Going back to work is a hard transition for new moms. Settling the new family into a routine after the baby arrived entailed most likely considerable effort, and going back to work can feel like all that effort was for nothing and that everything is back at square one. In a way, this is true. The routine that worked when mom or dad did not have to work will probably be impossible to maintain once they have returned to the office. 

But it is also true that returning to work is more daunting than difficult. More specifically, dealing with the emotions of having to go back to work is around two-thirds of the required effort to do so successfully. The remaining third is about getting all ducks in a row from a logistical point of view. Like most things related to a baby, the non-emotional third of the work needed to transition back to the office is mostly about planning and consistency.

Below, you will find tips on how to prepare logistically to continue breastfeeding your baby once you have returned to work.

How much milk will I need before going back to work?

From a logistical point of view, how much milk will a mom need to have stashed before going back to work is the million-dollar question. The answer is, it depends. The crux of the matter is how much milk the mom can pump and save while at the same time breastfeeding her baby. It is important to frame the need like that because it is easy to miss. A good way to see it is that during the days that a mom is building her stash, she is feeding her baby twice - that day per se and the day she will be using the frozen or refrigerated milk.

If a mom’s milk production on any given day is sufficient to feed the baby that day and also save up the entire amount needed for the next day, then that mom would only need to pump for five days to have enough ounces to feed the baby for a whole work week. If, on the other hand, the mom’s milk production is less than double what the baby eats in a day, then that mom needs to plan in advance and ensure she has enough days to pump and thus save the needed amount of breast milk.

For how long do you want your baby to eat breast milk?

For a mom whose milk production is limited, this is the most crucial variable to determine, as every other element in her breast milk stashing plan depends on this. For example, a mom has a three-month maternity leave and wants her baby to eat breast milk exclusively for the first six months. Then, there is a three-month period during which the mom needs to have enough breast milk saved for her baby.

Pumping sessions per day

The next element to consider and define for a breast milk stashing plan is how many pumping sessions the mom can do in a day. Two things are important to keep in mind when determining the daily number of pumping sessions. First, and as said above, before the date of going back to work, the mom will have to pump breast milk and breastfeed her baby at the same time. And second, pumping sessions are a lot of work and, generally, not an enjoyable experience for the mom. Considering these two factors, it might be worth considering underestimating the number of pumping sessions to factor in any possible pumping sessions missed because the mom needed to rest.

Ounces per pumping session

The next variable to consider is how many ounces the mom can extract per pumping session. This will determine, in turn, how many pumping sessions the mom needs to do to save the amount of breast milk needed. As with pumping sessions per day, how many ounces a mom extracts can be directly impacted by the fact that extracting breast milk to create a stash needs to be done in parallel to feeding the baby. In other words, it can be a considerable strain on the mom's body.

How many ounces of breast milk will your baby eat?

This is the final variable to consider when creating a milk stash and, together with how long the mom wants the baby to exclusively eat breastmilk, the most important one. The baby’s daily ounces of breastmilk consumption will determine how long before the mom’s return to work date she needs to start extracting breast milk to stash.

It is important to consider how many ounces the baby will actually eat from stashed breast milk. For example, if a mom feeds her baby five times a day, four ounces of breast milk each feeding session, the baby consumes a total of twenty ounces each day. This is not necessarily the total amount that will come from the breast milk that has been saved. 

For instance, the mom might be able to breastfeed the baby early in the morning and for the last feed at night. This would reduce the total ounces that the baby will consume from the saved milk from twenty to twelve. For planning purposes, it is thus necessary to determine not only how much a baby should eat according to their age group but also how much of that total amount of ounces will be given to the baby from stashed breast milk.

The following breakdown of how much a baby should eat is considered standard:

1 to 3 months

Babies in this age group should eat three to five ounces per feeding and every three to four hours, which usually amounts to five feedings a day.

4 to 6 months

Babies in this age group should eat six to eight ounces per feeding and every three to four hours, which usually amounts to four or five feedings a day.

7 to 9 months

Babies in this age group should already be consuming solid foods, so their milk consumption will vary depending on how much solid food they eat on each of their daily feedings. Children under a year old should still get most of their calories through breast milk or formula, so they should eat at least twenty ounces per day, which averages four ounces per feeding if the baby is eating five times a day.

How to store breast milk?

Breast milk needs to be stored in plastic bags made explicitly for that purpose and refrigerated or frozen, as needed, depending on the intended use. If the plan is to feed the baby the extracted breast milk in less than 24 hours, refrigerating it should be enough. If the plan is to use the breast milk further into the future, it is advisable to freeze it as soon as it has been extracted.

It is also advisable not to mix breast milk from different pumping sessions. However, it is no problem to mix milk from one breast with milk from the other breast as long as it is from the same pumping session.

If the plan is to pump at work, the workspace should have a private and clean space for peaceful pumping, a fridge or refrigerator to store the milk extracted during the day, and somewhere to wash the cleanable parts of the pump. In addition, the mom should also bring a cooler and ice packs to work so that the extracted breast milk can be transported home.

If any of the above is missing from the mother’s workspace, the plan to pump at work to obtain breast milk for the baby’s consumption should be revisited. For example, if the space used to pump is not clean, like a bathroom, it is best to consider all alternatives. It is not advisable to give a baby breast milk extracted from a public or semi-public bathroom because it is full of bacteria and germs, and the breast milk could get contaminated.

How do you put together a pumping schedule during work hours?

The most basic thing a mom needs to remember is that if the goal is to keep breastfeeding after going back to work, pumping sessions during work hours should match the baby's feedings. For example, if the baby eats five times a day, the mom needs to pump for all of them when she is not directly feeding the baby. The idea is to ensure the mom’s milk production remains on par with her baby’s needs.

Working moms should know that introducing pumping sessions into a work schedule requires effective communication. It is advisable for the mom to discuss at length with her manager how much time she will require to pump and other possible needs so that the manager has clear expectations as to when her direct report will be absent. Blocking time in the calendar is also a good way of ensuring that no meetings are scheduled during the time allotted to pumping sessions.

Wearing comfortable clothes that allow for easy access of the pump to the breast is also something important, as wearing something that requires the mom to strip down to be able to pump might make it impossible for her to do so if the place where she will do it is not entirely private. Lastly, if the idea is to extract milk for the baby’s consumption, the mom needs to have a plan for cleaning the washable parts of the pump after each use and making sure she has the necessary implements, like a cooler and ice packs, to transport the milk back home.

Using a breast milk calculator

Are you unsure whether you will want or be able to pump at work? Are you sure you will want to do it as little as possible? Using this breast milk calculator can help you plan your pumping sessions during the time you have left before going back to work. This way, you can maximize the opportunity you have by stashing as much milk as you can in the time you have left and reducing the need to pump at work as much as possible.