Back to work in a community based role - but I don’t want to stop breastfeeding? How to pump/store?!

[StillNotAsleep]

I’m going back to work in a community based, public sector role. I need to drive to various locations for different meetings and will usually be out of the house for 6 hours + at a time.

I’d be so interested to hear any ideas or experiences for how I can pump and store milk. If I’m working out of my car or being a visitor in buildings, practically speaking I can’t see how I will be able to pump, let alone keep the expressed milk chilled.

I don’t want this to be the end of my BF journey but I don’t see a way round things?

How far are you from home or office? Can you nip back express and fridge?
Or look for a car fridge.

I'd express in the back seat, using those window shades people use for babies if you don't have privacy glass

I don’t know where you are but I always thought in the uk the onus was on your employer to work it out, whether that be providing a space to express, a fridge or switching you to an office based role temporarily.

How old will the baby be?

I went back to work at 6 months. I stopped pumping at 10 months as paedetrician said he doesn't need it in the day if he is eating well. So I cut day feeds and BF morning, and late afternoon, bedtime and at night. At weekends, I also breastfed mid morning.

I'm still breastfeeding now at 14 months!

Sorry, I fell asleep and then forgot I’d started this thread 😆

I have never heard of a car fridge - off to Google!

There's loads of little car fridges on amazon for cheap. I had one but take note they're not very cold actually. You'd need a few ice packs in there.

Can you pump in the car under one of those breastfeeding covers that's like a big bib?

How long are you away from your baby for and how old will they be when they go back to work?

With both my babies I went back to a nursing job when they were 12 months old, and so I was away from them for 14 hours.

It was really hard at first but I was able to cope with only having to pump three times in that time period in order to keep myself comfortable.

As the weeks and months passed my body adapted and I could soon go the whole 14 hours without needing to pump at all.

I did this 3-4 days a week, and for the other 3 days I just fed them on demand throughout the day and night as I usually would.

I wouldn't worry too much as it really is amazing how well your milk production adapts to your circumstances.

Get yourself some in-bra pumps and just find a few 20 minute slots to sit and use them and you're sorted.

I didn't use any of the milk that I pumped, I just discarded it, I was only expressing for comfort and to maintain production. There is no rule that you have to keep your milk as depending on your baby's age, they may be fine to go without breastmilk for the length of time they're away from you anyway and just drink water and eat foods/dairy products instead

The onus is on your employer really but you could pump in the car and keep it cold with ice packs. How old is your baby though? I went back at a year and initially started pumping but soon realised my supply just adjusted. She still feeds loads on my days off but goes without at nursery until I pick her up- we always have a big reunion feed in the car!

I used a poncho to express under (easier now with the in bra pumps) and had a cool box with ice packs in it. I found people on site actually incredibly helpful, and they'd find me somewhere to express - I remember one place where they made me a lovely setup with drinks and snacks! Later when I was just expressing for my comfort (back to work at 4.5 months, bf till he was 2 including international travel) I was quite good at hand expressing into a plastic bag

Halfords do car fridges,

How old is your baby?

I have recently gone back to work and am feeling fine without pumping, my supply hasn’t been affected and my baby is fine when we’re not together. But she’s 13 months and only really feeds at night time, the odd time through the day when we’re together so it’s not a big change for me.

with my first she fed loads through the day and I had to pump for comfort when I went back to work, but I didn’t keep the milk as she never took a bottle anyway. I went through so many breast pads, I’d start letting down every time I thought of her and missed her!

if my baby was very young or I had concerns about maintaining my supply I would definitely look to pump regularly. I hope you find a way to make it work if you need to. Good luck on your return to work, it’s a big thing to adjust to made even more complex with navigating breastfeeding issues!

Baby will be coming up to 12 months old. I will be sending expressed milk into nursery with them so I will be pumping for it to be used as opposed to pumping to relieve any pressure.

