Hello, All:  I wince at the term "stockpiling milk".  So many breastfeeding 
families are under the mistaken notion they have to fill a freezer with 
milk, even if mom is stay-at-home.  I have really begun to emphasize in my 
pre and post-natal teaching that too much milk is as bad for the mother, as 
too little is for the baby.  The "if this much milk is good, more must be 
better" mentality that is out there is getting an increasing number of moms 
in trouble with engorgement, milk plugs, mastitis.
My usual advice to a working mother is simple. She should nurse exclusively 
if possible for 6-8 weeks to "set" her milk supply, making it much easier 
to rearrange her milk supply to suit her lifestyle.  The milk she pumps 
today at work goes into her fridge overnight and to the babysitter 
tomorrow.  Believe it or not, most moms do just fine keeping up with baby's 
needs using this simple approach.  But because most moms don't believe this 
system will work for them, we talk about 4-6 "just in case" bottles in her 
freezer at any given time.  Just in case she gets stuck in traffic or needs 
to work late one day, or whatever.  This gives her husband or other care 
provider peace of mind that a bottle is indeed available, "just in case". 
And it goes without saying that she reverts back to exclusive nursing on 
her days off and in the evenings, whenever she is back with her baby.  
I "discovered" how well this approach works myself, when I went back to 
work after the births of my 3 babies.  One easy way to get a bottle of milk 
before she even gets out the door in the morning is to set up her double 
electric pump as a single - baby goes on one breast, the pump on the other, 
and baby does the let-down.  Works even better using hand expression - I 
used to get a 4-6 oz bottle every morning before I went off to work.  Some 
moms are concerned that baby won't get enough at that feeding, but most 
moms are fuller at the 1st morning feeding - my babies were very content 
with just one breast.  The pumped breast can always be offered if baby 
needs to be topped off.  And mom gets a psychological "lift" knowing that 
she already has another feeding for her baby before she even gets to work!
Am I implying that it is easy to work (especially full-time) while 
mothering and nursing a young baby?  It's one of the hardest things I've 
ever done, but it is possible with a little advance planning to continue to 
supply your baby exclusively with your milk.

Pam Hirsch, BSN,RN,IBCLC
Clinical Lead, Lactation Services
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Barrington, IL   USA

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