Style, a double electric pump. It suits me well because I get more milk in less time.  I also have a First Years Manual pump which I used right after my delivery (baby had to be in the NICU for a week.. but that’s for a different post already)


• You may also learn how to express milk by hand. Knowing how to do this saves the day, like when you accidentally forgot to bring small pieces of your pump and your getting desperate to express milk… wink wink!!!

Alcohol or sanitizer

• These are very handy, you can clean your hands even without soap and water.

Nursing cover

• This is a must bring unless you’re willing to have a peep show in front of your office mates.

Hands free pump support

• Hands free pump support is a big help so you can multitask while pumping. With the support, you can free both your hands and do other things like reading the newspaper, note taking or cellular phone browsing. Some pump support I found online and on the mall  are too expensive for me, ranging from P 1,200 to P 2500! What i did is just put holes corresponding to where the pump horns should be on a chipipay bra and viola, an improvised hands free pump support! Yes, I’m that kuripot. 

Lampin or any clean cloth

• This ensures that all your stuff will stay clean. The cloth is for wiping all the bottles and pump parts.

Cooler with frozen ice packs

• Any ordinary insulated bags or coolers and ice packs purchased from malls will do. My husband bought a big Lock & Lock cooler bag. It's big enough so i can put all the storage bottles (6 in all) and pump parts. We're using Techni Ice, Blue Ice (both from online purchases) and ice packs from Saizen. Take note that milk lasts  approximately 3 -8  hours at room temperature (that's based on how cool the office air conditioning is), so don’t stress whether or not the milk is getting cold enough.  Resist the urge to open and check every time to see if milk’s cold. If you do this you’ll just let out the cold air from the bag. Just make sure to transfer all the milk to the ref and the ice packs in the freezer as soon as you’re home.


• If you don’t like to wash the parts after every session, then bring a zip lock  or plastic food case to store the parts and put this in the office ref. This way you can keep if fresh and ready for the next session.  Bring a bigger cooler and more ice to store the parts, if you don’t feel comfortable leaving your stuff in the office ref.

Tape and pen

• Use the tape and pen to indicate pumping date and time


• Always make it a point to date your milk right after pumping. I never did this so i always got confused which milk was pumped when. This will be a good way so you can follow the first in first out rule on choosing which milk to thaw for baby's next feeding.

Cellular phone

• I use it as timer when pumping. I usually pump for 15 minutes. The cellular phone is also handy when I want to look at pictures of my boy.  According toWhat to Expect i read , thinking about your baby while pumping induces milk production.

[caption id="attachment_28" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Here's how my office pumping setup looks like. Always secure EBM before standing to avoid spilling.[/caption]

Take time to double check all your pumping stuff before leaving the house. It will be a total bummer to find out that after lugging that bulky bag around, you'll discover that you left your valve or membranes! These parts are easily misplaced because they are the smallest pieces of your pump.

Eat more to make more.

I don't follow a strict breastfeeding diet. Balanced diet is key in keeping up with the demands for milk for baby. There’s really no special diet for nursing mothers but there are certain foods known to promote lactation. In the Philippines, malunggay is the most affordable and accessible milk supply booster. My OB recommended taking malunggay capsules twice a day to support and sustain milk production.

I’m also taking daily prenatal vitamins and extra doses of calcium.

Accept all help offered.

Remember less time doing housework equals more time spent caring or nursing your little one.  In my first 6 weeks post partum I wasn’t doing much house work because of my CS wound. I guess being relaxed and doing less strenuous activity helped my body adjust to lactation.

Take one pump at a time.

Don't worry if your pumping output is less than your previous session, amount of milk  pumped greatly varies with time and situation.

It pays to start storing breast milk weeks before your scheduled return to office.  This way, you won't be pressured to produce x amounts of milk per day.

Research and invest. 

Breastfeeding is a choice my hubby and i made since day 1 of my pregnancy. I guess being focused on this goal kept us from quitting and giving up when challenges and obstacles come our way.  We invested in books and magazines with breastfeeding articles.  I also download phone applications like What to Expect when You're Expecting and Baby Center. I also find Kellymom's site very helpful.  Most of my breastfeeding questions are answered here. In the Philippines, the best breastfeeding blog is Chronicles of a Nursing Mom.

Husband and i also saved up to purchase a good double electric breast pump. My Medela PISA is so worth it! So far i've produced more than enough breast milk for my baby.

Just don't let the stress of producing enough milk get to you. Think positive!

Mommies, remember that breastfeeding is not the only definition of motherhood. You’re not a bad mother if you don’t opt and can’t breastfeed. It is your choice!

But please please please try to breastfeed. Who knows, you might get the hang of it… and love it as much as I do!

***