My 5 best tips for pumping at work.
What I wish I knew!
So, you’re going back to work really soon. You may be anxious at how this whole pumping thing will work out—I was. I read lots of articles about making sure I pump at the same time every day, how beneficial it would be for my baby, as well as what pumps work best and how to determine the right flange size. I also learned that under the department of labor, most employers have to accommodate a place and time to pump for up to one year. What I didn’t find was practical tips to help me actually do it and stick to it. How could I make it easier so that I wouldn’t give up?
Here are my top 5 tips for pumping and working full-time—
- Pack your pump bag, and your lunch at night! You may already realize that your days aren’t necessarily predictable. Even if you have your baby on a schedule, things happen. You’ll have sleepless nights, or days your little angel decides to wake up 2 hours early for the day just to spend more time with you. Ha ha!
So what I recommend is to pack your pump bag, your lunch, and your diaper bag at night before you go to sleep. It’s terrible to get all hooked up to pump and realize you’re missing a part—trust me, I’ve been there. - Set your alarm—for every pumping session. I read about how important it was for me to pump at the same time and to have those times closely follow when my baby would be eating while I was away. What I didn’t realize was how hard that would be to accomplish. When I’m working, I can easily lose track of time. So I finally got smart—I set my phone alarm and also blocked out the time on my electronic calendar. For my baby’s needs, it required I pump three times at work—morning break, lunch, and afternoon break.
I did my best to stick to the same schedule. Every once in a while I would have a conflict, which was okay, but I tried to make this the exception versus the rule. - Bring something with you that smells like your baby. This really helped when I went back to work after having my baby—it’s amazing how the senses can affect things. What I did was throw my baby’s jammies in my bag from the night before—as long as they weren’t destroyed! Then when I’d settle in to start pumping, I’d smell them which would help me with my letdown, and also make me happy! And seriously, what smells better than a sweet baby! It’s so important to not be stressed when you’re trying to pump as it will make things harder. I’ve also heard of friends watching videos, looking at pictures, or listening to the cry of their baby. Experiment and find what works best for you!
- Make clean up a snap! Once I started pumping at work I realized with the pumping and clean up, it was taking TOO long. It took me a good 15 minutes to pump each session—for some it takes less time and others more. But, when I added in the time to wash my pump parts I was over 20 minutes. Then I realized something…if I could store my milk in the fridge, I could store all my pump parts that touch milk. So after I finished pumping and storing my milk, I’d also put my flanges and valves inside a bag and store that in the fridge as well. This way I didn’t have to worry about washing my flanges and valves after each pumping. Instead I just washed it once at night. Major time saver.
There are also these handy pump wipes made by Medela that can be used to quickly wipe out your flanges if you don’t have access to a fridge. - Be Real. I learned quickly that it made me stressed and anxious to try to slip away three times a day from my desk. I was feeling bad that my coworkers didn’t take breaks. Then I got a reality check—I was doing this for my child and that was more important than feeling bad that I was taking breaks I was permitted! So I started to be real. When it was time to “take care of business” (that’s how I referred to pumping with my coworkers) I’d say so. It worked much better for me this way. You’ll know the best way to approach the situation at your work, but I would recommend you find a way to be somewhat open about you needing to take routine breaks—I’m sure this will be harder or easier depending on your work environment.
So there it is—my best tips for making pumping at work, work for you! I will say that it won’t always be easy—but I hope these tips will help make heading back to work and pumping a little less stressful.
I know that going back to work and leaving your baby in another person’s care, can be sooo hard for some mommies. It was for me. But providing pumped milk for my baby was something I COULD do while we were apart.
I encourage you to drop me a line if you have any questions about pumping at work. I’ve successfully pumped with two babies while working full-time. And, I’m happy to help!
Thanks so much for reading!
XO—Kyra
