Dear Mary Kay, I answer a lot of email from mothers in this exactly
situation. I explain that it's like an exercise machine. It's fine to have
it in your house, but unless you use it, it's a useless ornament (having one
of those in my house myself).

Mothers who go back to work are tired. They are stressed, and pulled from a
zillion directions. They try to pump at work, and then when they get home,
they find the house dirty, the dinner not cooked, and the laundry in a pile
just as she left it, usually, unless she has the means to hire help or has
other household members taking care of it.

I find mothers that work out of the home want to sleep all night, and want
to pump as much as necessary at work at not more, due to pressures to
perform there, and wanting to get as much uninterrupted sleep at night as
possible, and so, these pressures all add up to less stimulation to the
breast, and less milk.  Add on top of this the fact that often daycare
providers use milk as a major comfort, overfeeding babies without pacing
feedings, and you have a milk supply crisis in the wink of an eye.

I explain how it works, in terms of supply, and I advise her to get help in
the house, if only every other week... (or to just do a quick pick up..get a
box, throw stuff in there if it's out of place), take the towel from the
bathroom that is used and do a quick wipe with a spray cleaner in the
bathroom and hand her partner the cleaner and a sponge to clean the shower
while he/she's in there.   It's amazing how much of that junk can be done
while wandering through the house.  Picking out a favorite book series, and
sitting down in the evening to nurse a lot, and having baby close by at
night to nurse when waking can do a lot for supply .... And mothers WANT to
increase their supply, they often don't know how to do it, or how the system
works. Herbs can help, and taking a flask of tea to work (herbal, supporting
milk supply) can be great...too.

It's rest they need, and resting with the baby nursing does more to help
supply than anything.

Just my .02. K

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