back to work - breast vs formula

For starters - you have another month before daycare begins. I'd recommend pumping and freezing as much as possible now, even if that means an extra bottle of formula each day for now - the tradeoff of additional breastmilk via bottle each day once you are back at work is probably worth it. Also - seconding Nanukthedog - just because your employer is small and not legally required to provide something doesn't necessarily mean they won't. Does the bathroom in the other building have an outlet where you can plug in the pump? If you are working hourly rather than salaried (and it sounds like you are) then you are probably entitled to breaks. Can you coordinate those so you can pump during the day without needing to clock out any longer than your normal breaks? Finally - don't count out the possibility of adding a second mini-fridge. They don't use anywhere near the amount of power as a space heater, so you might find that it doesn't cause a problem.

Just as there's nothing wrong with formula, there's also nothing wrong with wanting to give more extended breastfeeding a fair go for economic or other reasons. You might get good logistical advice from the women over at the http://www.reddit.com/r/breastfeeding.

Hi, I am a working mom. I pump twice a day and am lucky in that daycare is nearby and I have a long enough lunch that I can nurse my baby during my lunch break. It is actually pretty awesome and if you are able to do that, do it! I have a Hygeia double electric pump that works great and it takes me less than 15 minutes a pump session. That is including rinsing off the pump parts, but you can just keep them in a plastic bag between sessions and wash them at home after work every day, which can shave off a few minutes for you each session. First of all, it sounds like you are familiar with your rights. http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs73.pdf from the US Department of Labor. (I'm assuming you are in the USA.) As you said in your post, your employer does not have more than 50 employees, so they are not required to supply this. But it can't hurt to ask. Ask nicely. And be flexible. Come at it from the standpoint that you are trying to do the best you can for your child and for your employer. And that it is only a temporary situation - most moms do not pump for much longer past baby's first birthday, and if you stay home the first 3 months, that's only 9 months! Not that long of a time, if you think about. Does your building have a conference room? A server room? A utility closet that can fit a chair for you? Is there a corner in the big warehouse space you could put a chair and put on a nursing cover while you pump? We have a small conference room at my office (of less than 20 people, most of whom have kids and/or grand kids). It has a large interior window into the lunch room. I asked our office coordinator lady if I could put up a shower curtain over the interior window for when I would pump. She said no. And instead purchased professional vertical blinds for the window and had the company pay for them. My (male) boss loved the idea and thought it looked professional and would be a good private place for any of the other employees if they needed to take a personal call or something. Do your coworkers have families at all? I've been mostly surprised by how supportive my coworkers have been. Especially the male coworkers with kids. When there were meetings in the small conference room one day, one of the IT guys went out of his way to get me a chair, clear off a table and an outlet and made a space for me in the server room for me to pump in. All I had asked was if he could unlock the server room door for me! I read http://store.llli.org/public/profile/125 while I was still on maternity leave. I really enjoyed the book as it was real women's stories from all over the world on how they made breastfeeding work for them as they had to go back to work (of varying kinds of jobs). Maybe some of the stories in there can help inspire you to find a solution. My local La Leche League loaned me their copy. Are you able to check your emails from home? Maybe you can make up some of your pumping time by responding to emails from home before and/or after work. For me, I'm a non-smoker and I figure that the time I take to pump is less than the time some smokers take for their smoke breaks. And my baby is only little for a short while. If your company values you as an employee (which they should!), they will realize this, too, and work with you to retain their talent and keep everyone happy. MeMail me if you'd like. I'd be happy to help you think of ideas. You are doing great, mom!

We transitioned to formula for daycare, and that went pretty well. We kept doing mornings and nights for awhile. I think formula gets a bad rap for being "expensive"; I feel like it doesn't have to be as expensive as people think? Assuming your child doesn't need a special formula*, you can buy generic brand; we used the Costco Kirkland brand and it was $17 for a huge can (we used maybe 2-3 cans a month?). Our pediatrician said that's the kind she always recommends, because it's cheap and the same as all the name brands. *And sometimes I think you can get special formulas covered by your insurance if needed? Hope someone who knows more about that will weigh in.

I'd rather not stop right now, but I'm having trouble envisioning how it's going to work once I'm back in the office, since we do not have any spaces that could be used for pumping. This responsibility does not solely fall on you. Talk with your HR and facilities folks at work. If your company is too small to have a dedicated person in these roles, go directly to the person that gets things done by the book. There are things that can be done to provide you with appropriate privacy. Breastfeeding isn't a hobby, and there will be points where you will physically have to pump during the day if you want to be able to do it in the evening. I'll always say that you do what your baby needs - in this case that at a minimum involves you going back to work, and if that means that you figure out that stopping is best to be able to facilitate that - then that is the decision that is made and it is in the baby's best interest. I think Joh laid out the three scenarios amazingly. If it is possible, get one of those nice Modellas. They're pricey, but they're fast, have great suction and that means you are back to work faster. While I didn't breastfeed personally, my wife dealt heavily with the issue which meant that for our son it wasn't possible after the sixth week, and for our daughter it became impossible after six months. Congrats on the baby!

