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Subject:
From:
Barbara Whelan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 23 Apr 1996 20:02:39 -0500
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>What advice would you give to a mother in this situation?
>
>Currently she is 6 months pregnant, expects to have 3-5 months of maternity
>leave, then to go back to work full time.  She is employed in a demanding
>professional position, entailing plenty of overtime.  (On the positive side,
>she has a private office and controls her own working hours, so there are no
>barriers to pumping.)
>
>The question is, when should she beginning pumping a little and offering
>breastmilk in bottles?
>...
>
>Margaret Radcliffe
>Blacksburg, Virginia
>Breastfeeding advocate, LLL member, maybe someday an LLLL or LC, but right
>now pushed into giving advice....
>
        This mother's experience is becoming more and more the norm it
seems.  Having gone through much the same experience (twice!), and now
having co-founded a support group for such mothers, this has been our
collective experience:

If she wants to give exclusive breastmilk for as long as possible after she
returns to work,  she should start pumping as early as possible (ie approx.
six weeks postpartum, when her life has "settled down" at least a little
bit, initially pumping first thing in the morning).
         The ideal pump is a one-hand pump that she can use while baby
nurses on the other, so she "capitalizes" on her let-down.  Often, she will
be able to pump 4-6 ounces per day to freeze (in a chest-freezer).  She
should label each days pumping so it can be used chronologically, and freeze
in small aliquots (freezing in a sterile ice-cube tray, then transferring to
a heavier plastic freezer type bag (boob cubes) works very well, each "cube"
is about an ounce.  {Freezing in larger 4-6 oz bags will result in a lot of
waste if baby only wants a small amount, and many babies, at least initially
will take only small amounts from an alternate care-giver , preferring to
"hold out till mom comes home}
        None of our moms offered a bottle just to get the baby used to it.
Our moms have returned to work anywhere from 3-8 months - if the baby didn't
take a  bottle easily at that time, they would take either a cup, tippee
type cup, or a straw.
        If mom prefers to offer formula while away (none of ours did), I
don't think early pumping would be nearly as critical.
        These moms should be encouraged to nurse exclusively when they are
with their babies, especially on the weekend, as their milk supply may
dwindle toward the end of the week.  We encourage co-sleeping as well, since
many babies will reverse their feeding so a large proportion of their
nursing is done at night.  (Warn Mom!)
              I was able to return to work at 5 months, my baby had
breastmilk exclusively til six months, never any formula, and no cow's milk
til a year.  She's now 2 1/2 and in no danger of weaning!
        Most of what these mothers need is lots of support.  Chances are
they are the only ones they've ever known who have done this, and will get
plenty of messages that they are weird, overprotective, or psychologiccally
damaged.  If you put them in touch with others who have done the same thing,
it can make a world of difference.

                                                Barbara Whelan, M. D.
                                                [log in to unmask]
                                                BSC Student,
                                                Community Breastfeeding
                                                        Awareness Committee,
                                                London, Ontario, Canada
                                       Barbara Whelan
                                       [log in to unmask]

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