A breastfeeding chiro

Are you pumping?

This morning I dropped my littlest, Baz, 8-months, off to daycare for the first time…

I’m still breastfeeding so now begins the need to express. I’m often asked, how I do it, so I though it may be helpful to share on here for anyone who may be looking at returning to work.

I find this works very well for me and has done so, for my older 3 boys too, who I’ve been fortunate enough to breastfeed until they’ve self-weaned.

I choose not to pump in the months or weeks leading up to my return to build up a freezer supply – the reason being, when I return, if I’m using milk from the freezer instead of pumping, then that will impact my supply moving forward. If baby is feeding in care, then I like to be pumping at work.

So, today I’m at work from 9-3. Typically I would feed Baz at 9 am before his morning feed and then again at about 1 pm before his afternoon sleep (I feed on demand but by 8-months, he’s become reasonably predictable (). Instead of feeding him, I’m pumping at work at these times. I label the bottle Thursday 9 am (or whatever it may be) and then put it in the freezer for next Thursday at 9 am. This keeps my supply as normal and ensures I have the bottles ready for next Thursday, when he’ll be in daycare again. All I needed to get this started, were two bottles in the freezer, which thankfully I had from early days.

I hope this makes sense and I also hope it helps anyone in a similar position. It’s certainly a common question and I think a common concern for may returning Mum’s (it was for me) – but once sorted, I think it’s very achievable!