Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work
Q: I have breastfed my four-month old daughter and recently started supplementing with Isomil. I enjoy nursing her but it has become difficult with my work schedule. I would like to wean her with the exception of her first morning feeding and last feeding before bed. I fear that my milk will begin to dry up and I do not want to totally wean her at this point. Do you have any suggestions?
A:
Many mothers find that they need to supplement and partially wean their children when they return to work outside the home. The key to maintaining a sufficient milk supply is to breastfeed or pump often. If your workplace is supportive, you could express your milk at work when your baby would breastfeed if you were home.
If you are unable to pump at work, you could gradually drop the pumpings and only breastfeed in the morning just before going to work, again as soon as possible after work, frequently during the evening and whenever your baby awakes at night.
Some sleep-saving ideas that families have found work well include any one of a variety of co-sleeping (but not necessarily co-bedding) arrangements.
You could keep the baby's crib in your room; essentially creating an extension of your bed. You might also consider placing a spare mattress on the floor of the baby's room for extra late-night cuddling and nursing.
Current recommendations are that you and your baby NOT sleep in the same bed. There are some who disagree with this. It is clear that if you smoke, you should not co-bed (increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS). If you do not smoke, there may be no increased risk. I expect that new recommendations will be available soon.
Fatigue is a common problem for working mothers. One of the ways to minimize fatigue in your first few weeks back to work is to return for only 2-3 days in a row, in other words, try to split your work week. If you are unable to do this, relaxing with your baby on your days off, instead of "catching up" on errands and housework might help you reach your goal of breastfeeding longer.
Others find that breastfeeding and taking a nap with the baby as soon as they arrive home from work helps everyone to feel less frazzled.
I hope these suggestions help you reach your goal.
Dr. Nathan
Pediatrics
Dr. Nathan is a neonatal pediatrician with over 25 years of experience in caring for sick infants and children. He was recently selected as one of the top pediatric specialists in the Twin Cities area.
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