Breastfeeding Advice for Working Mothers

You have to start work some time after the birth of your baby and you are afraid that you will not be able to breastfeed and breastfeed. In such a case, you may need to accustom your baby to the bottle, you can ensure that your baby continues to receive breast milk by expressing milk. In this article, Arlene Eisenberg and Heidi Murkoff’s “What to Expect in Your Baby’s First Year?” We gave breastfeeding advice to working mothers by taking the tips in the book.

Make sure you have enough milk before switching to the bottle!

Every working mother gets alarmed because she will give up her breastfeeding routine and immediately starts researching bottles. But getting your baby used to the bottle early, thinking that he will return to work one day, will cause a decrease in your milk supply as you will be deprived of the sucking reflex. So get your baby used to the bottle early and make sure your milk is as thick as before before switching to the bottle. Starting too early prevents the bottle from being rejected but reduces the amount of milk. So make sure you have enough milk.

Practice bottle switching!

As we mentioned above, it can be difficult for the baby to get used to the bottle as he gets older. That’s why you can start bottle feeding shortly before the day you go back to work. Along with breastfeeding, you can ensure that your baby is bottle fed at least once a day. If possible, make sure that this coincides with the hours when you will not be home, and the baby’s condition may not be strange when he returns to work.

Learn how to use a breast pump!

Working mothers and milking machines are inseparable! Therefore, buy a suitable breast pump that you can use comfortably and work on expressing your milk. Have a few days’ milk backup for emergencies. Fear not, expressing milk is also good for your mammary ducts and helps keep milk production going.

Be informed about milk permit!

There is a certain period of time allocated by the state for working breastfeeding mothers with children under the age of 1, which is called breastfeeding leave. In the Public Personnel General Communique Serial No. 6, it is stated that this period is 3 hours in the first 6 months and 1.5 hours in the second 6 months after the mother returns to work. This situation may differ in the private sector. In other words, you can breastfeed your baby at certain times a day by taking maternity leave. In addition, milk allowance is among the rights of working breastfeeding mothers.

How much milk should working mothers leave?

Every baby’s diet is different. Therefore, the amount of milk you will leave at home should be as much as you breastfeed while you are at home under normal conditions. It may also be helpful to have spare milk at home for extra situations.

Set a time and place to be able to express milk at work!

Expressing milk at work is something mothers are stressed about. While you are working, you will need to express your milk at certain times, just as you would breastfeed at home. You need to find a special space for these moments. You should talk to your colleagues at work about this. You also need a refrigerator or cooler where you can store the milk you express. If such a tool exists, you should warn your friends about your milk.

Keep the milk production going!

Even if you are not breastfeeding, you are still giving milk to your baby. That’s why it’s important to keep your milk going. Express your milk every 3-4 hours so that your milk reserve does not decrease. Drink lots of water and pay close attention to your diet. Make room for dairy foods in your diet.

Do not wear tight clothing that compresses the milk ducts and prevents the flow of milk. Avoid stress at work as much as possible. Because breastfeeding mothers who start work often cannot focus on their work due to the stress of leaving their baby, and they reduce their milk production due to this stress.

Talk to your babysitter about your baby’s diet!

Tell whoever is taking care of your baby your breastfeeding plan. When you’re less than two hours away from home, tell your baby not to give your baby any milk you’ve expressed or feed her if she’s switched to solid food. So when you get home, your baby will be hungry and you can breastfeed.

Experiment before you start!

Express your milk once in a while and get away from home as if you’re actually going to work. don’t go away for more than a few hours the first time, then extend that time. That way you’ll see what kinds of problems will arise and you’ll have time to solve them.

At the end of our article, let’s give some information about this subject. How long can breast milk be stored? As the milk continues to be expressed, the hormones secreted from the brain think that the child’s need for milk continues and it continues to be secreted abundantly. Breast milk expressed in the workplace can be stored in special containers for 24 hours in the refrigerator door and up to 6 months in the deep freezer. However, if the mother interrupts the milking process, the brain; It reduces the secretion of hormones, as a result of which milk production gradually decreases.