Express Yourself: Tips for New Moms Who Are Going Back to Work

Tips for New Moms Who Are Going Back to Work from BeauGen

How to Start Pumping and Build a Supply for Moms Going Back to Work

Maternity leave can fly by in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, you’re a mere weeks out from heading back to work and in need of building a supply to feed your baby. What are you going to do? 

The first step: Don’t Panic. You’re not the only mom in this position, and you have a community here to support you. BeauGen has drawn on our experiences and expert advice to put together a short blog and video to help you.

There are two ways to learn how to build a supply before going back to work. The first option is to continue reading this blog post. The second is to simply click the play button on the short video from our Founder and CEO below. The choice is yours!

Tu-Hien shares helpful information about how to get back to work while still feeding your baby.

Tips on How You Can Get Back to Work as a Pumping Mom:

While we can’t extend your maternity leave (we REALLY wish we could), with these 8 easy to follow tips, your milk supply will be one less thing to worry about. 

Plan, Plan, Plan

Being a mom means becoming a planner. Unexpected things are going to come up and you can handle them with ease if you have a plan. We recommend that you start building your milk supply 3-4 weeks before you go back to work. 

This will give you enough time for your body to naturally create enough milk to build a freezer supply. You’ll also need this time to learn to pump, get into a rhythm with pumping, and learn proper storage and freezer guidelines.

Another tip: If you have been exclusively nursing your baby up until this point, this is a great time to start introducing the bottle to your baby and getting the baby used to taking a bottle. You don’t want to have your first day back to work to be the first day your caretaker gives your baby a bottle. That is a stressful day for both you and baby, that no one wants to endure. 

Try introducing the bottle during the time of day that your caretaker will be feeding the baby. For example, if the first feeding your caretaker will be responsible for is late morning, start introducing the bottle at that time now, a few weeks in advance, to get your baby accustomed to this. 

Double Electric Pumps are a Must for Working Moms

If you are pumping at work, having a double electric breast pump is a must. Working moms usually have a set amount of time set aside for pumping. Having a pump that allows you to express milk from both breasts at the same time will save time and give you more time to relax and encourage your letdown. The good news is that most insurances will cover the cost of a double electric pump.

What to Pack in Your Pump Bag:

Having these items on hand will make your life as a working and pumping mom so much easier.

Extra Milk Storage Bags

Yes you can use bottles to store your milk, but bottles can be bulky especially if you are pumping multiple times throughout the day. Storage bags will take up less room.

Storage Cooler Bag

For the courtesy of your co-workers (and eliminate the chances of someone confusing your milk with coffee creamer…), bring a small cooler which will fit your milk storage bags, and easily fit into the refrigerator.  

Large Ziploc Bag

Pumping at work means storing your flanges, bottles, and various other pump parts. Having one large Ziploc bag into which you can place all of these parts will help keep you organized and make life easier. This will also help to keep your pump bag clean and dry. 

Nursing Cover

Even if you have a dedicated space in your workplace that is private for pumping, there are still chances that someone might enter your space, or an emergency arises which forces someone to come retrieve you. In these cases, having a nursing cover on hand is a great comfort for both you and your co-workers. 

Communication

This is a big one. Before you return to work, we highly recommend that you talk to your manager about your plans to pump. This will help to set their expectations about your new reality.  Be sure to include the number of times per day you will need to pump, the duration of pumping sessions, and that you’ll need a private space in which to pump. By law they must make these accommodations. 

We hope that this post and video help you transition back to work with less stress and more milk. If you have questions about pumping feel free to contact our BeauGen Mommy Care Team. If you’re interested in making pumping a more comfortable experience, try a pair of BeauGen Breast Pump Cushions

Looking for more information on pumping and heading back to work? Check out our online course!

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