Want to BF but have to work 3 days a week

[blackcurrants]

Hello all - I'm due at the end of July and this is my first baby. I definitely want to breastfeed, (having watched SIL and DS do it and love it, after a few initial hitches) and I'm lining up support in my area (LLL meetings, there's a lactation consultant that comes around the hospital where I'm delivering every day, etc).

That said, I have to be back at work 3 full days a week within 4-5 weeks after the birth, so I'm going to have to pump milk at least some of the time. I plan to spend the first month with the baby feeding on demand and trying to establish a supply (and latch, and probably posting on here in a panic at least a bit! ) But I don't know anyone who's managed to work and bf.

Does anyone else pump milk for that much time per week? Do you freeze? In bags or bottles? I've heard that the medela pumps are good, and what most people here use (I'm in the USA), so I am going to ask about them in my bfclasses, too. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole world of pumps and storage systems (bags, bottles, ice-cube-trays) - anyone done this, and what did you use?

Sorry for long rambly post, and thanks in advance for any help!

I am no expert but it's a tall order getting BF established and then going back to work in 4-5 weeks. Probably achievable though.

I expect you may have to pump a good few times during the day as your baby wills till be feeding loads.

I pumped twice a day at work but from 7 months old and stored it in the fridge, transporting it home in a cool bag with some ice packs. I used some of it and froze the rest.

Good luck!

I went back to work ft when DS was 16 weeks old, and breastfed exclusively till 6 months, and continued till he was 23 months.
If you can double pump at least 3 times during the working day, and always feed directly and on demand the rest of the time, it can work.

I used an Ameda Lactaline, bought extra pump sets so that I had two complete sets, and pumped directly into the bottles nursery used to feed DS.
I only froze excess milk - in bags, but others use AxiFeed to great success.

Thanks - that's helpful. I've just found out from one of my bosses that our office of work/life has got a whole 'breastfeeding support' page, and there are four rooms where I can pump and store milk... so obviously women do manage this! (It's quite common over here cos the mat leave is non-existent). Now I just need to figure out a pump...

I expressed at 3weeks for similiar reasons.
You tend to overproduce before 6weeks (when supply regulates) so you can use this time to stock up the freezer and just give a small bottle every few days before you start work to get LO used to it. I started expressing once a day, then went up to twice. I see no reason (providing you get to grips with BF which clicked for me towards the end of the 3rd week) that you won't be fine. My LO has been having EBM 2 days a week since 5 weeks (now 10weeks). Sometimes its a bit awkward getting her to BF afterwards if she's really hungry as she gets used to the bottle being so immediate, so you have to get in there before they get too worked up.

Just wondering what your childcare arrangements are. If the baby was somewhere close you could pop in or the baby could come to you.

Again sadly that's not an option, as I work on manhattan which is an hour commute from our house (don't want to take LO on bus and train at rush hour, childcare off-manhattan half the price of childcare ON manhattan, etc). It's totally how I'd work it in my ideal world, though!
Went into the work "Office of Work/Life balance" yesterday and got the keys for the 'lactation' rooms, there's a sink, a fridge, a comfy chair, and a medela symphony pump motor in there. I bought the accessories that actually touch me, and now I have to get a sterilizing system set up, then I'm sort of ready to go. Ish.
(wibbles and frets)

ClimberChick that's good to hear, and good advice about reading hunger cues, thanks. I was thinking of making the most of the oversupply (and drinking mother's milk tea, etc) to get a stock together and then just working out a system. I'm going to be at work mon, wed, and Fri then home Tues, thurs and the weekend, so hopefully if I do lots of skin-to-skin and lounging on the days I'm at home, LO will work out that s/he gets bottles from dad and daycare but has to BF from me. . .

Hello there. This is my first post on mumsnet and just wanted a wee bit of empathy! I am working 3 days a week runnign my own business. I have been bfg my DS2 and he's at nursery while I work. I was expressing 1-2 times a day while working, but I'm finding it hard to prioritise it as the business isn't doing too well just now and I'm trying to work hard to bring more business in. Was away for first time last weekend and he was on formula and sleeping so brilliantly that I'm a bit demotivated. I fed DS1 til he was 18 months and kept up the expressing until he was cup-feeding daytime and then just morning and evening but he slept through of his own accord from 6 months.

DS2 is just waking so early 4/5 and seems hungry (despite eating mammoth amounts of food and getting 8oz in mid-afternoon of formula or EBF) so I'm feeling a bit demotivated. I love feeding him on my days off but hate expressing so yest and today I didn't bother. Anyway I'm probably just being a moan but sometimes its so hard to juggle it all...I always feel like if I express in the afternoon, there's even less there for him at bedtime but I guess that's not really how it works in the long run...

Forgot to say - he's 9 months on 1st June...

You should probably bear in mind that nipple confusion and nursing strikes are probably going to be higher risk for us, especially if we have long days away. But what can we do, we have to work.

ultimatejuggler sorry to hear your finding it tough going. Don't know really what to say, except maybe start a thread of your own get some tailoured support