Working and expressing
What are the advantages of expressing at work?Expressing milk at work can be a nuisance, and doing such a personal thing in a work environment can feel strange. BUT! It very quickly becomes routine, and very empowering. But many mothers find that the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience. You are still able to give your baby the health and nutritional advantages of breastmilk, and expressing can be a wonderful way of feeling close to your baby during the working day. It can also help to relieve some of the unnecessary and awful guilty feelings we have when we do go back to work, as you are still doing something so valuable for your baby while you’re gone.
One of the best things about expressing at work is coming home to a baby who still wants to breastfeed- you get to snuggle with them immediately, re-establish your bond, and nurture her in a way that nobody else can. You and your baby can look forward to a cosy reunion every day. How can I successfully express breastmilk at work?You will need: - a pump - a double electric one is most efficient, but expensive. Many women find that a single battery/ electric or hand pumps work just as well
- Breastpads (best ones for work we think are the Lilypadz
- bottles / bags
- access to a fridge or a chiller box (check out medela’s expressing city bag)
Start expressing milk at home before returning to work so you know what to expect and can get used to the odd sensation of expressing. Try to have a pump with a “dual phase action” – much softer than ones without this. Express after as many day time feeds as you can and start to build a supply in the freezer. You will get less milk doing this than if you express a full feed, but if you express in between feeds and breastfeed as well, you may end up over-producing milk and feeling very uncomfortable. You will probably collect very little milk at first, but soon you'll have several ounces after every 15- to 20-minute expressing session. Or: You may not need to build up a supply of frozen milk at all (except for the 1st day back). The milk you express at work can be kept in the fridge overnight and then used by your baby the next day.
Ideally, you should have access to a private room at work, such as an unused office or conference room, or even a large, clean storeroom with a chair, a table, and a power point. Ask the human resources staff for suggestions, and try to enlist the support of a colleague or manager. The worst-case scenario is having to express in a lavatory cubicle, but many women have done so - successfully (including me!)- for months. How can I help my milk flow? Relax and look at your baby's picture (mobile phones with pics are great), or visualise your baby and imagine them feeding while you are expressing. Many mothers find that once they get the breast pump working well, they can use the time to catch up on work-related reading. When should I express? Around the time you normally feed your baby when youre home is the obvious thing, but rarely practical at work. It's really up to you and your situation, but try to do it at the same time every day. Pumping once or twice a day may be more realistic, though, and it will be enough to keep up your milk supply to cover morning, evening, and weekend feeds. I found that pumping each side around lunch time (10 mins) meant I could still feed as normal and didn’t affect my supply for the days I was home. This will of course depend on the age of your baby. How about sterilising?Some people never do, some people do until the baby is 1, some until 6 months. We prefer the 6 month target here at thebreastway! If youre worried about being able to sterilise at work, just buy some steriliser microwaveable bags (takes 3 mins) , sterilise your pump and either bottle/cup and off you go! Or else sterilise everything the night before when youre at home, and keep in a clean ziplock bag. The microwave sterilising however does warm up the pump nicely for your poor exposed boob though! :) And mail us if youre concerned, want more tips etc as always... How do I transport, store, and thaw breast milk? See article on Storing and transporting breastmilk
• Store freshly expressed milk (well-labelled as yours) in the office refrigerator or a cooler while at work. Bring it home in a cooler with an ice pack if your journey is longer than 30 minutes – although freshly expressed milk is OK at room temperature (and no warmer) for six hours.
• If you refrigerate the milk you pump on Monday, your carer can give it to your baby on Tuesday, and so on.
You can do it! I have expressed in the loo, in the changing room, in my car (parked outside work and in traffic)… it is all worthwhile, and totally do-able if you are determined enough. And to see my healthy babies even when I went back to work, makes it all worthwhile for me, im sure it will for you too.. Log onto our chat forum “expressing and work” to chat to other mums and get help, advice, support and smiles. Using your breastmilk See the article on expressing and storing breastmilk for storage times etc. Milk should be thawed to room temperature, but shouldnt need to be heated (although you can). Thaw from frozen at room temperature or in the fridge (although this will take longer). Transfer your milk if necessary from the sterilised bag to the bottle/ cup as per your preferred or your babys' preferred receptacle! Further information: Breastfeeding and workPrintous for your child carer:What can happen if a mother's milk is given to the wrong child?(Yes, people do ask...) Dr Jack Newman handout
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Ages and Stages of feeding 
