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Home › Articles › The Working, Nursing Mother › Nursing on the Job

Nursing on the Job

You Can Do It!

By Jean Manrique

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Maternity leave allows you to enjoy your new baby and settle into life with an infant. For many women, however, there is a point when it's time to return to work. If this is the case for you, you may be wondering how to continue breastfeeding. With planning and preparation, it definitely can be done!

Angie Best-Boss, senior pastor at Anderson First Friends Meeting in Anderson, Ind., and mother of two, says, "Nursing while working full time is demanding and, at times, inconvenient. But knowing that I am protecting my child's health is worth every minute of it."

Maintaining Closeness
Breastfeeding is a healthy choice for Baby and Mother. Experts agree that breast milk is convenient and economical, is superior in nutrition to commercial formulas and kills many bacteria and viruses. Breastfed babies have fewer allergies and fewer incidents of ear and respiratory tract infections than formula-fed babies. A breastfeeding mother's uterus returns to its pre-pregnancy size more quickly. But perhaps the best benefit is the closeness that Mother and Baby sustain through breastfeeding.

"Breastfeeding allowed me to feel connected to my babies even when I was away at work," says Drue Ann Ramirez, mother of two from Pomona, Calif. "It ensured that as soon as I came home, I reconnected with my baby and continued a special bond that I cherish to this day."

The Logistics
When the time arrives to return to your job, you should continue to nurse on demand (whenever your baby is hungry) in the evenings and on weekends. Breastfeed your baby before you leave for work and as soon as you possibly can upon returning home from work. If your baby is 3 months or younger, pump at work as often as you normally would breastfeed. Older babies require less milk, and pumping two or three times a day should suffice.

But for mothers who have little time or opportunity to pump, even once a day is beneficial. Milk is produced on a supply-and-demand basis, and the more frequently you pump, the better your milk supply will be. Bring along a picture of your baby, and when you're ready to pump, take a deep breath, relax and think of your baby.

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