Thoughts about pumping and breastfeeding while working full time...

ChattyKitty17

I know there is a thread further down about exclusively pumping which lets me know that it is a lot of work, which I expect, but I was wondering if any of you could give me insight on pumping and breastfeeding as far as working full time goes. I thankfully work at the place where my lo will be going to daycare, so breastfeeding is an option as is pumping, but I didn't know if it would be better to just pump to make it easier for the ladies at the center and my husband or if I should try to breastfeed exclusively or a combo....we are ttc so we have time to figure this out but I just wanted some advice from others who may be in this situation.  (can't ask people where I work because I'm not telling anyone ;-)

meggyme

It will depend on your baby and the size/culture of your workplace. If your baby is particularly impatient when hungry or it would be a huge inconvenience for the caretakers to find you when baby is hungry and you to drop everything and go feed, then pumping might be easier. As they get older and on more of a schedule vs feeding on demand ebf could be an option. Once you're pregnant I'm sure you could talk to the people that will be caring for your child.

mb0112

If you'll be able to take enough breaks, I think nursing would be way easier than pumping.  Maybe every week you could bring in a few bottles of pumped milk for them to keep on hand in case baby is hungry and you aren't able to be there, but plan on nursing and using that as backup.  I know if my baby was in the same place as me I'd so much rather nurse than worry about pumping enough, cleaning all the bottles, packing enough every day, etc.   Plus it's nice bonding/break time, better than sitting with a pump at work. 

nackie

I agree with pp, that if you have the ability to take enough breaks, go ahead and try to nurse instead of pump. You'll need to figure out how the daycare will let you know when's a good time.  You wouldn't want to show up to nurse 10 minutes after baby goes down for a nap, so logistically, it might be more challenging than pumping.
It does depend on the baby though, my lo is 10 months now and cries a ton when I leave him at daycare.  Once I'm gone and they get him settled, he's fine, but I wouldn't want to put him through that multiple times a day.

Lizbeth86

I think it might depend on how old your LO is when you go back to work, and how long your breaks are. If he or she is still very young, nursing can take a while, vs just a few minutes for pumping. But then they reach a point where they become really good and efficient at nursing and it's a breeze, like the PPs said.