I returned to work with my daughter still nursing for almost all her nutrition, to a work environment which was probably about as crazy as it gets (Would you pump on a train, would you pump on a plane, would you pump beside a goat, would you pump while you float...I felt like Dr Seuss does breastfeeding!). For me it was a hard choice but well worth it. You have the luxury that formula is a great option, safe, clean water etc, and if that is what works best for you and your child, then that's a great choice too! But, be reassured it is possible to maintain pumping even in tough situations. I carried a cooler and pump bag everywhere, learned to beg for ice from all kinds of weird places when I needed it in a pinch to keep my 'to go' bag cold, and made it work for my daughter and I. The things that helped me were: A really great cooler bag, a ton of the 'blue ice' packs (from the dollar store) to have to keep in my cooler, Medela Pump Wipes for when I couldn't wash out my pump properly, a BREATHTAKINGLY expensive pump (I used the Freestyle, so I didn't have to worry about a plug and could use it in 'dual mode', but I had supply issues, and needed a high end pump...many women do great with much simpler and cheaper pumps. Sometimes insurance will even cover pumps, or make it tax deductible), lots of sarongs to cover up if I had to pump somewhere a bit more awkward, and a sense of humor about the whole thing. Some resources that helped me were: http://breastfeedingincombatboots.com/ (lots of good ideas on coping with pumping in difficult circumstances), my local health unit/lactation nurses and friends/co workers who were supportive. All the best to you and your child, and I am sure no what you choose you will do great!

The rule of thumb for how many times a day to pump is roughly about how many times your baby would eat during that period, so it sounds like you'd expect to pump about three times a day based on a 10 hour workday. I pumped for a year while working full-time, and that's how many times I pumped per day - first session was about 20 minutes, second was 15, and third was about 10. The more often your breasts are emptied, the more milk you will make. The inverse is true, so you could totally only pump once a day, but know that it may negatively impact your supply. This does depend a bit on how often baby nurses at home and during the night though too - she might re-regulate your supply while you're home and pumping 1x/day might work great for you. You mention there's a shared mini-fridge for everyone - is there a reason that's not an option for storing your milk? I always stored my milk in the shared fridge at work! Breastmilk http://www.eatsonfeetsresources.org/?page_id=417 so there shouldn't be an issue (other than space) for using that fridge. If it's the squick factor for you or your co-workers, store it in an opaque bag and nobody has to know it's not just your lunch. Plus, breastmilk stays fresh for http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/ Don't feel like you need to pump and dump! I've seen a co-worker pump in a cubicle while using a nursing cover. I've known a co-worker to only pump once a day. A friend pumped in her car. If you do pump in the car, just bring the pump parts in to rinse them out, or Medela makes some disposable wipes you could use. I don't know exactly what to recommend for you - Option B, I guess, with pumping at least 1x/day or however often you can manage? I'd hate to see you switch exclusively to formula right away if you enjoy breastfeeding and don't want that relationship to stop! Also, for what it's worth: your company has less than 50 employees, but http://breastfeedinglaw.com/federal-law/ unless it will "impose an undue hardship by causing the employer significant difficulty or expense when considered in relation to the size, financial resources, nature, or structure of the employer’s business." I can't imagine it would actually be an undue hardship for them - if I were you, I'd ask a supervisor for input on what they feel the best course of action would be in terms of finding you an adequate place to pump. You basically need a chair, a table (or another chair to set your pump on) and an outlet, and ideally a locked door. But again, http://www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers/faqBTNM.htm before they're allowed to not accommodate you! Whatever you choose to do, you'll be making the best choice for you and your family.

First of all, Option B is feasible, but you would have to slowly transition to this rather than going cold turkey. Also at 2.5 months I think (IIRC its been a while) that there is a major hormonal change coming very soon for you, that changes the way milk production works, so you might have to wait until that has settled down before making any drastic changes. I did this later on and it was nice to have the best of both worlds. For option A, I didn't have to pump in the car but I have pumped at the office. The cooler is totally fine to keep the milk, as long as you put ice packs in there too. You can also store the pump parts in there, which means you don't need to wash them until you get home in the evening, so that cuts down majorly on the hassle and time. I found that pumping 3x at work allowed me to feed 100% breastmilk, if I cut back to 2x at work my supply dropped and I had to supplement. But YMMV. Depending on what kind of work you do, can you work while you pump? I used to do this because a) then I didn't feel guilty about taking time away to pump, and b) because then I focused on work and didn't stress about the pumping, which is more pleasant and better for production (for me). Option C is also perfectly fine if you decide you don't want to deal with the hassle of options A or B. No need to feel guilty about it. But if you want to do option A or B then you can make it work. I always recommend joining an awesome mailing list called https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/PumpMoms/info on yahoo groups. They were SO, SO helpful for me, lots of info and tips from other moms pumping at work.

I nursed and pumped for almost two years, which included many sessions in my car. I've answered this question on the green a few times, feel free to browse my history to see my suggestions. The short answer is, yes, it can be done, and after about a week you will feel like an absolute pro. Have a book or something to occupy your time, but otherwise pumping in the car is as easy as pumping in an empty office or dedicated mother's room. Storage - the formula gift pack you got at the hospital included a little cooler bag big enough to hold a couple of 6/8oz bottles, right? That and the little ice pack it came with will keep your milk cool enough all day until you get it home and into the fridge (keep it in the office with you, don't leave it in the car). I PROMISE you that you do not have to sterilize your pump parts every single time you pump during the day. Rinse them with hot water, wipe with a paper towel, and throw them into your bag until the next session. Get hubby to give them a good scrub when you get home at night, while you are nursing the baby. Good resources for any questions regarding nursing and pumping include your local La Leche League chapter, and The Leaky Boob facebook page. Feel free to memail me if you want more details on what I did.