Marjorie Greenfield—

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, I decided to jump ahead in my “to do” list of topics and talk about combining breastfeeding with returning to work. This article is adapted from The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book. Many mothers and babies really enjoy nursing, and the moms find a way to continue to nurse upon their return to work—whether by running out to the baby during the day or having the baby brought in, pumping milk, or breastfeeding during just the morning and evening. A lot of different arrangements have allowed mothers and their babies to enjoy the intimacy and wonderful health benefits of breastfeeding even around a busy work schedule.Pumping milk from the breast isn’t like sucking fluid through a straw—more suction doesn’t equal more milk. Instead, nursing depends on “letdown,” the milk ejection reflex, which is triggered by touch and emotions, and mediated by hormones. When letdown occurs, muscles in the breast contract and the ducts widen, pushing milk toward the nipple. You may feel tingling or a sudden heaviness in your breasts. Unfortunately, anxiety, tension, and distraction can interfere with the flow of milk. In order to successfully pump, you will need to feel relaxed and in the nursing groove.

Benefits of Pumping at Work

• More breastmilk for the baby.
• Less discomfort and leaking from engorgement at work.
• Continuing to burn extra calories.
• Maintenance of your milk supply. Mothers who give their babies formula during the work week may have less milk for their babies on days thatthey aren’t working.
• The satisfaction of giving something to your baby that only you can provide.

But how do you actually make it happen?

Finding a Place to Pump at Work

Workplaces vary tremendously in their accommodations for breastfeeding moms. The best scenarios are having your baby with you at work, a childcare center on site, or a pumping room with hospital-grade electric pumps provided, but unfortunately, these opportunities are only rarely available. To set up the best arrangements for your needs, it may be helpful to talk with your employer beforehand about pumping accommodations. An office with a door that closes is enough for some dedicated nursing moms. Some women still find themselves sneaking off to their cars or to the bathroom (the handicapped stall has the most room and often has a shelf for supplies)—though if you want to avoid using the public bathroom, try reminding your supervisor that you wouldn’t prepare food there. Your colleagues may provide support by helping protect you when you are pumping or by loaning you a private location.

Finding Time to Pump at Work

Some jobs provide breaks and a lunch hour that can be used for pumping. Other jobs are less flexible or less predictable, but many arrangements that allow breastfeeding have worked out for moms with those sorts of jobs, too—from pumping just a minute or two multiple times a day, to formula feeding instead of pumping and just nursing nights and weekends.

Finding support

While some forward-thinking companies are becoming more accommodating, and some state laws guarantee time for women to pump on the job, many mothers still have difficulty continuing to breastfeed once they return to work. Breastfeeding advocates point out that nursing decreases maternal absenteeism on the job, because breastfed babies are less likely to get sick. To try to persuade your employer to become more supportive of breastfeeding, you can ask your OB, midwife, or pediatrician to write a letter specifying the benefits of breastfeeding, and what you need to make it happen. Please leave a message if you would like me to email you a pdf of the sample letter from The Working Woman’s Pregnancy Book, with blanks for your doctor or midwife to fill in.

Marjorie Greenfield, M.D., is a practicing, board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and associate professor of reproductive biology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Greenfield has written hundreds of articles for the Web and currently blogs about pregnancy for Yahoo.com.

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