After achieving a pregnancy through an assisted reproduction treatment (artificial insemination, IVF / ICSI or egg donation) or naturally, one of our patient’s most frequent questions in postpartum consultations is how to continue breastfeeding after returning to work life.
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and accompanied by food for up to two years or more whenever the mother and baby so wish.
Many times the return to work is an obstacle to carry out this recommendation successfully.
The options to combine breastfeeding and work are very varied, although they are not always possible (schedule flexibility, reduction of working hours, breastfeeding break,…)
However, there are other options that can facilitate the maintenance of breastfeeding:
– Breast milk expression: The mother expresses every day the milk that her baby will drink the next day during her absence, keeping it in the fridge without the need to freeze. Some choose to do the extraction at work (feeding that she cannot give to the baby), and many others at home at night. It is important to learn to express milk correctly, being able to do it manually or with the help of breast pumps. At first, the quantity may be low due to lack of habit, so it is recommended to start extracting some weeks before returning to work life and then freeze it. In this way, there will be “milk bank” that can be used in case of an emergency.
The expressed milk must be stored immediately in the refrigerator, where it can be kept for 5 to 7 days, but if it is not going to be used within the two days after extraction, it is better to freeze it. Always do it in small quantities and indicating the date.
It is NOT necessary to try bottle-feeding before returning to work.
– Complementary feeding: if required, this feeding can be started from the fourth month, never before, and always following the recommendations of the pediatricians. Breastfeeding and the new foods will be combined.
– Mixed breastfeeding: the baby can drink formula milk while the mother is away and breastfeed in the other feeds. By reducing the number of breast milk feeds, some mothers may experience annoying breast engorgement, especially in the first few days, and may need to express milk until the breast becomes accustomed to the new demand.
It is important for the mothers to be aware of all the information on the different possibilities so that they can decide which one is the most suitable for them according to every single situation. This will allow them to reduce the stress and anxiety that many of them suffer in the last weeks of maternity leave at the idea of returning to work and stopping breastfeeding their baby.
RETURN TO WORK AND CONTINUING BREASTFEEDING IS POSSIBLE!
We hope this information is interesting for you, if you have any questions or want to start a treatment with us, you can contact us by sending an email to info@centromedicomanzanera.com or filling out the contact form on our website: https://www.centromedicomanzanera.com/en/formulario_en/
Cristina Mateo Sánchez
Nursing department
IMAGE: https://www.fedalma.org/el-congreso-fedalma-2018-ya-tiene-imagen/
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