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Pumping

We asked Moms:
How were you able to coordinate breastfeeding and/or pumping with work?

I used a pump to provide my daughter, Beth, with breastmilk until she was 15 months old. At 26 months, we are going strong nursing 3 - 5 times a day. I love the bond it has given us and I love the fact that only I am able to do this for her. It is someting I know is right, that I do not questions. I used the Medela Lactina and Pump in Style. I now use a Avent Isis for occasional pumping and love it.
-- Michelle

I returned to work when my daughter was 10 weeks old. She gets both formula and breast milk, however, now that I'm away from her so much, I try to nurse her as much as possible. At work we have a comfortable lactation room where I spend about 20 minutes each day pumping with the Avent Isis Pump. It's extremely comfortable, and I can usually get about 4 ounces in that time. I pump into Avent disposable bags and transport the pump and milk in a neat Childress Maxi Cool bag. I've been doing this for 4 weeks, and my goal is to be able to give her some breastmilk each day for 1 year.
-- Joan

I used the Medela Pump In Style three times a day (a.m. break, lunch, and p.m. break) at work and it was wonderful. I am now pregnant with my second child and plan to do the same for at least his first year. At first I was put off by the cost of the system, but bought it on a friend's advice to "buy the very best pump you can afford; you won't regret it" and boy was she ever right! As far as I'm concerned, it paid for itself in the first month. My advice is to never skip a pumping -- take a break from work and do something for yourself and your child. Medela also sells a bra kit that allows you to pump hands-free, so you can read, write, or use a laptop while pumping. I am lucky enough to have a private bathroom in our office area and very understanding co-workers, so finding a place to pump is not a problem. With my first child, I never could pump quite enough at work (had to supplement with formula) and so I only stuck with it for 3 months, but I am determined things will be better this time around. For problems or questions about breastfeeding and returning to work, I have found the local La Leche League chapter to be an invaluable resource. They don't pressure you to join or anything; they are there to help you and are so understanding. I also learned the hard way that switching over to formula was harder and more expensive than I would have imagined -- Breastfeeding is SO much better, and I truly look forward to it this time.
-- Amy

Both of my children were sensitive to iron and could not tolerate any formula or even most baby food. When I lost my milk with my son, he was only 6 months old and would not accept a bottle. He started using sippy cups at a very early age. To make up for the milk we mixed iron free baby foods (you can call Gerber for a list of what is in each and every food they make) with water to feed him from his sippy cup. I don't know if it was the short nusing duration or some other factor, but my son is now 7, perfectly healthy, but has lost no baby teeth. Good, Bad?
My daughter would accept a bottle but not from me and was very iron intolerant. So I pumped for her when I was away. I found that pumping one breast while she was nursing the other was the most effective method for me, at work I only pumped if I had a particularly uncomfortable let-down.
-- Kari

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