You probably won't need to pump OP - neither of ours showed any interest in drinking the expressed milk we sent into nursery with them at that age, they just fed in the mornings, after nursery, and at bedtime.

At 12 months, mine just had bm from me first thing, as soon as I collected him, before a bath, and bedtime.
Drank other stuff (water and cows milk) from a cup at nursery, and had extra milk from me at the weekends.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think this is something you will need to worry about for very long, if at all.

I went back to work when both of my children were 7 months old.

With my first baby I pumped twice a day at work for about the first month, then once a day for about another couple of months, and then I stopped bothering because the child minder said he didn't need a bottle of milk at lunchtime if he'd eaten a yoghurt, and we ended up swapping the afternoon feed for cow's milk. About two months after I went back to work we were told by a doctor to stop night feeds, and so we went down to morning and bedtime feeds only, which continued until he was 15 months old. So basically for the last five months or so I wasn't pumping. He self weaned at 15 months because my milk dried up, but it was because I was 3 months pregnant with my next baby, nothing to do with not pumping.

My second baby just refused to take a bottle, so after spending a month or so with a very expensively hired pump bottling milk which they ended up throwing away, I eventually gave up on the pumping. She's now nearly 3, I've been back at work for more than 2 years, and I am still breastfeeding her. I've also been away for multiple work trips for 4-5 days at a time.

At 12 months old your baby can go all day without needing breast milk if necessary, and you can go all day without pumping. It definitely doesn't have to mean the end of your breastfeeding journey.

To echo PPs, definitely doesn't need to be the end. I went back to work at 7 months pp with both of mine and fed both morning, evening and as required overnight until they were 2.5 (stopped as pregnant with #2) and 3.5 (unexpected two week hospital stay for me) respectively. DH was on shared parental leave and he gave formula in the day as needed until they were one and started nursery when they just had cow's milk and water in the day, but if the baby's already one, you could skip the formula altogether. I was planning to give pumped milk but for some reason my stash went rancid in the freezer and I couldn't face the logistics of a constant supply line. Good luck!

You really don't need to be pumping at 12 months. By that point, it's a morning and evening thing and sometimes more on the weekend.

As someone who had to go back to work and pump at 6 months, I am telling you don't do it.

You are vastly underestimating the work involved.

I went back to work at 12m and worried about this. I just pump and dump (once around 2pm) for comfort and to keep my supply up on work days. I use the Medela hand pump and find it quick enough. I tried storing milk to begin with but quickly realised my LO has no interest in the milk unless it’s straight from the source haha. We are still going strong 3 months down the line :) good luck! Your body quickly adjusts and baby still loves his milk when I’m around but doesn’t seem bothered when he’s in childcare one bit x

I only BF before and after work when my DC was a year old. My milk supply adjusted. DC was fine with water/cow’s milk and solid food.

Just pump in your car with a blanket to cover you, I did it all the time. If you have a hands-free pumping bra you can even pump while driving. Get a cooler with some ice packs and the breastmilk will last for 24 hours.

I don’t really want to switch baby to cow’s milk if my milk is still available 😁

I have pumped in the back seat so many times so yes that’ll be fine. I guess it’s just the chilled storage aspect that’s worrying me.

How old is the baby now, OP? Honestly neither of ours drank any milk at all at nursery after the first couple of times, whether breastmilk or cow's milk, and both were under 12 months. They just ate loads of food and drank water. They still both continued breastfeeding in the mornings and evenings till well past 12 months.

I'd definitely look a a small 12v car fridge.
And given you employers responsibilities they should be able to put it through as a business expense and in turn claim the VAT back.

I definitely wouldn't want to rely on cool boxes or ice packs, particularly in summer when the car is likely to be hot.

The alternative would be to have extra breaks either back at your office or go home, depending on travel.

I bought a Momcozy breast milk cooler bag (from Momcozy website, c£20) and two ice blocks (from Amazon). The bag is excellent - has space for pump, bags, wipes, tissues etc and the milk stays cold all day. When I get home I just pop it in the freezer.