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Original poster

Going back to work at 7 months post partum (breastfeeding practicalities)

18 replies

glasspaw · 23/05/2022 07:08

Hi everyone.

wondering if anyone has any experience of a similar situation to share here? I’m planning to go back to work at 7 months PP. I would like to start weaning at 6 months but have only recently started researching it. I foolishly assumed that it would be feasible to have baby on mostly non-milk based nutrition by the time I got back to work to make childcare arrangements easier.

it doesn’t sound like this is realistic 😅

I work 9-5 with two days in office and three days WFH. The WFH ones aren’t as challenging as I can pump at my desk but how do people manage this in the office with a back to back schedule?

I would love to know how people have made this work and any advice you are able to share.

OP posts:

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OnlyFoolsnMothers · 23/05/2022 07:19

I went back to the office, baby was on formula when I was gone- had to pump a little whilst at work and then when I got home shove my engorged breasts at the baby. Sorry to said it didn’t work and was too much faff for me, I just weaned from bf at that point.

Original poster

glasspaw · 23/05/2022 07:23

Yeah it’s the engorgement I’m mostly worried about @OnlyFoolsnMothers :( I did one day in the office a few weeks back whilst dad watched the baby and I was in agony by the end of the day. I could barely drive home I felt so sick.

OP posts:

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 23/05/2022 07:24

Yeh that’s how I felt- you’ll need to pump at work in breaks, it’s hard and I couldn’t do it.

MolliciousIntent · 23/05/2022 07:25

I'm pretty sure your work are legally obliged to provide you with time and space in which to pump. I just blacked out time in my diary a couple of times a day.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 23/05/2022 07:27

I went back when DD was almost 6 months old. I was out of the house for 12 hours a day, twice a week. I pumped on the first day then never again. After that I BF at home and she had formula when I was working. I was full by the end of the day but not in pain.

PinkPlantCase · 23/05/2022 07:32

Hi OP I went back to work when DS was around 7mo.

Work provide a lockable room where I pump twice a day, it probably takes 25 minutes each time for me. I take my laptop with me and do work in there. I keep the milk in the work fridge and have a cold bag with an ice pack that I keep the pump parts in during the day and then to take the milk home in.

In the earlier days this give us enough milk for about 100ml to go to nursery and then another 90ml or so for my DH to do a night feed so we could share that a bit. Now I get slightly less but DS is 11mo now. We still have enough to send to nursery.

I pump direct into bottles, put the teats on and those bottle go to nursery the next day.

For the first few months DS would want to feed as soon as I got home aswell.

thought he’d be dropping feeds in general by now but he hasn’t 🙈but anyway that’s a whole other thread. Pumping has worked well for us.

PinkPlantCase · 23/05/2022 07:33

*3 x 100ml bottles for nursery

Bex000 · 23/05/2022 07:43

Similar to @PinkPlantCase i went back at 7 months 2 x12h days including commute and 2 in office (took annual leave on Fridays for first couple of months).
Top 10 FTSE company head office with > 3000 employees there, had a broom cupboard with a fridge to breastfeed but infinitely doable.
Baby had started solids so fed before leaving and after I got back and had expressed milk in between.
I pumped 2x at office during the day took a cold bag and took expressed milk home for next day.
We finally went breast feeding cold turkey at 11 months as I had a work trip away for a week and could not be bothered with the faff!
I was relatively senior so just scheduled expressing in my diary around meetings, never had any problems. X

Original poster

glasspaw · 23/05/2022 09:37

Thanks everyone for sharing. I didn’t know that work are meant to provide a space! I might ask my HR about it as I can’t think where there might be a space but it’s a large company so they must have been asked before.

OP posts:

failing40s · 23/05/2022 09:42

They are definitely supposed to provide a space for you. Do you have a medical room? It's a long time since I've working in an office, but when I did that was where BF women would pump milk. Alternatively a small meeting room where you can lock the door? Seeing as it's only 2 days a week they should be able to make find a way to make it work for you.

tiredmumma34 · 23/05/2022 09:42

Definitely ask where they can provide to you to pump - they are legally required to provide a secure, hygienic, private (ie. Not a toilet stall).

Block out a couple spaces in your diary. And get a good cooler bag that you can store the pumped bottles in, in the fridge.

I went back to work at 9mo, so DS was a bit further with weaning. But I started off doing 2 bottles per day and pretty quickly he weaned himself down to 1. He didn't care as much about a bottle.

Discovereads · 23/05/2022 10:04

I did the same as pp. Work allocated me a secure room that had a combination lock that only I and security had the combination for where I pumped during a morning and afternoon break. It took 5mins to go to and set up, 15mins pumping, and 5 mins to clean pump bits/sterilise in microwave and get back to my desk. I had a cold pack lunchbox that I kept in the work fridge. Once they were 18mos old, they were well on the way to self weaning so I didn’t need to pump at work anymore. I was just doing comfort feeds by then.

onetwothreeadventure · 23/05/2022 10:15

Have you got a pump already? I got a Fraupow which sits in bra, no wires etc which is great - I don't get quite as much as my Medela but it's not much less and the convenience is brilliant. I was going to get an Elvie but saw the Fraupow recommended on here and it's much cheaper.

Original poster

glasspaw · 23/05/2022 12:07

@onetwothreeadventure oh really? That’s interesting. I wanted the Elvie but balked at the cost so I got a Medela flex which I love, but it’s a lot to carry around, and not particularly well suited to pumping on the go. I’ll take a look at the Fraupow.

OP posts:

PinkPlantCase · 23/05/2022 12:21

The room I use is a meeting room with blinds and locks.

I don’t have a hands free pump but I’ve got very good at holding both pump parts with one hand/ arm and cracking on with work with the other.

I started a new job after maternity leave in a very male dominated industry, I was so worried about asking but it was completely fine! They’d had someone pump at work before so it wasn’t all new to them.

OKScarpetta · 23/05/2022 12:33

I was working long days (childcare 7:30 am til 6:30pm ish) when I went back after both of mine, but neither would take milk from a bottle- we tried everything! I pumped to stay comfortable, but the milk was usually thrown away (which was sad!). Both girls had long feeds in the morning, and when I got back from work in the evening they’d feed for a couple of hours (kind of cluster feeding). No change in supply. My 15 month old is still feeding, and my older daughter fed til nearly 3.
I did need to make sure that they had other fluids in the day, and introduced a sippy cup with water at 6 months…

Imohsotired · 23/05/2022 12:47

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

MollyRover · 02/01/2023 08:31

Sharing for traffic, hope someone can help

Return to work advice http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast pumpss_chat/4710243-return-to-work-advice

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